The Portland daily press., 1877-08-02
izon l beyond. and every view framed by the per.

izon beyond, and every view framed by the per-
teet curve of the shore.
1t IS the proper thing, believe, to compare
our Wn own beautiful Cssco Bay with the Bay of
Naples, winch it resembles about as much as
1t does Niagara Falls. Two facts alone will
prove TINS. The principal feature of Casco
Bay IS its 800 peerless isles. The Bsy of Ma
pies mas put one island. Our own bay and that
oI Napies are as beautiful as they well can be,
each IN its own way, but they differ as much in
beauty as the luminous blonde of the North
from the dark.eyed, raveD-haired daughter of
Italy. If we have an American Bay of Naples
it is Flagg Cove, Grand Menan. 1t has the
same noble curve to its shores, from which the
land rises like an ampitheatre; sweeping in one
grand sem!circle from cape to cape, its ocean
opens out just as grandly, its waters are Just as
oiue, its skies as bright as those of Italy. Duck
Island makes a very good Capri, and it only
needS Is a, a mount Nesuvlus rising inside of Swal-
low Tail Light to perfect the general outlines
of the resemblance
Near Grand Harbor we passed an English
Episcopal Church built of stone. Across the
road hard by was the little parsonage; pleas
ant faced pastor leaned over the gate and
touched his broad brimmed hat to us as we rat
tied past. A little further on, in strange con-
trast, was Mormon church, a rather dilapi-
dated wooden building in which society of
Mormons hold services: How did Mormonism
ever get down east to this solitary isle?
Grand Menan is an island lying at the en-
trance of the Bay of Funday, off the extreme
eastern coast of Maine Its nearest point
Northern Head, is six miles distant from onr
coast at Quoddy. Grand Menan, as well as
Campobello, naturally belongs to the State of
Maine, but in settling the boundary line, it is
quite patent that England outwitted us and
took these islands. Grand Manan is nearly
twenty miles long from northeast to south
west and from to miles in breadth. On
its northwest side fronting Maine, it rises in
one grand wall of rock, 20 miles long aud from
700 to 400 feet high The top of this wall is
covered with forest of spruce. From this alb
rapt height on the northwest the surface of the
island slopes gradually to the southeast, and
rails gently into the sea along its whole south
eastern front with many coves and harbors,
groups OF islands and shoals and reefs beyond.
The high northwest plateau is covered with
dense growth OF good timber. Over half the
island is timber tract. Towards the harbOrs
on the southeast the land is cultivated. There
are many good farms here. The soil is quite
fertile, and good crops. The houses are of
wood, OF good size, well built neatly painted,
many of them tastefully surrounded with gar
dens and flowers. Most of the people are en-
gagged in fishing, and the sea pours its wealth
laVlshly about these Shores The roads are
nearly good, smooth turnpikes, better than any
country roads in Maine, an annual subsidy
from the province of New Brunswick helping
the islanders to keep their highways in excel
lent repair. Grand Manan numbers nearly
z00U inhabitants. We did not see a single per-
son that looked poor or in want or notice a
single house that looked like the abode of pov-
erty.
These people are all comfortably dressed and
appear like persons we'll to do in the world.
They are all kind, oblging, contented and
happy, and do not seem to appreciate what
they lose by not living under the wings of the
American Eagle, the tips of whose pinions
reach so near their shores.
Twice a week steamer runs from Eastport
| to Grand Manan. The two little hotels here
are both full. Before many years large hotels
will look down on Flagg Cove with their hun
dred windows, daily steamer will ply from
here to the main and the shores will be bright
with the butterflies of summer travel. This
grand Isle of the Sea is the Ultima Thule of the
Cruise of the Princess. We have run along
the coast OF our native state to the jumping off
place, and then dropped anchor in the waters
of another flag. Returning from our drive we
| filled up the water tanks of the Princess Took
on board liberal supply of mutton, chickens,
butter, milk, berries &c, weighed anchor,
fired our parting gun and stood out of the
American Bay of Naples, homeward bound.
WANDERER.