152 Dr. Baylies' Account of Gay Head. 



inof^t separated from the other part of Martha's Vineyard 

 by a large pond. The Indians inhabiting this part, ^Yhen lately 

 numbered, amounted to two hundred and three. The land 

 produced Indian corn, rye, potatoes, peas, flax, and beans ; 

 but in small quantities, since the British General Gray de- 

 prived them of their sheep, which animal greatly enriched 

 their soil. They now had recourse to the whites, on the 

 east end of the island, for a supply of bread corn. Their 

 cattle were almost starved through the winter ; and of 

 course, gave but little milk in the summer, though furnish- 

 ed with a plenty of sweet feed. They burned nothing but 

 bushes, this part of the island affording no w^ood ; and suf- 

 fered much from the cold in the winter, though peat 

 was procurable in plenty. As to religion, they were 

 divided between the congregational and baptist persua- 

 sion : an Indian of the latter preached to them every 

 sabbath ; but they were seldom favoured with a congre- 

 gational teacher. After our refreshment, we made for the 

 cliEs. In our waj, we found the soil to be good ; wanting 

 nothing but industry and proper management to render it 

 capable of producing every kind of vegetable in perfection. 

 It was rather light and dry, consisting of a greyish sand, and 

 vegetable mould, two feet or more in depth, intermixed with 

 portions of a darker coloured earth. It manifests to the 

 taste a strong impregnation of the vitriolick acid ; and con- 

 tains many bright shining particles. Underneath this to 

 a level with the sea, it is made up of a mixture of ochrey, 

 sandy, stony, marly, and loamy earth, tasting also of the vit- 

 riolick acid. The water seemed to be tolerable ; one spring 



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