Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-08-14

| accurate and VIVID account OF our late visit to
the above named island. A few points not
| touched by him propose to notice.
The island is crescent formed the horns OF
the crescent extending northward towards the
main land. On the north side of the island,
and about midway between the horns, are the
harbor and the town of Nantucket The har.
Dor was once one of the best in the state, deep
and capacious. 1t is now so INSTRUCTED by
sand bars, that heavily laden ship cannot en-.
ter. 1t the process of filling up continues, the
harbor will soon be utterly ruined.
| The business of the island was for long
time connected Immediately or remotely with
the whale fishery. Many ample fortunes
were made when that island enjoyed the mo
nopoly of the oil business, and when whales
were much more numerous than now The
business is now transferred to New Bedford
ana Nantucket enjoys a repOse which approx.
imates to stagnaton. Within the last fifteen
| years, an old sea captain informed me, seventy
ships have been sold away from the island
Two ships now lie at the wharf one of which
In her last voyage, sunk over $4,000 and the
other more than $4,000. We have heard Of
ships rotting at the wharf and of grass grow.
ing in the streets Of cities. The visitor can
see both at Nantucket. Since the failure OF
the whale fishery, no other business has gain.
ed foothold on the island. There are a few
boot and shoe manufactures, but there are no
Inducements to locate any manufacturing bus.
! lnpgS tbprp Raftor fnpili+ioe
almost any town on the main land. Iobserv-
ed one candle factory, and learned that three
others were burned some time ago, and that
they will not be rebuilt The wharves are in
very dilapidated condition, having been al
most destroyed by the sea worm, which is so
destructive to ships.
The agricultural prospects of the island are
what might be expected from soil COMPOSED
almost entirely Of sand, and swept all the wear
by the winds from the ocean. There are very
few trees on the island. Most of those we
saw line the streets of the town, or are shell
| tered from the violence of the ocean blasts by
surrounding buildings. Most of the trees look
sickly, and are covered with mildew and moss.
In few well sheltered gardens we noticed a
few thrifty pear and apple trees. Along the
streets the locust is the most frequent, with
here and there an elm. We do rot remember
seeing an evergreen on the island
The population is estimated to be not far
| from eight thousand, of whom at least five
| eighths are females. And, by the way, the
ladies of Nantucket are very good looking. if
not handsome, at least quite up to the average
OF female beauty in the towns and cities of
New England. The number having blonde
compilations and black eyes we thought quite
remarkable. These last remarks are made
for the special benefit of my bachelor friends
in your office, Mr.. Spy. If they should visit
Nantucket, they might catch something more
desirable than blue-fish or sharks Please not
saythng to our wives of our opinion of the
Nantucket ladies, lest they may object to our
going again.
Capitalization is the law on the island as
well as on the continent. Nineteen-twentieths
OF the whole population live within a circle
whose radius is less than one mile. To us who
are accustomed to wide and straight streets
and to seeing the houses on either side of a
street fronting the same way and placed at
nearly uniform distance from the street, Nan.
tucket has an extremely odd appearance. Her
houses stand at almost every conceivable an
gle with each other, are located some back
from the street. and others on the line of it.
While some are so elevated as apparently to
have the cellars above ground, and the next
house is so depressed as to suggest that it may
possibly have undertaken journey down into
its own cellar.
HE buildings are constructed almost ex-
cluSiyely OF wood, are very near each other,
and consequently the whole town is seriously
exposed III every case of fire. A few wears
ago more than three hundred houses were
swept off in one confagration.
The social habits of the islanders, so far as
we could learn them in so brief a visit, though
somewhat unique, more nearly resemble what
may be found in our large villages than the
usual habits of New England life Their
isolation, and the comparatively small number
of strangers called there by business or
pleasure, afford the citizens an opportunity to
know nearly every person belonging on the
island, and to recognize stranger as such on
his first appearance.
The weather was charming during the
whole OF our stay. The nights were partcu-
larly beautiful. The moon was near the full
and the younger portion of the islanders were
out in the streets, under the clear blue sky,
chatting, laughing and singng-retreshed by
the delicious breeze blowing uniformly off the
sea. One of our NUMBER who was bold
enough to venture out into the crowd, reported
that at least four out of five of the promenaders
were females The married men could not
suppress the benevolent desire that some of
our bachelor friends from the Heart of the
Commonwealth could be there-we were so
confident that they would find the evening air
healthtul and attractive.
The educational interests of the isla-d have
not been overlooked or neglected. The excel
lent public schools have supplanted nearly all
private institutions of learning. We could
hear OF only one private institution that sur
wives. Its existence is maintained by a fund
giyenthlrty three years ago by Admiral COT.
fin, an Englishman having relations on the
island. With all its advantages it cannot, sue
cesstully compete with the public schools which
have nearly all the pupils, and are worthy of
all the care and expense which the intelligent
islanders have generously bestowed upon
them. Their high school building is the finest
house we saw upon the island, and cost $1,000.
We wish we had as good a one in Worcester.
They have building which they call the
Atheneum, which contains very respectable
public library, and a museum enriched by
contributions of natural and artificial curiosi-
ties from all parts OF the world. 1t is particu-
larry rich in specimens illustrating the whole
fishery.
The religious wants Of the people are sup
piled by numerous chul ches of which learned
that the Methodists the Unitarians the Con-
gregationasts, and the Baptists, have one
each, and the Quakers two
On inquiring OF person whom | met, how
many churches there were on the island, he
replied, more churches than christians" On
telling him that his accurate knowledge of the
number of christians induced me 10 believe
that he must be one of them he hesitatngly
answered that he had not entered place of
public worship for twenty years. Such per.
son must have great facilities for learning who
are christians and in what christianity consists.
a stranger in Nantucket will be struck with
the paucity OF foreigners. We hardly heard a
foreign accent. They have no demand for