22 



turned their care to other objects. Some started for the 

 other villages of Gloucester to evoke whatever historical 

 wonders might be slumbering about them. Still more, and 

 in fact nearly all the residue, set off to climb the tallest emi- 

 nence in the town, known as Thompson's Mountain. This 

 eminence, noted b}^ Babson as 255 feet high, has had its ce- 

 lebrity finally established by being made a signal station by 

 the United States Coast Survey. After a warm and rather 

 weary walk, the summit was reached, and from the stern and 

 almost naked rock which forms it, the party looked about 

 on a prospect of admirable diversity and extent. Immedi- 

 ately about the foot of the mountain lie the dense woods 

 that occupy all the western part of the town. Beyond are 

 seen the goodly buildings of the Harbor Parish, or Glouces- 

 ter proper, toward the southeast ; the more scattered ones 

 of the old Town Parish on the east ; with Annisquam (or 

 Squam, familiarly) on the northeast, and Essex, nearly in 

 the west ; all making up a charming picture of the homes 

 and haunts of Cape Ann, backed in the distance by Plum 

 Island, Coffin's Beach, and the blue surges of the broad 

 Atlantic. Far away, the eye catches in the northwest, the 

 lofty svrell of Holt's Hill in Andover, and still further, the 

 Jbkie and ghostly peaks that represent three more of New 

 JSugland's sisterhood of states, Agamenticus in Maine, Gun- 

 :stock in New Hampshire, and Beaconpole in Rhode Island. 

 These are all signal stations of the survey, and here the 

 •company found Mr. Hassler, the assistant in charge, who 

 with his instruments, was very polite, and- ready to add 

 what he might to the pleasure of his visitors. 



After the reuniting of the various divisions, and the dis- 

 ,-cussion of the refreshments made doubly acceptable by the 

 invigorating jaunt, the afternoon meeting was called to order 

 by Vice President Russell, under the shadow of a spreading 

 apple-tree on the grounds of a West Parish farmer. 



