The morning times., 1896-06-14
lsLETs N THE CHESAPEAKE
One Hundred Of Them Dot the
200 Miles of Water.
ARE VERY PICTURESQUE
Great Variety of Industries There
Carried OH torical Recol-
lectiOnS- Inhabitants.
(Hev York Euening Post.)

the hundredislandso oil the Chesape ke. They
lie scattered, great and small, through the
200 miles of salt water between the Sus-
qU"'.anna's mouth and the southern capes.
Capt. John Smith must have Known many
i OF them when he was roverin those parts.
Several OF the larger islands are famous
for rich crops Of wheat, Indiancorn, peaches
and other fruits, and garden vegetables,
while others are homes OF thrifty fishing
communities. some or them models In their
way. not only OF industry and prosperity.
but of orderly local self government.
Although many of these islands are reach
. ed by steamboats, trading To Baltimore the
ordinary method of local interconmunica-
ton Is by means OF small sailing craft as
often as anything else the Cheapeake .'bug-
eye" long, narrow craft, sometimes still
made canoe fashion, of a single hoIlo wed
log.
MYRIAD OF CRAFT.
The traveller by steamboat sees a myriad
OF these craft, great I'D small, at the islaid
ports and sailing the bay. AS the steam
boat at early morning picks her steps warily
among the shadows at tine mouth of some
crooked tributary of the bay the wakeful
passenger sees here and there an islander
| seated in the stern OF his little craft and
hasteuiDg to the nearest wharf with Fro
duce to be shipped TO the market by the
incoming steamer. dozen such craft
their long. slender masts quivering in the
wind. await the incoming steamer.
Some are laden with oysters; others are
unloading fish Of many sorts, just brought
from pound nets far out in the bay, while
still others bear country produce, small
| rrI..Us and vegetables in summer and
| sweet potatoes in autumn.
They are hardy, weather-tanned race
! these islanders, baving no highway hut
the waters OF the bay. no vehicle but their
| ON ~f2'...h little craft In striking coa-
I trast with the light sailing skiffs handled
1 by one man. or often by "a small boy. are
! the great .'bugeyes'' of the pound-fisher-
| -. narrow bolts driven at times
| by immense oars in the bands of sinewy
negroes
ISLAND OF sPEsUTIA
| Furthcst north of the large island is
1 spesutia, locally pronounced Spesoosha. Il
| lies only a few miles below Havre de G race,
andisthe home OF aducking Stub W hose club
! house is crowded in the canvas back season.
Here, too, the United states Fislr Commis-
sion carries on IN important part of its
work.
The-local fisheries are famous, and at on2
''shore'' on the island the haul of herring
at single drawing of a great seine this
spring was estimated at 1000 barrels.
or quite million fish. The seine enclosed
nearly two acres of water dense with fish.
and the fishermen were three da Us in landing
their catch.
Thc name Spasutia is 4 memorial of Capt.
Nathaniel Cty, who, being sent by Lord
Baltimore about the middle of the seven
ts.t.Hti century to warn the Dutch out of
New iT'setej fortified the island and named
it in Latin Hope of Uty."
Larger than Spesutia. and. indeed. consi-
erably the largest OF the Chcsape ke isan,.S.
is Kent Island. ttirty-five milo southeast OF
Baltimore. and belonging to the Eastern
Shore county of st. Anne's Although keiiG
Island is connected with the mainland hy
a bridge. the island has n marked character
Of its own. Here lie some of the most
cha rmng old Maryia nd hcrnesteads. aDdthe
island farms are famous for wheat. A
yield of thirty-five bushels per acre is nos
uncommon
ORCHARDS AND PASTURES.
The island. which is deeply indented by
n rms of the bay is also nctted With roads
tiat ran through 4 smiling country of .,r-
cha rtis and pastures. Private landings
brstle along the shores of the island, aud
from these landings farm produce is sent
directly 10 market. Kent Island is his
toricaiiy one of the richest spots in re-
gion of peculiarly rich tradition. Here it
was that Lord Baltimore. on becuming mas
ter of his palatinate. more than go years
ago. found troublesome Capt. william Clay
bourne III adverse possession. The story
of Claybourne's stubborn war with the new
power. .'.s expulsion and subsequent return,
followed by his second and final expulsion,
IS one of the most picturesque epiSUdes in
colonial history. One of the earliest Mary
land courts was established on Kent Island.
and Claybourne'S settlement. dating from
about 1881. was the earliest made by the
whites in the region now called Maryland
George Evelyn was the first commantley
Of Kent Island under the Calverts
THE BRENTs.
A more picturesque figure was Giles
erent, appointed to the command of the
sland in 1910, when the ISLANDERS were
restless under the rule of the Cafyerts.
The Brents, two brothers and two sisters,
lad come over TO Maryland with a large
Orps OF servants, two years before Ii
was the sister Margaret who rs administra-
Tx OF Gov. Calvert's estate. and attur-
iey for the Lord Proprietor, demanded in
10 As two votes in the Mar yIand assembly,
me on Ler OVID account as woman of
business. and the other al Lord Raitimore.s
ittorney. Her demand was denied, but
when Lord Baltimore asssiiled her with
lard words Tor having pacified the un-
PAID soldiers by pa ying their wages from the
proceeds of Gov. Calvert's estate the as
embiy made spirited reply in her de-
ense. Calvert had pledged himself to
'ay the soldiers, and his instructions to
rs executrix were: Take all and pay
I'll. The assembly decia red that she had
lueted the almost mutinous soldiers when
40 one else could have prevailed with them.
,iies Brent received from Lord Baltimore
he lonfiship of Kent Fort on Kent Island.
ogether with 1000 acres of land. The
ordship OF Kent Fort remained in the Brent
amily until the war OF the Revolution.
WYE ISLAND.
Wye Island. at the mouth ofthe Wye River
though smaller than Kent Island and of less
historic Importance, is a bea utiful and fer
lie tract. locally famous as the homestead
u the Paeas. The old house, rich in family
radltions, Some of them sufficiently tragic
was burned nearly twenty years ago, and
With IL persisted many notable relics among
hem an old oil portrait of Washington
Taylors Island, off the Dorchester county
cast, was often visited by the Methodist
rargeiist of the Chesapeake. it, Indeed, it
vas not his permanent home. he was IN
arrest preacher, who Travelled up and
iown the bay in i great canoe in the first
ALI OF the present century. and exercised
secular power over the rude islanders.
1e advised them in Affairs spiritual and
and arbitrated many quarrels
hat might have brought about bioodsied.
t is perhaps TO him that Tayior's Island
wcs its present sobriety and prosperity.
rbc island is inhabited chiefly by fisheR
ncn.
NEATN EsS AND THRIFT
Their homes are models OF neatness and
hrif, Every house has its lourishiny
arden. and the fruits and vegetables of
he island are famous FAR up and down the
ay. Young folk marry and set up house
eeping IN new homes beside their elders,
rd the teeminS waters of the lay provide
living for all. The islanders are reputed
al lIr crit To-