THIS town, previous to its incorporation in 1787, was a part of Dartmouth. There are two small villages in the town, one at the head of East river, the other at Westport Point. The people are much divided in religious sentiments. There are 5 meeting-houses: 2 for Friends, 2 for Baptists, and 1 for Methodists. There is also a small society of Congregationalists. The village at the head of East or Nochacuck river is about 8 miles from New Bedford, 8 from Fall River, and 21 from Newport. Formerly considerable quantities of timber were obtained in this town. The whale fishery is now an important branch of business; eight whaling vessels now go out from Westport Point. There is a cotton mill in this town, having 3,072 spindles, which in 1837 consumed 300,000 lbs. of cotton; 270,000 lbs. of cotton yarn were manufactured, the value of which was $67,500.

DUKES COUNTY.

THIS County is formed of the islands of Martha's Vineyard, Chappequiddick, Elizabeth Islands, and Noman's Land. The lastmentioned island is the southern extremity of Massachusetts. These islands lie off south of Barnstable county and Buzzard's Bay, and contain about 120 square miles. The principal island, Martha's Vineyard, is 19 miles in length from east to west, and its breadth in the widest part is 10 miles, and in the narrowest 2 miles : its mean breadth may be about 5 miles. Its usual Indian name was Capawock, though sometimes called Nope. (It is believed that Nope was more properly the name of Gay Head.) The greatest part of the island is low and level land; though in the western part there is a range of hills, which begins a mile west of Lambert's Cove, where they are three quarters of a mile wide, and running in a chain parallel with the sound, rise to the height of 250 feet, expand to the breadth of three miles, and terminate at Gay Head. These islands were discovered by Bartholomew Gosnold, in 1602. He landed at Noman's Land, which he called Martha's Vineyard, passed round Gay Head, which he named Dover Cliff, anchored in Vineyard sound, and landed on Cattahunk, which he named Elizabeth Island, in honor of Queen Elizabeth. Here he concluded to begin a plantation, and accordingly chose a site at the west end of the island. Here, on the north side, is a small pond of fresh water, two miles in circumference; in the

middle of its breadth, near the west end, is a small rocky islet. This they fortified, and upon it erected a storehouse.* While the men were occupied in this work, Gosnold crossed the bay in his vessel, went on shore, trafficked amicably with the natives, and, having discovered the mouths of two rivers, returned to the island. One of these rivers was that on the banks of which New Bedford is now built. This storehouse was the first house built by the English on the New England shores. When Gosnold was preparing to leave, discontent arose among those who were to have remained, so that the design of a settlement was relinquished, and the whole company returned to England. The next year, in June, Martin Pring entered the harbor of Edgartown, which he called Whitson's Bay, and anchored under the shelter of Chappequiddick neck, to which he gave the name of Mount Aldworth. Here he remained till the beginning of August, when he sailed for England. In 1619, Capt. Thomas Dermer landed at Martha's Vineyard, and was attacked by the natives. He and his companions gallantly defended themselves with their swords, and escaped. Several Indians were killed in the fray.

Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands were not included in any of the New England governments. William, Earl of Sterling, in consequence of a grant from the crown of England, laid claim to all the islands between Cape Cod and Hudson's

James Forcett, agent for the earl, in Oct. 1641, granted to Thomas Mayhew, of Watertown, and Thomas Mayhew his son, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands, with the same powers of government which the people of Massachusetts possessed by charter. The elder Thomas Mayhew had been a merchant at Southampton, in England, and when he first came to America he followed the same employment. The next year after he obtained the grant of Martha's Vineyard, he sent his son and several other persons to begin a plantation, who established themselves at Edgartown. The father himself soon followed, and became the governor of the colony. In 1644, by an act of the commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, probably at the request of the inhabitants, Martha's Vineyard was annexed to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. In 1664, the Duke of York received from his brother, Charles II., a grant of New York, including Long Island, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the islands adjacent, which had been previously purchased of Henry, grandson and heir of William Earl of Sterling, who previously resigned and assigned them to the duke. In consequence, these islands became a part of New York, but were left mostly to manage their own affairs. It was while Martha's Vineyard and Elizabeth Islands were connected with New York that, with Nantucket, they were made a county by the name of Dukes County. By the char

* The cellar of Gosnold's storehouse is yet to be seen, the stones of which were taken from the neighboring beach; the rocks of the islet being less movable and lying in edges. This place is what Josselyn and other old authors call "old Plymouth plantation, begun in 1602."

war.

ter of William and Mary, which arrived in 1692, these islands were taken from New York and annexed to Massachusetts. In 1695, Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and Noman's Land, were separated by the legislature from Nantucket, and made a distinct county. These islands suffered much in the revolutionary The vessels of the inhabitants were all taken and destroyed, the young men were captured, and many of them died on board prison ships. They lost most of their cattle and sheep, which were taken off by the enemy. In the last war with England, the inhabitants of these islands, from their exposed situation, were obliged to remain neutral. In this county there are 3 towns, viz. Chilmark, Edgartown, and Tisbury.

CHILMARK.

THIS township comprehends the west end of Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and Noman's Land. The territory on Martha's Vineyard is 10 miles in length, and from 2 to 5 miles in breadth. The Indian name of this part of the island was Nashou-oh-ka-muck, and it was the last settled by the English. There was, however, a village here before the close of the seventeenth century. Whilst it was under the government of New York, it was called the manor of Tisbury, but it was known by the name of Chilmark as long ago as 1698. The first town meeting was held in 1705, and in 1707 it first sent a representative to the general court. It was incorporated by the name which it now bears in

1714.

The first minister in Chilmark was Rev. Ralph Thacher; the time of his ordination is unknown. He was dismissed at his request in 1714. In 1715 William Holmes was ordained. He was a man of worth, and died in the ministry. In 1746, Andrew Boardman was ordained; and died of the small-pox in 1777. He was succeeded by Jonathan Smith, ordained in 1788, dismissed in 1827. Here are 2 meeting-houses, 1 Congregational, 1 Methodist. Distance 12 miles S. W. by S. of Edgartown, and 92 southerly from Boston.

The surface of this township is more varied than that of the other towns in the county. The northern and western part is uneven, having many hills, which afford an extensive prospect of the ocean, the sound, the Elizabeth Islands, the shore of Falmouth, and the country beyond the islands. The scene is enlivened by vessels which are continually passing. There are several pleasant and fertile valleys between the hills, about 2 miles from the sound, some of which afford iron ore. Considerable quantities of this ore have been exported to the forges on the main. Delivered at the sound it is worth about 2 dollars per ton. The stones and rocks which lie on these hills are granite; many of them are large, and some of singular shapes. Several at a distance might

be mistaken for houses. One has a roof like a barn, another is almost a perfect cone, and is called the Sugar Loaf; and others are hollowed out in the form of a bowl. The soil is clay, intermixed with sand, the clay predominating. There are several plains which are sandy. Both the clayey and sandy places are stony. The land, properly manured, produces good crops of Indian corn, rye, oats, and potatoes. There is more grass land in this town than in other parts of the island. There are but a few brooks, and those small. Swamps are more numerous, lying mostly in the western part of the township, but are not very extensive. Several of them have been cleared and converted into meadows. The best land in the island is at Gay Head, which is reserved to the Indians. There are a number of ponds in the town, the largest of which is Chilmark Great Pond, which consists of two parts connected by an artificial creek, the length of which is 2 miles, east and west. There is a small pond near the north-west corner of the township, covering about an acre of ground, and situated on land 70 feet above high water. It is so deep that its bottom has never yet

Lighthouse at Gay Head, Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard.

Deen found. Most of the shore bordering this township is formed of cliffs of clay, of blue and red colors, disposed in layers. At the west end of the town and island, is a peninsula of about three and a half miles in length and one and a half in breadth, containing 2,400 acres, the north-west point of which is Gay Head, about 100 feet in height. This cliff is composed of clay and other substances, red, yellow, blue, indigo, black, and white; and to those who are on board a vessel sailing near the shore, especially after a rain, and when the sun shines on it, it is a brilliant and beautiful object; hence it derived the name of Gay Head. A lighthouse which stands on it elevates a light 50 feet more above the level of the

sea.

At Gay Head is the Devil's Den, which, notwithstanding the terror of its name, has nothing formidable in its appearance. It is a depression in the hill in the form of a

bowl, except that it is open on the side next the sea, through which it is not difficult to descend to the strand. It is about 400 yards around, and 100 feet deep. If it was on the top of a mountain it might be called a crater. In this cavity, according to an Indian traditionary fable, many years before the English came to Martha's Vineyard, a giant, or tutelar deity, named Maushope, resided. Here he broiled the whale on a fire made of the largest trees, which he pulled up by the roots. Though a malignant spirit has now taken possession of his den, yet the first occupier was a benevolent being, and he kindly supplied the Indians with whales and other fish. After separating Noman's Land from Gay Head, metamorphosing his children into fishes, and throwing his wife on Saconet Point, where she still remains a misshapen rock, he went away, nobody knew whither. Perhaps the report that volcanic flames have been seen to ascend from the Devil's Den is as fabulous as the story of Maushope, as they have never been observed by any of the well-informed inhabitants. It has been suggested that the above story of the giant might have originated by the Indians finding fossil skeletons of large marine animals at that place, and from supposing the lignite which there abound to be the remains of his fires.

From Gay Head across to Cattahunk, a ledge of sunken rocks extends, known by the name of the Devil's Bridge, concerning the origin of which the Indians had the following tradition. The same famous giant Maushope undertook to build a bridge or causeway there, and had thrown in the rocks and a shoefull of earth, which he scraped out from the Devil's Den, but, one day, while working in the water, a crab bit his toe, which so vexed him that he abandoned his project.

Gay Head is inhabited by descendants of the native Indians, who own there 2,400 acres of land, most of which is under good improvement. Their dwelling-houses, upwards of 35, are mostly one story, and are comfortably built. The number of their population is 235. Their church, which at present is of the Baptist denomination, is 148 years old, since the organization, and now consists of 47 communicants. Their present minister is Rev. Joseph Amos, an Indian, of Marshpee, entirely blind, but a preacher of considerable ingenuity. Within a few years the condition of these people has much improved in point of temperance and general moral reformation. In this good cause, Simon Johnson, and Zacheus Hauwasso wee are actively engaged.

THE ELIZABETH ISLANDS are separated from Martha's Vineyard by the sound, and from Falmouth by a strait called Wood's Hole. Beginning north-east, the first island is Nannamesset, which is a mile and a quarter long, and half a mile in breadth. It is inhabited by 3 families, and has salt-works. In the S. W. part of the island is a high hill called Mount Sod. The next island, Onkatomka, is three quarters of a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. Between Nannamesset and Nashawn, towards the sound, are two small islands, called the Ram Islands. South-west from Nannamesset, and divided from it by the Gut, is Nashawn. This island is seven miles and a half long, and a mile and a quarter broad. The soil in the eastern part is a sandy loam and good, in the western part light and inferior. Nearly one half of the island is in wood and swamps. At half a mile distance, north of Nashawn, in Buzzard's Bay, are 3 small islands, called Wepecket Islands, the largest of which is not a quarter of a mile in length. West of Nashawn, and separated from it by a strait called Robinson's