Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1886-09-30
Upon what Meat doth this our Oasar
Feed, that he grows so Great7"

How often is the quiet utili,aran world
startled at the wonderful feat, or knowledge
OF some would-bs giant in poetry, Law,
physics, literature, commercial usage, the
customs or the comfy Of all nstions =
Small communities as well as great cities
have these prodigies, and stare and wonder.
and cry out Rome thou hast lost the breed
of noble blood it may be. but still there
are giants left to US.
SO thought the writer of this bu,
few days since but all is not gold that
glitters, and appearances are often decetfu.
The veracious and honest Captain Cutie
said to Walter; II you were to take and
show that man the buoy at More, said Cap
tain Cutie in the same tone, and ask his
opinion of it, Walter, he'd give an opinion
that was no more like that buoy than your
Uncle's buttons are. There amt man
that walks-certainly not on two legs-tha,
can come near him-not near him
What's his name Captain Cutie inquired
Walter, determined 10 be interested in the
Captains friend.
His names Bunsby, said the Captain.
But Lord it might be anything for the mat
Ter Of that. Nth such mind as his
There are Bunsbys in every community,
and believing and honest Captain Cuttles.
This community may or may not be an ex-
ception. will no, judge Of this
The above may be long preface, but no
so luminously characterizes human nature
as Dickens. One cannot we'll help,in every
exceptional phase Of human nature that he
witnesses. turning TO Dickens for an apt H.
lustralion. SO in the preface above there
lies an analogy TO recen, events here that
comes home to the mind of every thinking
and well informed person.
| lie, this, then, be my apology, and now to
/ the business in hand. But a few days since
| there came into this port, or of this village
and in the roads,ead a Yankee three. masted
schooner, The Herald" Capt. \. GiIley,
! from Demersra. The Captain is from my
own State and county. therefore very natur-
! ally. | felt an interest in him, especially
( when learned ,ha, he but few weeks be-
! fore was down sick with the intermittent fe-
| Yer and in the hospital at Demerars and
| left his sick bed TO go on board his yessel.
| when il was ready to sail. onl, to meet a
4 three days hurricane which came near sink
/ ing bis ship, bu, his anxiety snd The exer-
I lions to save the vessel nerved him 10 DO a
mans work. feeble as he was. He came
( here and lie of the village and harbor.
where vessels very often do, waiting for or
/ der. from his Consiguee. There are three
I points viz, Sal, CAY, Cockburn Harbor and
I turks Island where the salt merchants here
/ load vessels, sometimes al one point and at
| other times some other point. The Captain
! said to the Honorable Coart. tha; while
[ loading lumber at Fernandina he received
( his charter from well known house in
/ Baltimore, and a circular from the party
furnishing the salt, giving directions how
/ TO proceed. No one visiting his vessel. he
applied 10 the pilot for the use Of his boat 10
90 ashore in. The pilot said he nigh, have
!, hu, he must pay him eight shiIliugs, - 90
for its use. The Captain acquiesced. The
land until boarding officer had visited the
/ vessel. he told him nothing, only he must
be paid $500 for his boat. The Captain
had never visited the place. tie knew moth
ing Of the extra yexatious law that he was
abou, TO violate.
+ He testified that the pilot wanted him 10
anchor. bu, this would cause him to pay two
pilotages. and vessels these hard times have
/ 10 avoid all unnecessary expenses. He
/ landed at the Government wharf, passed
| through the gate OF the warehouse ward,
| aud thought the Custom House was located
/ there also. but i, was only few rods to the
\ Consignee's place Of business, and there was
where he went. The acting boarding officer
called there and took bis report. lie told
the Captain that he had violated the law OF
the port. The Captain was surprised
! understand that the Consignee's boat
was waiting for the Custom House boat TO
/ start because il was known that j, was Of no
use TO 60 ahead Of that. The boarding
/ officer before the Court said he saw the yes
/ sel and when asked why he did not visit
the vessel aud do his duty, he replied that
q ba - to- "a g4y' a,t1 |
7 told he often goes further on TO visit yes
sells, and at more untimeiy seasons Of the
day, as this was between two and three
/ o'clock p. m, the Captain landing at quar-
I ter pas, three. Now would an honest pub
lie believe this delinquent boarding officer is
the one who sues the Captain for breach Of
the law = Tell it not in Gath, publish 1t
not in the streets of Askelon." When the
Captain in his honest, blunt way asked how
he could know the existence of so strange a
law, the like Of which was not TO be found
in any other place, if the pilot did not in
form him. the associate Judge very naively,
aud seemingly thinking it clincher against
the Captain said 1T was not the pilots
business to notify captains
| The Captain was fined $500 and cost OF
Court and who was harmed by him. or
who suffered. or what reasonable law of
God or man was violated. Capt. Firth of
the schooner president violated this law
one night when coming into the harbor
taking ashore some sick person, etc, and
on going to Mr.. Lewellyn and stating
the fact, that while he knew about the law,
still it did not occur to him in his anxiety
to relieve his vessel OF the sick passenger or
passengers, the Honorable Commissioner
overlooked the matter.
l leave this matter to the sober, common
sense Of reasonable men, only promising
that this law instead of being the ''perfec-
ton of common sense" is, as put in execu-
ton in this case travesty Of justice. and a
violation of all equity.
Iwoud say to all American captains who
have offers Of charters here for salt. "wait
if you can get any other business, until this
obnoxious law is repealed. or some more
considerate and less interested boarding
officer is in charge of the fate Of honest but