New-York tribune., 1872-07-22
OLD COLONY LETTERS.
" p1scAToRIAL PARADISE.

10 south -easery gales, ana the Dtd'n wa oio"" WIN
a dozen wrecks year. gigantic pre"A" cIeo'eu
80 ontrrv Rut the Pilgrims harbor IA
,~atooto, nv a natural breakwater-a sandy
Mint now strengthened somewhat by piles,
sretcbine three miles into the hay from the southern
aide Within this point Plymouth bound craft can only
venture at high water. Our arrylngplace Is on the
south OF the outer bay the broad ocean opens to tho
east ON the north Shore ye mixes opposite. are
tbo fortified points Of saquish" and tho "Gurnet"
the latter crowned with Plymouth doube-lght Beyond
saoulsh is Cars Island, where the Pilgrim exploring
Marty sent forward from Cape Cod landed aud passed
the sabbath still further can see the hill where
Cant standish, In lit OF the Spleen established MS
lonely plantation of "Duxborrow" beyond IT, inc
nights of Marshed. the site Of the Webster Farm 10
voyage whittier in my sprtsail boat feel an Inclination
that must be gratfed ere many days shall pass.
Five miles by water around the Point, or three miles
staging bring us to yillage-thther, however we
are not often temped-not, even, by Mark Twain uu
u instinct to drop tear upon the graves OF te lorc
fathers On the below us cluster the cottages ol
few fshermen-lobstercat chiefly for, as IN MI
Winsow's time this is "a place where divers sorS Vi
shelldsh are.~ Lapstreak boats, two-masers built to
weather any squa lie just of the shore andthe dorles'
by which we reach them hauled on the beach, ABOVE
biebwater mark and launched at win with the aid OF
pair OF wheels We have a rocky dangerous Day, "heIe
the tide rises and falls full II feet Nevertheless thefe Is
good strip of sandy beach for bathing on the Iet W
our right wooded bluff like Navesnk Highlands, runs
ont into the sea; below this commences the sand region,
reaching all along cape Cod and on clear day. we eau
see as far as Provnceown looking directly eastward
Within two miles We have the best of saltwater fish
ing can run out almost any day, and after an hour
snort bring in half dozen tautog, venerable, white
crayated fellows elders OF the deep, turning the scales
at i've eight and even twelve pounds weight Cod,
haddock and pollack abound in their season. NOW ana
then school of mackerel or buc-1sh runs in and the
royal striped bass is caught with the trolhook along
the reefy coast After the day is over we have unlimited
glory of sunset and the widest pyrotechncal displays
from thunder-clouds that always seem to pass us and
discharge their watery burden upon the northern shore
giving us tho splendor and DuXbury neShb0rs the
deluge and the,bot
Such are the oceanward deocaons OF this pleasant
seat" But, had known of IT, might also hayo found
May season Of trOutng here instead OF visiting as
heretofore the trees rocks and running waters OF tho
upper Delaware-this year scorched and shrunken by
drouth and forest fires For Websers boast seems to
be well founded-that there IS not another spot on the
northern coast where curious variety OF both sea-
craft and wOodcraft alures the sportsman When one
considers that $50 years the first abiding settlement
os country made right here and that you now
can travel hence 1000 miles TO the Pacific without losing
ght OF civilization 1t seems strange indeed that TINS
should be the most sparsely inhabited region OF the
mother St1tC-'a new NuTlu hlDA 10 buO viat 'A''"
wilderness resembling tho Adirondacks In quality,
tboug not in quantity should DO close at hand-as
houseless and rugged as when the Pdrmet Indians
gathered in its Businesses deyshy intent upon tie de-
strucon with brand aud tomahawk Of the feeble Pill
grim colony.
The explorers described the site OF Plymouth as good
ly well waered region and SUCH at least 1t remains to
this day Within the town boundaries are one hundred
and ponds and lakeets the smaller measured
I,,, nd he ~ miles. They mostly
sand-bottomed and fed by springs. The whole stretch
across to Buzzards Bay is wild enough you can travel
for miles without seeing house, and lose yourself with
perfect facility among the bndroad5 Of the forest In
the whole of Plymouth County the ponds, large and small
are said TO be near a thousand in number. stable
piece of water, just in the rear of Plymouth, is 30
outlined as to look larger than it really
is from tho side toward the town aud
one is told that when the Pilgrims first clambered over
the hills they supposed 1t to be the and that they
had landed upon some narrow sthmus. Hence IFS pres
ent name Of Ellington Sea" Our ocean inlcS In Au
tumn alive with duck snipe and ployer Of foxes rab
bits quail and partridge there is plenty in these woods
but their chief boast Of the herds Of deer which, pro
tected by the law multiplying perceptbly from
year TO year Occasionally poachng party from Rhode
Island will sneak over here, kill buck and smugge the
venson across tho border but by the honest Of
the rangng-grounds the statute is well observed.
And So like the disguised Duchess in Dumus's Nous
QltettiTeS, nc VINO Illbub bu9 9cd
side pleasures. will find better than he sought The
ponds far ana near are stocked with fresh-water fish
In those winch have outlets TO the the handsome
white perch (Labra1 Pdltdusl aboundsa good fish to
catch and eat. The common yellow perch IS every
where and OF pickere and other baser classes there
are more than the discerning sportsman cares TO be
vexed with. We glory and delight, however, in cap
ture of the monarch Of lake fishes the noble black bass
Nowhere else this side of the st. Lawrence and the
great lakes can bass be found in greater numbers
or Of better Eayerage size This Is due TO
the zeal Of the late $. T. Tsdale, owner
OF the nail works at East Wareham, ian
enthusiastic fisherman who 50 long 1854, stocked
"Whte Island Pond" with seed bass, brought thher at
his own expense. From this the Inhabitants OF
the region have stocked at least 20 ponds Of various
sizes. The bass have multiplied abundantly ranging in
weight from pound up to ten and remember no
other locality s surer going out for the day.
TO ibring home handsome eaten. Every sportsman
the rush. the fright the leap, the magnificent play
Of this American game fish, one OF which is worth a
of any other TO capture tho trout and his arsto
cratic alone excepted The great number OF bass
ponds and the fact that few boats upon them, keep
this fascinating fish in abundant supply. The resident
anglers have each boat mounted wheels I'm which
they drive from pond to pond taking their choice Of
fishing ground for the day. Capturing the bass In this
fashion is ease. poetry, and sport combined, and as
the lawful season commenced with July are just
enjoying it to the full.
noted place is the backwoods farm OF Thomas Pierce,
son OF that old Branch Pierce who Websters land
lord upon the statesmans annual hunting soOurns In
this vicinity The room which Webster was wont 70
occupy is still just he left it, and Pierce will tell you
stories by the hour Of his JEST good fellowship and
skill with rod and rife In Long Pond close by, we'll
stocked with bass, there species Of perch which
have never seen elsewhere-a well defined perch but
blue in color In the number OF its rays and spnes 1t
fIla al
it a cross between that fish and the perch Qf
such thing possble but this theory upset by
the avOwal Of the oldest "resdenters that the blue
perch were here before the bass were introduced.
There is good troutng here in the Spring, along
streams which empty into the sea, and whose fish CON