The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-08-23
OH Grareler.
CH1NCoTEAeUE ISLAND.


The following interesting description of
Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, and
the ponies and the people that inhabit
them, Is from the pen of ]. P. Matthews,
Esq. of the Baltimore 1pserican
Along the Atlantic shore of the penin-
sula, from Cape Charles almost to Cape
Henlopen, there stretches narrow strip
Of land, or rather series of irregular Sec
tions, which at low tide are Joined togeth-
er by shoals and sandbanks, and at food
tide are elongated islands. Between some
Of these islands there are inlets, through
which, when the tide is high, small YES
sells can reach the still waters that wash
the mainland. These sounds" us they
are designated on the maps, arc generally
FIVE or six miles wide. They all abound
in shoals and sand fats. through which
the channel, known only TO the native nav
igators, threads its tortuous way There
is no danger in sailing over the sounds,
except that careless ship captain will al
ways be blowing up the oyster beds with
the keel of his vessel and getting aground
y" f. 1ne IaIu n,.s n'..s u,,,..
gus. pc'ow ',,e Maiy yianu iihe, anu par
aiei "i'n W. ns'nia Sno's, Is Snihco, :
esSu' seo',ou VI 'no oi9Acn onai'i Vi
miles long and one mile wide. Separated
from it by narrow sound, fringed with
salt marshes, is Assateague Island, which
% ABOUT ."o nniles Nios' anu ., i,s noI'n-
ern eAue'hl'y - sinS oar' whieii ii9As IL
70 the upper seesloh VI 'nc cna'i' II Is
always SPOKEN oi as par' VI Inihcoeague'
a anu y unuei 'ne sahe cish JufiSpic',oh'
Inc eastern suorc y, AsSa'caeue po,uers
upon .ne ocean, anu upon l's low, ic'ei
oeaon 'hc h'sh'y pieaAers 'oSS 'heir ioany
cres's,
IL y probable Una. ~, some account OIL the
nrs. se'''e,nen' oi on,nco'cague may DC
.ound IN tne numerous histories OF virgin
IA, put nothlng can DC m learned from tne ISL
anuers themselves ihey nave no written
Gn.onicies, anu 'hcl 'iacl'lons are ineagre'
...is P.opap,c Una. .he nls' se..ierS T came
70 'ne is'ana aoou. 'hc year i'oo. ihey
were not nshcrlhen' as iniSh' pe supposed
from 'he occupation o' ehe people VINO
now hve mere, put herdsmen' Inc Island
was owned py some OF the landed propri-
etors U Accomac, VINO raseu cat'ie on
THESE pasture lands, ana nired men 70 at
tend TO them. ontii within tne last forty
years the population was limited to the
descendants oi these herdsmen, and there
were not more than hfteen or twenty
houses on the island. In the course OF
years the proprietors on the main land
abandoned their Island pasture grounds,
and the cattie-driying tenants became the
owners OF the lands and the herds.
The upper portion OF Assateague Is in
Maryland, aud i was settled by small
colony Of salt.boilcrs. The remains Of the
ancient hearths ON which they heated the
evaporatlng pans are still TO be seen. Dur
ing the Revolutionary War salt was pre-
cious commodity. When the Delaware
was blockaded by British fleet, Captain
Scott, one of the Assateague salt-boilers,
was accustomed to load swift-sailing lit
tie schooner with the produce Of his pans,
steal quietly up through the sounds, and
evading the hostile ships stationed ut the
mouth Of the bay by strategems best known
to the blockade runner, land his cargo in
Philadelphia.
Prior to 1874, the pursuits OF the peo-
pie were entirely PASTORAL except that in
che summer season they fshed IN the
sound from boats and small sailing vessels.
In that year the hrst oyster beds were