Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-09-11
BLOCK ISLAND.

A correspondent of the Albany Journal gives
the following interesting description of this
place and Its peculiarities
p" An island nine miles long by three miles
wide, without harbor-sixteen thousand acres
OF choice arabic land without a tree-half of a
New England county without a lawyer in it
a population of sixteen hundred Yankees with
out shoemaker, or any mechanic whatsoever
save blacksmith, are surely noteworthy things
II there be fail on Block Island / know not
but do know that the Scripture-time method
of using the OK to thrash grain is still in use
here. Twas Judean spectacle to see lads
drive two yoke Of cattle in a circle round a
stack, while the father and his man-servant
threw the trOdden sheaves up loose upon the
earthly threshing floor An island in the At
lantic, dependent much on deep sea fishing,
without a decked vessel, is also remarkable
But there is reason for these open schooner
boats of Block Island. Its only harbor of refuge
is the high and dry beach The fishing vessels,
therefore, must be light enough 10 be drawn
quickly out Of wa'er. The Block Island use of
single OK in harness, pulling between pair
OF thills, is also peculiar well as satisfactory
The use Of peat for fuel and sort of cultiva-
ton OF this article in fresh water ponds, is also
notable to an Albanian.
This naked land was once covered with tim
Der, and graced with shade and fruit trees
Great changes have come over it since its set
tlement in 1861. Two centuries of RepubI-
eanism have done thorough work upon the So
ciety OF the Island and upon its property. In
the old time there were great landhOlders here
three men owning nearly all Of the soil.
There were grand mansion houses, in whose
ample kitchen fre-places a dozen African and
Indian slaves could bake away their leisure
quite out of the way of the cook. There was
splendid interchanges of cOurtesies between
this handful Of prOprietOrs and the owners of
the great farms on the Narraga nsett shore Op-
pOste. The abolition of the right of primo
geniture in Rhode Island made decimal frac-
tons out of all these. The Richard Smith
farm, nine miles long by three miles wide, the
Hazard farm Of twelve thousand acres, the
: Stanton" farm, four and a half miles long by
two broad, and several other properties baro-
NAL in extent. have grown munifcently small
under the inexorable operation of the statute
Of Distribution.
Oppressive heat in summer is unknown here
The winter is tempered by the sea. There was
not a sled upon the Island when the great SHOWS
fell last year, and sleighing was q pleasure
wholly unconceiyed Of by many of its inhabit-
ants. The cattle are left out Of doors the win
ter through. The Fall comes later and the
Spring comes earlier than on the Rhode Island
main. The English greenness Of the turfy
slopes and hills Of the Island is impaired by the
heavy dews
Ii is very remarkable that this large body of
land, lying in the track of the coaSting CON-
lnerce Of the country, should thus long have
been left without harbor-at least Of refuge.
There is cove on the Atlantic side Of the
Island, into which vast number Of vessels an
| nually enter, and either stand of and on, or
anchor with long cables When night comes,
their masters grow anxious If the wind shifts
to the East or to the North East, they cup and
run" Ii il blows hard and tumbles the At
! lantic in, then the oxen do brisk work In haul
! ing up high and dry the schooner fishing boats
Of the sailing qualities Of these remarkable YES
| sells, and Of the skill with which they are man.
aged, one can judge when | say that in the
| open sea navigation in which they are used. but
one has been foundered in ifty-nine years"