The Portland daily press., 1881-11-03

Island, and there is no reason why the name
should not be applied to the whole island.
There is no question but that it will be, as
usage is tending that way, and the next gen.
Grafton will not know it by the old name; but
this is addressed to those whose conservatism
stands in the way of adopting it. A few years
more will see cottages dotting its shores all the
way around, and the pleasure boats will run
down the Roads and up the inner channel,
calling at the landings all along the route.
The magnificent hardwood growth on this is
land will make it look parklike and
lovely after the spruce is gone, if go
it must as now seems likely. The
urocerus albicornus is making clean work of
the old growth of spruce, and acres of it are
dead. Over across at Evergreen landing on
Peaks Island, the trees are all dead around
the point, and the place is becoming known as
"Nevergreen'' or "Deadwood." Perhaps the
new growth may not be affected, as it now
seems untouched, or perhaps some new insect
may appear to make war upon the destroyer. 1t
is described as an inch long, with wings
spreading two inches, and with white horns, as
its surname imports. 1t is curious that science
cannot get lever under such calamity. If
the entomologists would hunt up parasite to
infest the U. A., or an insect to destroy its
eggs, government could breed quantity and
send them on their benefcent mission.
But if all the spruce disappears from this is
land, there will still remain plenty of pine,
hemlock, elm, birch, maple, oak and beech.
The beeches are perhaps the most numerous,
and this year has been their fruitful one.
Throughout October the woods have been full
of parties which have come down teech-nut-
ting. 1t is pleasant pastime, and ramble
through the deep wood paths in sunny after
noon, and the coming back with heaping bas-
kets to a warm supper, is an agreeable thing to
remember as the close of a summer, excursion
ing. Perhaps the most delightful part is the
sunny memories of it. When winter comes
and the northwind is whistling down the Chin
ney, while the ice is cold and hard on the
window panes without, if the party finds itself
assembled around the blazing hearth within,
and basket of the beechnuts are brought
forth, how quickly the conversation will go
back to the sunny October afternoon and the
big beech into whose broad branches the more
agile of the young ladies had been helped,
while tie stouter and loYelier- had -Dlueksd-
dragged down for them. How merrily
the laugh will go round as the conversation
turns upon the young gentleman who under
took to be babe in the woods, and was left
there covered up with leaves, and his coming
up afterwards, walking bow-legged to intimate
that he was a corpse, though why walking bow
legged should suggest that condition passeth
all philosophy How brightly the sloping yel-
low sun will shine down those golden wood
glades of the memory, and how it will gild the
yellow leaves of the oaks and bathe the Grim
son naples in blood. Even the boy who was
sent for water, and found, after half an nour's
search for the pals, lying on his back In the
sunshine, will now seem excusable, when you
are no longer thirsty and memory is limnlng
the picture of the spring, the boy and the hazy
Autumn sunshine. You will wonder who the
strangers were in Pleasant Cove, men, women
and children, who had anchored their sallDoat
off, and having built fire, were cooking their
dinner and gathering beechnuts; whether tney'
too, are now thinking of the golden Autumn
day, the bright waters of the bay, and the
shade of the tall oaks and spreading beeches.
One great attraction of Diamond Island is
its infinite variety. Several ridges OF rock run
through it from Northeast to Southwest, ana
the woodpaths are so winding that one IS con-
tinually straying to the wrong side OF a ridge
and coming out at an unexpected place; and
every new point has new surprise oil charm-
ing scenery. 1 find myself wondering II shall
ever learn my way all over it, and then think
of the charming drives there will be when roads
are laid out through all these winding paths
and around the steep cliffs. When the Gov
ernment erects the earthworks on the norther-
ly and easterly points of the island, which they
have purchased, it may make quite diner
ence in its appearance, but probably they Will
not be much occupied, except in case OF war,
and will only add little variation to the pic
tu-esqueness of the scene.
Although it is the middle of October the
Yachts and sailboats are fitting past as ire
quently as in midsummer. There is something
in sailing boat that never tires one who loves
it. Perhaps it is the mystery OF the sea- L
asked an old sea captain the other day II ne
had liked to sail boat when he was boy.
"Sail boat!" he said, "when L could get
boat, sailed till was half frozen and half
starved" There is no danger OF their freezlng
in this weather, for the thermometer stands at
seventy in the shade, with bright sun shiu-
ing. Although October has been colder than
last year, yet it has given us mary tine days.
The first day Of the month was as warm as any
of the Summer, and some others have peen
quite warm. 1t seems little strange to Do SIT
ting bare-headed on the piazza in warm ev-
ening and hearing the acorns dropping with a
patter, but when the distant Martins Point
bridge shows a white line along its side ID the
morning sun it is sign that the sun is running
| low, and the bayberry bushes are all turning
brown, the juniper changing to bronze
green and the huckleberries to an Indian red,
so that the rocky shore of Little Diamond Is
| land is dressed in shining robes again. There
| is nothing on the coast so beautiful as tha'
shore under the morning sun. The rocky clifff
| are striped with yellow, orange and red, ana
| the bushes on the crest take up the colors ID
| richer and deeper tones. 1t is worth going
| down to see The cottages on that island are
| all closed now and the boat calls no more a'
| that landing. The same state OF things exlstS
| at Evergreen, and there the pirates OIL TINS
| coast have raided through all the cottages ano
robbca them of useful articles that are left II
10 not nleasant to think that such brigands ex
ist among us, but it is disagreeable fact. Per
| haps even worse is it to have parties from the
city build fires against fine old trees and de
stroy them. 1t is to be hoped that advancing
| civilization may teach them to preserve sucf
| precious property for their children to ENJOY
| They can never be worth half as much to the
owners as they are to the citizens, for IL is tht
latter who have the constant enjoyment ol
| them.
One act of barbarism has been perpetratee
on Great Diamond Island this Summer, in the
nainting of advertisements on the tall cliff op
nogite Evergreen This was done by McDon
AID. the billposter. The owners are going tC
test the law b. prosecuting him, although thu
far he has postponed it by promising to pain
it out. He argued that, as there was no sigr
there prohibiting it, he felt at liberty to do tn'