CHAPTER I.

TOPOGRAPIDCAL DESCRIPTION.

HARBORS. - COVES. - SOIL. - HILLS. -ROCKING STONE8.- THE MAGNOLIA. -THE CUT. - Ponds. -Islands. NORMANS WOE.

The territory of the original town of Glouccster occupies the whole northern promontory of Massachusetts Bay known as Cape Ann, and is bounded on the north by Ipswich Bay, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Massachusctts Bay, and on the west by the towns of Manchester and Essex. It is divided into two nearly equal parts by Annisquam Rivcr, an arm of the sea extending from Ipswich Bay, first in a south-westerly and then in a south-easterly direction, about four milcs towards Gloucester Harbor, from which it is separated by a short and narrow neck of land. The territory varies but little in length, the greatest being about nine miles; which is from the comer bounds of Manchester and Essex, where these join each othcr, to Straitsmouth, on the easterly sicle of the Cape. Its grcatest width is from Twopenny Loaf, near the mouth of Chcbacco River, to Eastern Point; and is about six milcs. The narrowest part, between Ipswich Bay and Mlassachusctts Bay, is a little less than four miles.

The principal harbor is on the south sidc of the town, and is formed by Eastern Point, - a strip of unequal width, extending in a south-westcrly direction about three miles, with a rock-bound coast that defies the violcnce of the surging waves dashing almost constantly against it, and affording withinits friendly embrace safe shelter and anchorage for a large fleet. In the course of the year, many hundred vessels, mostly of the coasting and fishing classes, find here a refuge from the dangerous easterly gales and storms by which the coast is so often visited; and in autumn, when a favorable wind and clear weather follow an easterly blow, it is not an uncommon sight to see a fleet of two or three hundred sail working out of the harbor at the same time, and presenting a scene of surpassing interest and beauty.

Annisquam Harbor is a safe and snug haven at the mouth of Annisquam River, having a bar across its entrance, which rcndcrs it difficult of access. A current tradition among the people at Annisquam affirms that the name by which their section of the town has always been known is derived from Squam, an Indian word descriptive of the harbor ; and Ann, the name of the cape within whose limits it is situated. The earliest mention of this name is on "William ·Wood's Map of Massachusetts, drawn in 1633, where it is spelled Wonasquam. It also occurs in Winthrop's Journal, under the year 1635; and in Josselyn's "Account of Two Voyages to New England," the first of which was commenced in 1638. He spells it Wonasquam; and adds, " a dangerous place to Sail by in stormie weather, by reason of the many Rocks and foaming breakers."

There are several coves on the eastern extremity of the Cape, at some of which harbors have been made, by the construction, at a heavy cost, of massive stone piers and breakwaters. The shores of the town are indented by numerous other coves ; but the only one desening particular notice here is Trynall Cove, at which a ferry was established in 1694 for the conveyance of passengers over Annisquam River to Biskie Island, from which a causeway extended to the main land on the Chcbacco side of the town. So important was this channel of communication, that, in 1759, the project of building a bridge at this place was discussed in town-meeting, but soon abandoned; and the ferry was made to serve the convenience of travellers till the latter part of the last century, when it was discontinued. The remains of the ancient causeway arc still to be seen.

The surface of the town is uneven ; and its peculiar character strikes every beholder, at first sight, with astonishment. Bald, rocky hills, bold and precipitous ledges of rock, with acres of bowlders of various sizes, in many places scattered thickly over the surface, combine to present a rare scene of naked ruggedness and complete sterility. The small tracts and patches of clear land by which this view of barrenness is occasionally relieved are covered with a strong and fertile soil, suited to the growth of most of our New-England agricultural products. Much of their productivenes, however, is derived from the persevering industry which has removed the rocks from their surface, and converted the land into a state fit for cultivation. 

The highest elevation of land in the town is a hill situated near its western border, called Tompson's lfountain. It is two hundred and fifty-five feet above the level of the sea, and its summit affords an xtensive prospect of land and ocean. On a clear day, there are plainly discernible, at distances varying from twenty to eighty miles, Bunker-hill Monument; Wachuset Mountain, in Worcester County; Monadnock, Gunstock, and other mountain ranges, in Ncw Hampshire ; and Agamcnticus, in Maine. (1) The other hills deserving mention are Governor's, (2) commanding a fine view of the principal village, harbor, and the two bays whose waters are separated by the Cape ; Rail-cut, next in elevation to Tompson's; and Pigeon Hill, on the northeasterly part of the Cape. The latter is the first land that salutes the eye of the mariner as he approaches the coast from the east; and, in order to render it more conspicuous as a landmark, the trees with which its summit was originally covered.      (It has ) received for many years the careful attention of the town. Here may be had a near, extensive, and sublime view of the "unbeginning, endless sea."      

(1) These several objects were pointed out to me by a member of a surveying party belonging to the United-States Coast Survey, which was stationed for several months on this hill. t

(2) This name was given about the time of the first settlement of the town; but a use to which the hill was put in the Revolutionary War has caused the.ancient appelllation sometimes to yield to that of Beacon Pole. April 16, 1776, the General Court resolved that a beacon should be erected at Cape Ann, on Governor's Hill; another, at Marblehead; one at Boston, on the usual place; and one on the Blue Hills, in Milton. The selectmen and two commisioned officers nearest the beacons were to have charge of them, and, when an enemy's fleet was discovered, to fire their alarm-guns, set the bells ringing, and cauae the beacons to be fired with all expedition.

Besides these hills, there arc some elevations that deserve notice on account of their structure and their striking and majestic forms. Of these, Poles(3)  and Farm Ledge, two large masses of rock, whose precipitous sides and bold outline command the attention of every beholder, are the most conspicuous.

(3) I adapt the spelling of this word to its pronunciation. It is of early occurrence In the town-records; where its orthography is such as to anthorize a conjecture that it was derived from the name of Powel, an early inhabitant.

The rocks of Cape Ann are granite, of a beautiful, dark color ; and are easily wrought into blocks of any needed size. Several quarries have been opened in different localities ; but none are now extensively worked, except some valuable ones at the northeast part of the Cape. These are truly mines of wealth ; for they yield a sure and ample return to the industry which turns out the useful material they furnish, and which finds every year an increased demand for its products. The time may come when the busy hand of labor will be seen plying its blows at the granite ledges in every part of the town, and extracting there from the means of a more substantial and permanent prosperity than was ever derived from the richest mines of the precious metals.

It is not only from a scenic or utilitarian point of view that the rocks of Cape Ann possess an interest : they afford a few natural curiosities, that amply repay the trouble and fatigue of a visit to their several localities. One of these, Rafe's Crack, which is said to have derived its name from a man named Ralph, who once resided in its vicinity, is a remarkable fissure in a ledge on the seacoast between Norman's Woe and Kettle Cove. Its length forms a right angle with the shore, from which it extends more than two hundred feet. Its width is irregular; but the greatest is about ten feet. The depth from the highest part of the rock, forming one of its sides to low-water mark, is computed at sixty feet. The ledge is one of the most remarkable on the Cape; being compact, of great size,  and presenting, oceanward, an aspect of singular boldness and grandeur. The view of the spot, and the hollow, thundering noise of the sea, as it is dashed back from the rocks at the upper end of the chasm, cause every visitor to feel the presence of a sublime and majestic influence.

Another feature in the geological structure of the town is its rocking stones. The one most deserving of notice is that near Bass Rocks. It is situated at the end of a large and high ledge, jutting out into the Sea ; and is not perceived, without examination, to be a detached portion of it. It lies in such juxtaposition to the main rock as to strike against it at every oscillation. It is somewhat difficult of access, though the agile and adventurous may obtain a foothold upon it ·without difficulty. Its shape is so irregular, that its weight is rendered difficult of computation; but no estimate makes it less than five hundred tons. It has a rocking motion of about one inch; but as its vibrations arc caused only by the sea, which leaves it at low water, the frequency and force of these depend upon the time of tide, and the violence with which it is struck by the waves. The best time to visit it is at or near half-tide; and, if a heavy sea should be then breaking upon the shore, it will exhibit a constant, tremulous motion, affording a rare illustration of hydro-dynamic power. This rock derives additional interest from the probability that it attracted the notice of a celebrated New-England divine many years since, who thus mentions it in a letter(4) to a foreign correspondent : -

" Yon may Judge me akin to Johannes de Rupe Scissal by my obtruding upon you another Story of a Rock, after my having transcribed unto our (Alas! deceased) Friend an Account of the Rockuing Stone to be seen at the town of Gloucester, in this American Colony. But tho' the thing be Little above the Quality of a trifle, yet, because there is a little curiousity in it, and some other Things as Trivial have been commemorated among observable Rarities, I will now give you a  relation of another Large Rock in the very same Town of Gloucester, the circumstances whereof are a little singular. "There stands on the Shore there, between Low and High Water Mark, a Rock upon a Rock, where it would require many Team of Oxen to draw it from its Basis. The Rock is about 19 or 20 foot long, about 9 or 10 foot wide, but Sidewise, that it faces the Sea. But when a Storm arises, and the Sea beats tempestuously upon this Rock, the spectators have a sight that a Little Surprises them. They see the Rock, notwithstanding the vast Bulk and Weight of it, move backwards and forwards three or four feet, and, in less than a .Minute or two, perform its motion with Continual Repetitions. The Rock whereon it stands is worn into a most Regular Smoothness as far as this motion extends, and a Rock on which ye Back of it is is also thereby worn considerably."

(4) This letter, written by Rev. Cotton Mather, is dated "Sept. 24, 1724," and is addrssed to Dr. James Jurin. It is In possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Such an exaggerated account of the motion of this rock would hardly be expected, even from such a aource.

The Rocking Stone, of which he had previously written, was probably that situated in a pasture on the north side of the Cape. It is a bowlder, weighing about seventy tons, resting on a rock on a level with the surface of the ground, and may be set in motion by one person; so that, after the withdrawal of the force, about fifteen vibrations may be counted.

The rocky surface of the town, which now presents many large tracts, offering scarcely a tree or bush to relieve the eye, was once covered with a fine growth of various kinds of wood : but the work of levelling it began when the town was first settled, and has been continued with unfaltering perseverance; till, at length, only in a few places are there any trees to be found. In addition to the wood cut for fuel for domestic consumption, and the timber felled for ship-building and for the construction of tenemtents in town, quite a brisk business was early carried on in the exportation of the article to Boston. A stray leaf of an old account-book reveals the fact, that in about three weeks, in 1711, over five hundred cords of wharf-wood were shipped to one firm in that place.

The botany of Cape Ann is rich in the possession of a rare plant called the Magnolia Glauca, whose only native place in Massachusetts is a swamp in the westerly part of the town. It belongs to a genus named after Magnol, a distinguished French botanist ; and is of a family comprehending many beautiful trees and shrubs very common in the Southern and South-western States. The M. glauca grows to the height of ahout ten feet, and yields a beautiful, fragrant flower through nearly the whole of the warm season. These are in such request, that large numbers of them are annually carried out of town for sale. Many of the shrubs are taken up every year for transplanting; and, as little care is exercised for the preservation of the plant in its original locality, it is to be feared that it will soon be comnpletely extirpated. Of those that have been transplanted, few have thrived ; owing in most cases, perhaps, to the change from a ,wet soil to a dry one. This plant possesses valuable medicinal properties, and is said to have been used with great succcss in chronic rheumatism and intermittent fever.

The project of a cut, or passage, through thr narrow neck of land that separated the waters of Massachusetts Bay from those of Ipswich Bay, received the early attention of the Colonial Govemment; for, as early as 1638, the records of the General Court say, "Mr. Endicott was willed to send three men to view Cape Ann, whether it may be cut through, and how they find it." But it was not probably demmed of sufficient public advantage to be undertaken by the government ; and its execution was left to the individual enterprise of Rev. Richard Blynman, the first minister of the town, who, by a vote of the town, " 26th 5 mo. 1643," was to "cut the beach through, and to maintain it, and to have the benefit of it to himself and his for ever; giving the inhabitants of the town free passage." The masonry of this ancient canal was of the lightest and most simple kind ; consisting merely of two parallel walls of small rocks, which approachced near each other at the bottom, and thence sloped to the top, where the width was just sufficient to allow the passage of small shallops. The bridge was so constructed, that, by raising one end slightly from the wall on which it rested, it could be swung round on a pivot fixed into the other. This channel was of great convenience to the early settlers of the town ; but it was cut, undoubtedly, with reference to the accommodation of the coastwise navigation between: Massachusetts Bay and the eastern shores, which was carried on in small vessels that, by means of this passage, could avoid the risk and delay of an outside voyage around the Cape. Nothing is preserved on record to show the extent to which it was used. It was kept open without obstruction till the winter of 1704; when, by the combined action of a violent storm and remarkably high tide, it was so filled with sand and gravel as to become useless.

Just before this event occurred, the town had taken its first action in relation to the Cut since the original grant. At a meeting, May 15, 1704, a vote was passed, "that whatever person or persons that passeth through the Cut, and shall leave the bridge open, and shall not turn the bridge over the Cut again, - every such person or persons shall pay, as a fine to ye proprietors of said Cut, six shillings in money for every time they shall leave the said bridge and do not turn it over the Cut again." The ownership of it had passed from Mr. Blynman to William Stevens ; but it was now the property of Capt. Nathaniel Coit. On his refusal or neglect to clear it, a memorial was presented to the General Court in behalf of the town, setting forth the inconvenience suffered in consequence of its useless condition, and praying the interference of that body to compel Capt. Coit to put it again in navigable order. The court ordered him to have it cleared ; and, for his compensation, allowed him to tax every vessel, not belonging to the town, that passed through, two shillings each time ; and those belonging to Gloucester, seven shillings yearly. After some delay, he commenced work upon it; but progressed so slowly, that he was at last hurried on by the General Court to complete it in twelve days, or submit to have it done by the town at his expense. No further action appears on record in relation to it at this time ; and it was, without doubt, soon made passable : but only a few years elapsed before it again became the subject of controversy, and of frequent and lengthy debate in town-meetings.

In February, 1723, a remarkably high tide, attended with a storm of unusual violence, again filled this channel with sand. Ineffectual attempts were made by the town, by petition to the General Court and complaints to the Court of Sessions, to compel Samuel Stevens, jun., the owner of the Cut at that time, to open it again. The last effort to this end, Feb. 1, 1727, was the choice of an agent, Elder James Sayward, with appropriation of ten pounds for his expenses, to prosecute Mr. Stevens in a court of law. Against this vote, John Sargent, John Parsons, and Eliezer Parsons, entered their dissent, " because it was spending the town's money without prospect of benefit, or gaining the supposed end for which said agent is chosen." A few months afterwards, a town-meeting was held to consider a proposition to open the Cut at the town's charge; which, after much debate, was negatived: and finally, Feb. 8, 1728, the town gave " liberty to any person, so far as they are concerned, to open and clear" it. The unwillingness of the town to assume the management of this channel, and to open it and keep it in navigable order, shows that it was not of much public utility.

After the lapse of nearly a century, the minds of the people were again aroused to the convenience and advantages of the ancient union of the two bays. At this period, the maritime intercourse between the commercial capital of 'New England and all the ports and havens from Ipswich Bay to Penobscot River employed a great number of small craft, which, it was supposed, would seek this passage if it were navigable ; and the recent application of steam as a motive power for propelling vessels through the water gave rise to extravagant expectations as to the extent to which it might be used by vessels so propelled. In the most sanguine belief that the enterprise woulcl yield a fair return for the capital needed to carry it forward, about six thousand dollars were subscribed towards it by individuals, who were incorporated by the State, under the name of the Gloucester Canal Corporation. The Commonwealth became a stockholder to the amount of fifteen hundred dollars ; and an appropriation of six thousand dollars was obtained from the General Government, on the representation of the great public benefit the channel would undoubtedly prove to be in case of war, as shown by the constant danger of capture and annoyance by the enemy's cruisers, to which the outside navigation was exposed in the conflict with England a few years before. The Act of Incorporation bears date Feb. 16, 1822. The work was immediately commenced, and finished during the next year ; but, to the great disappointment of its projectors, it was so little used at first as to yield an insufficient sum for repairs, and finally ceased to be resorted to at all. A drawbridge was maintained for a few years, which finally gave place to a permanent one, and that has now yielded to the solid road. During the time the passage was open, one steam-vessel only made use of it. She was one of the smallest boats (5) of her class, which, with a party of pleasure, made the circumnavigation of the Cape in August, 1829.

(5) On that account, named the "Tom Thumb." The dimenaiona of the canal barely admitted her passage

There are but two ponds of considerable magnitude within the limits of Gloucester. The largest (Cape Pond) is situated near the easterly end of the Cape ; and is a beautiful sheet of water, covering about seventy acres. It is nearly environed by high and rocky hills, which on one side recede with abruptness from the shore. Perch and pickerel are occasionally caught there; but it is seldom visited for the purpose of fishing. The brook by which it has its outlet takes a westerly direction; and after fl.owing about two miles, in part through a swamp :filled with the high blueberry and other shrubs, mingles its waters with those of the sea, at Mill River. Trout have been taken from this stream ; but it is not so plentifully supplied with them as to make it a resort for anglers. The other pond, a sheet of water of smaller size than Cape Pond, is on Eastern Point, and covers a considerable portion of the width of this strip of land at the place where it is situated. A narrow ridge, composed of sand and pebbles, separates it from the waters of the ocean, which, at times of its unusual height and violent agitation, have been known to throw their briny spray over the barrier, and mingle with those of the pond.

The islands near the Cape and in its harbors are few in number, and of but little importance, except for the historical interest connected with the three that attracted the notire of the early and celebrated navigator, who associated them with one of the marvellous exploits of his own wonderful career. One of these three islands lies oft' the head of the Cape, and is separated from it by a channel of only a few rods in width. Its surface is rocky, and covers not more than forty or fifty acres. Its present name (Straitsmouth) was given before 1699, when the island was granted by the General Court to Capt. James Davis, in consideration that he had " been at much charge and expense in the late wan with the French and Indian enemy, and spent much time in said service." Its value, in the depreciated currency of 1732, was two hundred and twenty-five pounds. A light-house was erected on it a few years since, for the accommodation of the in-shore na,igation of the Cape. The other islands of this group are situated on the south-east side of the Cape, within a mile of its shores. Thatcher's, the larger of the two, is estimated to contain about eighty acres, most of which consists of good soil, aft'ording rich pasturage for a few cattl . In 1714, it was purchased by Rev. John ·white for a hundred pounds. He sold it in 1727 to Joseph Allen, for a hundred and seventy-five pounds. In 1771, the Colonial Government became its owner, at a coat of five hundred pounds, and proceeded in the same year to erect two light-houses and a dwelling-house on it. The lights were lighted for the first time, Dec. 21, 1771. At the commencement of the Revolutionary War, the keeper of the lights (Kirkwood) was forcibly removed from the island by Capt. Rogers's company of minutemen, u a person inimical to the patriotic sentiments generally held by the people of the town. After a lapse of time, the lights were relighted, and have ever since thrown forth their friendly beams to greet the anxious mariner, and, in the darkness of night, direct his way over the pathless sea. Milk Island, lying a short distance south of Thatcher's, rises but little above the level of the sea. Its soil is BUfticient for the pasturage of a few sheep ; for which purpose only has it ever been used. In 1718, it was sold by Petter Bennet, of Georgetown, Me., to his brother Anthony, of Gloucester, for forty-seven pounds.

Near the entrance of the principal harbor, on the westerly side, is Kettle Island, which is high and rocky, and of no importance as to size or use. It may have received its name from the family of John Kettle, an early settler ; though it was known by its present name as early as 1634, when five men, belonging to Salem, were drowned from a canoe, near it. In the waters of the harbor lie Ten-pound Island and Five-pound Island, both very small, but mentioned by their present names in the early records of the town; a vote of which, in 1644, indicates the use then made of the former :- "

Ten Pound bland shall be reserved for Rams onlie ; and whoever shall put on anie but great Ramms shall forfeit 2s. 6d. per head." Among the grants to William Vinson, an early settler, was "an Island that lyes in the coave before his house, called five-pound Island."

Other islands, of sufficient importance to receive names in the early settlement of the town, but deserving no further notice here, IU'e Obadiah Bruen's, Cow, Norawaie, Cormorant, and Hemlock.

On the westerly side of the harbor is Norman's Oh, or Woe ; a large rock, lying a few rods from the shore, and connected with it by a reef of rocks, which the sea leaves bare at low water. The tradition, that a man named Norman was shipwrecked and lost there, has no other confirmation than that derived from the name itself. A William Norman was an early settler of Manchester; and a Richard Norman is shown, by the probate records of Essex County, to have sailed on a voyage from which he never returned home, some time before 1682. The doleful name applied to this spot may commemorate a misfortune to one of those individuals. It will recall. to the minds of the readers of American poetry, if it did not suggest to the author, a pathetic ballad of one of our most popular poets.