Vineyard, and is separated from it by a narrow channel. Norman's land is near the southwest corner of the Vineyard. Duke's county has three towns, Edgartown, Tisbury, and Chilmark; but neither of them is large The whole county contains three thousand five hundred inhabitants. Martha's Vineyard is about nineteen miles long, and in the broadest place, ten miles wide. The land of this island is mostly low and level, some of it is fertile, but the greater part is poor. poor. However, it produces some corn and rye. The trees on the island are small. On the north side of Martha's Vineyard, in the town of Tisbury, is a fine harbor, called Holmes' Hole. A great many vessels come into Holmes' Hole, to wait for a fair wind to pass Cape Cod. You You may sometimes see seventy or eighty vessels lying there.

the map.

The Elizabeth Islands are northwest of Martha's Vineyard. You can find them on There are about sixteen of them; but they are all small. I would tell you their names; but they are so hard, I am afraid you would not remember them.

Plum Island is in the north part of the State. It belongs to Essex county. It is eleven miles long, and one broad. On the side towards the land, there is some salt

marsh; but the rest of the island, except at the south end, is little else but heaps of sand. These heaps of sand are covered with bushes, which bear a sort of plum, called the beach plum. When these plums are ripe, many people go to the island to gather them. Plum Island is joined to the land by a bridge. There is a tavern on it, and at the south end, where the land is pretty good, a house or two. On the north end are two light-houses.

Beside the Islands which I have mentioned, there are a great many other small islands, scattered along the coast of Massachusetts.

How large is the island of Nantucket?
What is said of it?

What is the business of the inhabitants ?

How many towns in Duke's county?

What is said of Martha's Vineyard ?

What is said of Holmes' Hole?

Where are the Elizabeth Islands?

How many are there? Are they large or small ?
How many people in Duke's County?

What is said of Plum Island?

LETTER XIV.

BEFORE I tell you about the rivers of Massachusetts, I suppose you would be glad to know where the water in the rivers comes from. When it rains, the waters run down

the hills and mountains, and make little brooks. Very often these little brooks run into hollow places between hills, and make ponds. There are a great many ponds in Massachusetts, but none very large. When a pond gets full, the water runs over and makes a brook or river. Sometimes a great many brooks run together and make a river. Many rivers running into the same river, make a great river. Great rivers generally run into the sea, and grow wider and deeper by having more rivers run into them, till they reach the sea. The place where a river runs into another river, or into the sea, is called the mouth of the river. The other end is called the head of the river, and the rivers which run into another river, are called its branches. The mouths of large rivers are generally wide, and the water so deep, that ships can sail up a number of miles.

There are two large rivers in Massachusetts; the Connecticut and the Merrimack. But the Connecticut is much larger than the Merrimack. Neither of these rivers begins in Massachusetts. The head of the Connecticut is in New Hampshire, a State, which, you remember, lies on the north side of Massachusetts. The Connecticut runs nearly two

hundred miles between New Hampshire and Vermont, before it comes into Massachusetts. You will see by the map, that it runs through the western part of Massachusetts. It comes first into Franklin county. Where it enters the State, it is a large and beautiful river about eighty rods wide. After running through Massachusetts, it passes into the State of Connecticut, and running about eighty miles farther, it reaches the sea. You may see by the map, that it runs to the south, turning a little to the west. But there are a great many crooks and bends in it, as there are in almost all rivers. The whole length of the Connecticut is about four hundred miles. The land on the banks of the river is very rich, and many of the towns are very pleasant and flourishing. As the Connecticut runs along through Massachusetts, several rivers run into it. In Franklin county, Deerfield river runs into it from the west and Miller's river, from the east. In Hampden county, Westfield river runs into it from the west, and the Chickapee river from the east. You will find these rivers on the map. Many other rivers run into the Connecticut besides those I have mentioned.

The other large river in Massachusetts is the Merrimack. This river likewise begins

in New Hampshire. It first comes into Middlesex county, and then runs along through Essex county till it reaches the sea. After the Merrimack comes into Massachusetts it runs northeast. It is a fine wide river; but its mouth is narrow, and is very much barred with sand.* It is sometimes difficult for vessels to get into the river; but when they have entered it, they can sail up eighteen or twenty miles. Nashua river, and Concord river run into the Merrimack.

There are many other small rivers in Massachusetts, but I will mention only three more : Charles river, which runs into Massachusetts Bay; Taunton river in Bristol county, which runs south into a bay, called Narragansett Bay; and the Housatonic in Berkshire county, which runs south, through the State of Connecticut into the sea. This is a fine river, and has much rich land on its banks. All these rivers you will find on the map, with a number of others besides. Long flat boats pass up and down the Connecticut and the Merrimack to a

*The mouth of a river is barred with sand, when a ridge of sand lies across it, and comes so near the top of the water as to make it difficult for vessels to pass over.