MASSACHUSETTS. 



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out of sight of land, lie J\^antuckct Shoals., a dangerous reef of sand, 50 miles in extent. J\Iar- 

 tha^s Vineyard, west of Nantucket, and lying nearer the continent, is 20 miles long, and 10 

 broad. This island has a good soil, and in the western part is somewhat elevated , it has many 

 productive farms, and contains the town of Edgarton, which has a good harbor. Holmes's Hole 

 is a safe and commodious harbor in the north part of the island, much frequented during the 

 winter by inward bound vessels. The Elizabeth Islands are a chain of 16 small Islands lying 

 northwest of Martha's Vineyard, and forming the southeast side of Buzzard's Bay ; a part 

 of them only are inhabited. A multitude of islands lie in Boston Bay, some of them very 

 beautiful, but none sufficiently large to merit a detailed description. 



In the north of the State, at the mouth of the Merrimack, lies Plum Island, nme miles 'ong, 

 and one mile wide. On the side towards the ocean, it consists of sand-hills, 20 or 30 feet 

 nigh, thrown Into a thousand fantastic shapes like snow-drifts In a storm. These hills are cov- 

 ered with low bushes bearing the beach-plum, a fruit about the size of a musket ball, and of a 

 pleasant taste ; wild cherries and grapes also grow In difl'erent parts. On the side towards the 

 land, a tract of salt meadow extends the whole length of the island, and at the southern extrem- 

 ity, which forms a point at the entrance of Ipswich harbor, the soil becomes loamy and arable ; 

 here are one or two small farms. The sound v/hlch separates the island from the continent, 

 varies from a mile to a quarter of a mile in width ; this is crossed at the north part by a bridge 

 three miles from Newbury port. In the early part of autumn, the plums are ripened, and the 

 island then becomes the resort of numerous parties of pleasure from the neighborhood, who 

 pitch their tents among the sand-hills, and gather the fruit, or enjoy the cool sea breeze along 

 the smooth beach which skirts the outer side of the island. At the northern extremity are two 

 Hghthouses and a hotel. 



6. Bays, Harbors, &c. Massachusetts Bay, between Cape Ann on the north and Cape 

 Cod on the south, is about 40 miles in breadth. Within this lies Boston Bay, which comprises 

 the space between Point Shirley in the north, and Point Alderton in the south, and Includes 

 the harbors of Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hingham, with Nantasket and President 

 roads, and the numerous islands within the Boston lighthouse. In the south of MassachuseUs 

 Bay is Cape Cod Bay, 15 or 20 miles in breadth., lying between Cape Cod and Plymouth ; 

 within this are Barnstable and Plymouth bays. In the south of the State Is Buzzard^s Bay, 

 on the southwest side of Cape Cod, 20 miles deep, and containing the harbor of New Bedford. 



7. Shores, Capes, and Peninsulas. In the north part of the State, the shore Is rocky and 

 bold. Cape Jinn, the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay, Is a rocky promontory 15 miles in 

 length, containing several good harbors. The peninsula of Cape Cod, In the southeast part of 

 the State, is about 75 miles long, and from 5 to 20 miles broad ; its shape is nearly that of a 

 man's arm bent inward at the elbow and wrist. The greater part of the peninsula Is a barren 

 desert ; in the southwestern portion, the land though flat and comparatively sterile, Is under 

 some cultivation, but the northern part consists almost wholly of hills of white sand, entirely 

 destitute of vegetation, or producing only whortleberry bushes, low pitch-pine shrubs, or coarse, 

 wild grass. The sand is continually blown about by the wind, and the pine tree?; are often 

 buried in it, and killed. The houses, in some places, are built upon stakes driven into the 

 ground, with open spaces between for the sand to drift through. The cape, notwithstand- 

 ing, is well inhabited, and supports a population of 30,000. Nothing is raised in the north- 

 ern part except a few cows. In the southwestern part, the inhabitants live by agriculture and 

 trading ; in the north altogether by fishing. The cape abounds with clear fresh ponds, well 

 .stocked with fish ; it is beset with dangerous shoals, and has long been the dread of mari- 

 ners. A storm is generally sure to make it the scene of numerous shipwrecks. There 

 appears to be some evidence that the land is wearing away ; stumps of trees being discovered 

 under water along the shore. At the first settlement of the country, there was an island 

 east of the cape, about nine miles out to sea, which was 20 acres in extent, and covered with 

 savin and cedar trees ; for a century this island has been entirely submerged, and the water 

 above is six fathoms deep. The peninsula of J^'ahant, a few miles north of the harbor of 

 Boston, is connected with the mainland by Lynn beach, a smooth and level floor of sand, two 

 miles in length. Nahant is now become a favorite place of resort for the inhabitants of Bos- 

 ton during the heat of summer ; the hotels are thronged with company, and a great number 

 of neat cottages, occupied as summer residences, adorn the place. Steamboats ply between 

 Nahanl and Boston every day during summer. 



8. Climate. The winters are severe, and deep snows bury the earth many feet every 



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