8 



When we again look at Mr. White's reasons for failure, and 

 consider the farms of Gregory, Ware, Patch and others on the 

 seashore, and when at West Gloucester, within two miles and 

 a half of where the first fishing stage was erected on Cape 

 Ann, one " planter," or farmer, has this year cut from 1 1-16 

 acres of land, 5.4 tons of first rate English hay from two crops, 

 and still has another to cut, which good judges call at least one 

 ton more, making his hay crop from that field at the rate of six 

 tons to the acre ; another has raised from 147 square rods, 230 

 bushels of merchantable potatoes, besides several bushels of 

 small ; while still another has a seedling peach tree, the growth 

 of his wife's planting, which ripens its fruit as early as the 

 third week in July, of such superior quality that it sells readily, 

 far above any Southern peaches then found in the market. 

 All of which conclusively proves that with a little more money 

 and perseverance this first attempt would have been successful, 

 and Cape Ann would liave had the honor to head the list of 

 distinguished men that have been Governors of Massachusetts 

 with the name of Roger Conant, one who some historians 

 believe to be entitled to that place. 



The pioneer ship of the Dorchester Company was also the 

 pioneer in a foreign trade from Essex County, she having 

 sailed from Cape Ann with a full cargo for- Spain> in 1623, the 

 first foreign shipment from an Essex County port, which grew 

 afterwards to a large and profitable trade. 51,300 quintals of 

 fish, almost wholly the products of Marblehead and Cape Ann 

 fisheries, were shipped from this county to Bilboa alone during 

 the year 1767, bringing back valuable cargoes in return, which 

 foreign trade in fish direct from our ports, or via the fishing 

 grounds to that and other Mediterranean ports, continued into 



