Ancient Landmarks. 173 



reaching that point, there was no escape for the unhappy foxes, 

 whose flight led them inevitably to World's End Bar, upon which, 

 or on the next hill, they atoned with their lives for " crimes done 

 in the flesh." 



There is a curiously stunted elm-tree growing on the very top 

 of Planter's Hill. It is evidently dwarfed by having grown up 

 wedged among large rocks. It is of great age, early records re- 

 ferring to it soon after the settlement of the country, and appar- 

 ently has not increased in size during the two past centuries. It 

 is, indeed, an " ancient landmark." 



The doubly rounded eminence north of this bar is World's 

 End, a peninsula surrounded by water on all sides excepting 

 where this bar connects it with Planter's Hill. The harbor is on 

 the west, Weir River Bay upon the east side. 



Following the shore of Weir River Bay, we come to a little 

 cove upon the east side of Planter's Hill, and then an extremely 

 picturesque locality, having high rocks and precipices along its 

 water front, and great ledges cropping out all over it. This is 

 known as Rocky Neck. 



Up the little bay, to the eastward, lies Nantasket Beach, and 

 north of it, the point of land stretching out into the harbor, is 

 White Head. These localities are in Hull. 



The rough and broken easterly shore line of Rocky Neck finally 

 crosses a little meadow and beach, and beyond these is a narrow 

 passage between great masses of craggy rocks, which are called 

 Lincoln's Rocks. Through this passage comes the current of 

 Weir River. Close here, too, is the great rock in the water which 

 has been known from early times as The Ringbolt Rock, 

 from the huge iron ring let into its surface for the accommo- 

 dation of vessels hauling up the river. At " The Limekiln," in 

 the upper part of Weir River Bay, there were, in old times, 

 vessels built. The last one was the ship "Solferino," of about 800 

 tons, launched in the year 1859, the largest vessel ever built in 

 Hingham. 



The water here is the westerly portion of the inlet which ex- 

 tends easterly to the dam at Strait's Pond, and which we met 

 with there under the ancient name of Lyford's Liking. 



Let us go down the river again to Rocky Neck and cross Old 

 Planter's Fields, lying on the southeasterly slopes of Planter's 

 and Pine hills, and on over the " Damde Meddowes " to Martin's 

 Lane, which we will cross at the cove, and proceed along the 

 shore skirting the beautiful tract of country between Martin's 

 Lane and the harbor, called, anciently, Mansfield's, to Mans- 

 field's Cove, a slight indentation at the head of the harbor, 

 bounded on the west by a ledge making out into the water, called 

 Barnes's Rocks, upon and over which the old steamboat pier and 

 hanging wire bridge used to be. This ledge extends out under 

 the channel, interfering with navigation at low water. The 

 United States government has expended considerable sums of 



