The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-09-07


nous style as in Richmond.
We shall not pause to speak of New
York at present, but must take the reader
at once to the most charming of all the
summer resorts we have visited.
Nantucket.
Thirty miles from the mainland, in lat
itude 410 so and longitude 7O0 w. from
Greenwich, we reach this secluded island
home by the steamer from Fall River or
New Bedford. Martha's Vineyard lies
between it and the Massachusetts, coast.
The island is in the form of crescent,
with the horns pointing to the mainland,
and is about l6 miles in length from east
to west, by 3 or 4 broad. Embosomed
midway on deep indentation in the in
terror side of this crescent, is the town
of Nantucket $4,000 population), once
the most famous whaling port in the
world, but almost destroyed by great
conhagration in 1916. The people here
seem to be cut off from the world, and
have preserved in an astonishing degree
their primitive ways and customs. The
climate is perfect-positively delicious.
We are in the ocean; we have the adj
vantage of a voyage across the ocean, on
land. We left Richmond charged with
malaria it vanished when we kissed the
fresh breezes of the sound. And yet we
steamed into Nantucket harbor on sea
nearly as smooth as glass and in calm.
1t was lovely sight. In the distance
the spires and domes and dark grey
houses of Nantucket rose as from an am
phitheatre on the sides of the hill that
overlooks the harbor. The sun, about
half-hour high, threw its nearly horizon.
tai rays on the FURNISHED surface of the
ocean, which seemed hardly to breathe.
Before us lay thirty or forty becalmed
vessels, with their white sails spread, like
so many painted ships on a painted
ocean" We had never seen the ocean in
this mood beforehand strangest of all
we were on one of the stormiest and most
dangerous of coasts, where the visitor has
sometimes to delay a week for fair
weather back to the continent. 1t is one
of the quaintest of old towns, and doubt
less could unfold many thrilling story
OF adventure and moving accident on
the briny food. The window-panes are
about Z by 5 inches, and the old houses
have rallied walks" on top of them, from
which the whale fisherman could at all
times look out upon the sea.
We have been here three or four days
and have seen no paper since we arrived
it is possible to get the Boston
papers by going in search of them. A
very intelligent family where we get
board take only weekly paper. We
breakfast at y, dine at 124, and have
supper at 6. After supper the people
turn out for walk, and to shop, and to
market. Last evening we took a walk,
and found all the stores open at P. NJ,
and the streets thronged. The fish mar
ket was open, and there was man cut
ting up an immense sword-fsh $500 lbs.)
Owe bought the sword), which was sold
at II cents pound 1t is very good,
but does not equal the Blue Fish or the
Soup, which are the staple fish of this
market. These are the most delicious
fish we ever ate. A lobster weighing
five pounds can be bought for 25 cents.
On the other hand, beef is % cents
pound, and fowls 35 cents pound. But
excellent board-every thing very nice
can be had for SO a week, and at this
stage of the season for So.
One of the attractions of the place is
the Blue Fishing and the Shark Fishing.
You go out ten or fifteen miles in yacht
and often take $50 blue fish, which will
weigh from five to ten pounds apiece,
and sometimes you hang a shark weigh
ing several hundred pounds. You may
also go out in dory after the blue fish.
Bathing
Is, of course, undetermined the prin-
capitalization of this place. The
men are almost naked; we saw one
youth about Is years of age, without
rag on, save strip around his loins
playing on the beach amid the bathers
Some of the ladies were bare below the