New-York daily tribune., 1858-11-02
4 SUMNER CRUISE on THE COAST or
EFW-ENGLhND.. VM

Harvard 10 liz 4 miles northeast from Goacess'r
Uarbor. IS northeast from Boston. and l. north
east from Salem. Ii comprises oil the ses"ard
nortion Of the extremity of Cape Ann, and from
the settlement Of New England TO the present
time. The men Of Rockport have been Distinguished
for their enterprise in the fisheries; thereby, ss
Hayward judieiously remarks, " rendering them
servieesble Ia the country sbroaf, sud III com
panions for its intelligent and rosy-cheeked dam
" sels al home"
We saw but little Of The town. The fog was 80
dense that we could only discern that we were 10
a small harbor, partly artificial, with huge mole
Of granite between us and the ocean. There We're
fifteen or twenty schooners in The port, which af-
forded room for perhaps twice as many more. The
Arts, and got the skipper to row us ashore be
fore breakfast next day, july Is. We landed on a
dirty beach, covered with the decaying ofal of fish,
the .stench OF which WAS almost sufocating A
narrow street led us TO the center Of large and
prosperous looking village, where We mailed cur
letters and made some purchases, especially OF
" soft tack" of which we bought quantity that
caused the baker to stare and gasp with amaze
ment. We knew We should be- likely tn get none
for several DAYS and had found by experience that
six healthy men, with appettes, could consume
an enormous amount of bread.
When we got on board again we found the Pro-
fessor and the Assyrian in ii state of deep disgust
If the smell of rotten fish which filed the air, and
which, indeed. had been so disagreeable on the
previous evening that We should have holsted
anchor and gone outside of the harbor to pass the
niQht on the open sca. had rot the fog been so
thick that We could not see our vessels length
ahead OF US. Il Was so unpleasant on deck thit,
immediately after supper, We lighted our cigars
and closed the cabin doOrs to smother with the
fumes of tobacco the fshy odors from the shure.
Assoon therefore. as breakfast was over, we
raised the anchor, rigged the oars, and rowed our
little vessel out of the port just as many Greeks
would have done three thousand years ago.
have been amused during the whole Of this cruise
with its resemblance to the style in which the
clients made their voyages The Helen, Isuppose,
could not be much smaller than the bark which
carried her namesahe, the faithess wife of Meme
lsus, from Sparta 10 Troy. And though we did
not ike the Greeks OF that age hsu our vessel on
shore at night We ran regularly into port as the
darkness approached and never vcntnred far from
land. The coast of New-England, north OF Bos-
ton, with It's inleis and islands and rocky head
lands and frequent harbors is not unlike the coast
of Greece Cape Ann and CascO Bay and BIT.
Desert abound in promOntories, which only require
to be crowned with temples to compare well with
Suniun's marbled steep, W
Tie rccky brow
whea looks DER ,ealom Sslsili."
The fog was still az dense as ever, and when We
had got half mile outside the harbor wc
ceased rowing aud let the vessel driit while We
breakiasted. After breakfast the Professor taking
a couple OF codlines, got into the dory and rowed
away from the vessel. In two minutes he was out
of ght and presently the sound Of his oars became
inaudbe. The tide was drifting us away from the
land aud We soon grew ANXIOUS for The SAFETY OF
our companion. Though the sea was as smooth as
ever have seen it, the rugged coast IN that quarter
is accessible to boats only by the harbors. And
in such fog, without compass. the Professor.
after few turns round found IL az difficult to
make the land IA 10 recover the slcop. The skip
per, who was seriously alarmed took the horn
and sounded a sOnOrOus blast. Ii was promptly
answered by blast from the land. All along the
coast as far north as population extends, even 10
Labrador. the humane aud kindly custom prevails
of blowing horn in time OF fog as a guide to the
mariner Such signal from vessel anywhere
from Cape Ann 10 Labrador, viii be promptly
responded 10 from the shore, if the shore is
inhabited We blew again at intervals of FIVE
minutes TO guide the Professor. BY and by We
heard the sound Of oars, and that gentleman came
alongside having caught nothing but lobster, which
he had somehow cOntrlyed 70 eutIce into his dory
He seemed in no hurry 10 come on bosrd, but
asked the skipper TO give him a cup of water, =
piece Of bread and half a dozen cigars. He then
said 10 me: ''You are always interested in Gunner
fishing. c.. Jump into the dOry and come
along, and will show YOU the king OF the cunners
But first light cigar, and take couple of lines
from that locker. Ihere-giye me hsht-snd
take the oars, II You please, while see If | can
make this coniounded Icon d 'oTo burn. have used
up half bunch of matches oni already"
The golden lion would not burn, ard was nt
length flung into the water l pulled toward the
shore. while thc Professor lighted smother cigar
and bated the lines with the flesh Of the lobster be
had taken. The fog was So dense that the shore
was net visible until We were close upon H. We
anchored the dory in water ten or twelve feet deep
at the distance of as many yards from the high,
steep rugged rocks black aud Shiny with sea-
weed thst hue al that part Of the coast of Cape
Ann. The sea was as smooth as glass, and the
water SO clear that the smallest objects on the bot
tom we're distinctly seen. Directly beneath our
boat. and for a few feet on every SIDE the bottom
w,s clean sand free from weeds But this clear
space. which was about twenty feet in dismete-.
WIS surrounded by heaps Of rocks which rose 10
within three or four feet Of the surface Around
the bases of these rocks, and in their crevces.
grew a dense thicket of marine plants. making q
vegetable ring about the rocks Two or three fee;
wide.
"Here is where ] caught the lobster" saii the
Professor. "and with patience and deIterity We
can catch enough of them 10 keep US supplied with
food and bait for the res; Of the week. Did you
ever see 80 many cunners before Look sharp,
and YOU will see a very large one"
Tbs water beneath Us, indeed, swarned with
.rnnars of all sizes and all colors. There were
some NOT larger than q mans finger, and others
that appeared upward of foot in length. Most
of ,bem were blsckfsh in hue, but there were
several of lighter coors, and one or two Of bright
orance tiu:. There must have been hundreds of
them in sigh, al once. They swarm about slowly
and lazily, sometimes hiding in the thekets of sea-