RHODE ISLAND: THE OYSTER INTERESTS. 287 



heightened this discontent, and iu tbe winter of 1878-'79 it caino to tbe surface in a contest before 

 tbe legislature, which brougbt up several mooted points. Tbe great bone of contention was tbe 

 construction put by tbe commissioners upon wbo were suitable persons to receive leases. It was 

 notorious tbat many Boston dealers planted oysters and operated business generally in Narragan- 

 sctt Bay, upon ground leased in tbe name of some " inbabitant of tbe State," who might or might 

 not act as their agent at tbe scene of operations. This practice was deemed by many native fish- 

 ermen an infringement of law and an injury to them. They, therefore, endeavored to procure the 

 passage of a bill through the legislature making it a misdemeanor for any lessee of oyster-beds to 

 be interested with any person not a resident in the State, with a penalty of $100 and a cancellation 

 of the lease for such " interested" connection. The result of tbe fight was that the bill failed to 

 become a law. 



93. THE PLANTING GROUNDS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY. 



EAST SIDE OF THE BAY. Tradition says that oysters used to grow in Mount Hope Bay proper, 

 below the mouth of the Tauntou River; though but little trustworthy testimony could be obtained 

 on this point. Beyond tbat, on the eastern side, no oyster-beds could be found, ancient or modern, 

 until Newport was reached, where now none are growing or planted (the city deriving all its 

 supplies from Providence), but where, in some of the larger salt-water ponds, they formerly existed 

 iu considerable quantities. They were described as a large, round, scalloped oyster, quite different 

 from those anciently found in the pond on Block Island, which were said to be long, slender, and 

 very good. It is probable that a careful survey of ponds and inlets along the eastern bank of the 

 Sakounet River and around Sakonnet Point would disclose the remains of many extinct beds, and 

 perhaps some living colonies of oysters. Tbe same may be said of Newport Neck and Conanicut 

 Island. 



Tbe Kickamuit River is an inlet of Narragansett Bay, at the extreme eastern boundary of the 

 State, which has an entrance only a stone's throw in width, but expands interiorly into a bay about 

 3 miles long and 1 wide, the narrow upper portion of whicb is called Palmer's River. Tbe water 

 is shallow, of course, and the bottom of a very varied character. Forty-one acres have been leased, 

 distributed among eight planters. Native oysters grew there of good size and quality, and some 

 are got yet, but tbe chief value of the ground is for planting ; and as yet the experiment is too 

 slight to afford much judgment. There seems good reason to expect success, since it used to be a 

 famous place for " set." The bottom is also said to be full of fresh springs, which is highly to its 

 advantage. 



Westward of the Kickamuit River are Warren, Barrington, and Palmer Rivers, joining in an 

 inlet of Providence River. In these three streams is leased a total of 173 acres, distributed among 

 thirteen proprietors, some duplicating Kickamuit, Drownville, Providence, and Boston names. 

 The shell-heaps strewn upon tbe knolls along all four of these rivers show that the succulent 

 bivalves have lived in their waters since time immemorial. Occasionally the natural oysters are 

 still to be found; and that twenty years ago many remained is shown by the fact that in 1860 an 

 extraordinarily large number of infant oysters. " set" on the shores. These native oysters were 

 very large and long and slender. Their shells were not usually very heavy, and they were held in 

 high esteem. At present there are none to be had of marketable size, and there are not enough 

 young ones to be found in these rivers to amount to anything. Nevertheless the Warren and the 

 Barringtou are among the best places in Rhode Island, apparently, for oyster culture. The water 

 is wonderfully pure, sparkling, and salt, and flows in and out with a swift tide. The bottom is 

 very hard, as a rule, and in places rocky. This fact makes the oysters there come to have a round 



