New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-15
Nempork DAILY @ibn,.e
4 SUMNER CRUISE on THE COAST OF
or NEWENGL1ND.....V

AT Sts. JNlt - ic'fN.
Friday morning, July 9, / a1oke scon after
daylight. and bys prcdigious eAerton of energy
got VI. id not dress. for on bcsrd the Helen,
during this cruise, We have undressed only when
"a. bathed or went ashore--in which latter case
TO prevent miseobception, viii state, that after
undressing We dressed ourselves asaIn in shore
clotb,,-the main constituents OF shore clothes
being coats and white shirts. White shirts aud
coats We put on. however, ony wbrn vlsiting some
considerable place like Gloucester. Portsmouth, or
Portland. Al Other places We generally went
ashore in our rig. consisting OF pantaioons weu
smes red with the slime of tsh, and bleached with
constant drippings and spashngs OF sea water, aud
thick red flannel shirts, or more shirts beng
worn az a time, according 10 the weather or the
fancy of the wearer. The Professor, whose ardor
in pursuit of science exposed him most 10 the wet,
generally arrayed himself IN three shirts at once
the Oldest in service being worn uppennos; aud
outermost.
Getting up, as said, after daylight, aud
giving my self shake by way of making my toilette,
i could scarcely keep from laughing. as ! looked
around the little cabin. The Professor, whose
berth was on the same side with my own. was
sleeping almost in a sitting posture, his back
propped up by pillow, great coat and huge
volume of the L. $. Coast Survey Report. He
had fallen asleep while reading, for his unextin-
guished lamp vet burned dimly beside him, and his
| .pectaces were still on his nose. His blanket was
living folded beneath him, and he had passed the
night close to the open cabn-d00r, with no other
protection fron the cool air than his three shirts.
They, however seemed to be sufficient, for be was
sleeping soundly snd comfortably.
The Assyrians berth was opposite to the Profes-
A. FRA sea
spread for themselves on the floor when they were
on board had been thrust the top OF hls mattress
during the day. He had neglected to remove 1t
on turning in, aud the space that was lett between
il and the ceiling was barely sufficient for his some
what ample proportions. He had no pillow, and
with his head thrown back and his mouth resolute
| w shut, he was sounding q blast with such sOnor
ous and sustained vigOr that / could almost mag
| inc he had served q trumpeter through all the
seventeen campaigns of his famous ancestor. the
mighty Temenbar, who, if he writ his annals right
on the sculptured walls of his palace, wss the most
successful and sanguinary Of the long line OF
| Nineveite kings and conquerors. In the strug-
giles and contOrtiOns induced by HIS lnconyenlent
| posture, the Assyrian had twisted his blanket
| around him in such fashion, that while a triple
fold cnyeloped his body, his neither combinations
were exposed at full length protected only by his
| coarse blue pantaloOns.
| The artist on the contrary, WAS lying, like gray
| haired Saturn, "quiet as stone snugly wrapped
| in his blanket, which swathed him as closely ss
| mummy is swathed by its bandages. He had con-
yerted his portmanteau into pillow, and was
taking his sleep with resolute expression of coun-
enance which said plainly that he WAS very com
| Portable and did not mean Ia be- disturbed.
| pinched the Assyrians nose till he opened his
| mouth, which have always found an ehectual
| mode of checking snorer, and went on deck to
| zee the sun rise. The air mild and still, and
1 naf. lesy M np eve uo
before the skipper had purchased from neighbor-
| ing iigger number Of hard-heads," as be called
| them. for bait.
This fish belongs 10 the shad and herring family,
| and j. found in prpdigiOus numbers all along our
coast III known by variety of names, bonyhsh, ="
| .pauhagen," "menbaden," and 81 moss-bOnker." 4"
| Dr. Storer in his Report on the Fishes of Massa
chusetts, uses the term menhaden, while the moss
bonker is used by Mr.. Pcrley, and Mr. Spencer f.
| Baird in his Smithsonian Report on the Fishes Of
| the w-Jersey Coast. The fishermen whom we
| have met on this cruise never give 1t any other
name than "hard head which is literally descrip-
| tive of the hardness OF its head. Ii grows to the
length of fourteen inches and is about three inches
in width. The upper part OF the body is OF
| greenish- brown color, the lower part whitsh. The
back is slightly arched, the mouth opens very wide,
| the lower Jaw beiug shorter than the upper. The
| flesh is sweet though 30 full of small bones that II
| is seldom eaten by those who can get other hsh.
The head enters Massachusetts, Bay about
the middle of May, and remains till November. 1t
is exclusively sea fish, and does not Ike the her
| ring aud shad, ascend the fresh water streams.
They swarm in every bay and inlet in immense
schools swimming st the surface with their dorsai
fins sticking out of the water, and causing by thrir
| rushing ripping, which the fishermen term
| breaking" and which s sometimes visible az
| great distance The shark and bluetsh follow and
| feed upon these schools, making such ravages
among them that the gus and other Sra birds some
times join IN the chase for the purpose OF picking
ND the fragments that have fallen from the jaws OF
| the fnny saughterers.
| The common mode Of taking the hard-head il by
seines many thousand being taken at single haul.
They are sold for bait Ia the cod and mackere fishers
and also used in great quantities as manure and
for the oil which they contain. have visited some
establishments on the islands on the coast OF Maine
! where oil was expressed from these hsh. They
are hrst chopped up and boiled, aud the oil
! skinned off The resdiupi is then put into
| press and still more oil il extracted What is left
of the fish is then used a. manure. The entire hsh,
however, Just az il comes from the sea, ID largely
used for manure on Cape Cod, on the southern
coast of New England, and on the COASTS OF Long
Island and New-Jersey. They are spread over the
land at the rate of 1000 or 1900 10 an acre. and
are plcxed or hoed in. In planting corn, single
fish is sometimes placed in each hill, to the mani
! fest Improvement Of the growth of the crop. Zach
! fish Of ordinary size, weighing about pound, 10
computed Ia be- equal IN rchness IA shoveiul oi
barnyard manure.
| The chief value of the hard-head in Massachusetts,
Bay s for bait. Ii is in great demand among the
fishermen, who il prcfusey, M! oniy by put
ting pieces of il ON their hooks, bat by grinding IL
up hne 10 4 bst-ln aud throwing II overheard bS
handfuls TO attract the mackere near their YES
sells. The maraudng blueiish have tins season
caused comparative scarcity OF hard-heads IN MAS
sachusetts waters: aud later in cruise We nave
met S"ampscot, and Cape Ann vessels winch had
gone as far east Mount Desert IN search OF hard'
| h..1 1s 4. -.