an old town by the sea-第9节

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r　that　pleasant　mode　of　travel　had　fallen　obsoletewas　the　cause　of　much　mental　tribulation　（1。　Some　idle　reader　here　and　there　may　possibly　recall　the　burning　of　the　old　stage…coach　in　The　Story　of　a　Bad　Boy。）　to　the　writer　of　this　chronicle。

The　mail　and　the　newspaper　are　closely　associated　factors　in　civilization；　so　I　mention　them　together；　though　in　this　case　the　newspaper　antedated　the　mail…coach　about　five　years。　On　October　7；　1756；　the　first　number　of　〃The　New　Hampshire　Gazette　and　Historical　Chronicle〃　was　issued　in　Portsmouth　from　the　press　of　Daniel　Fowle；　who　in　the　previous　July　had　removed　from　Boston；　where　he　had　undergone　a　brief　but　uncongenial　imprisonment　on　suspicion　of　having　printed　a　pamphlet　entitled　〃The　Monster　of　Monsters；　by　Tom　Thumb；　Esq。；〃　an　essay　that　contained　some　uncomplimentary　reflections　on　several　official　personages。The　〃Gazette〃　was　the　pioneer　journal　of　the　province。　It　was　followed　at　the　close　of　the　same　year　by　〃The　Mercury　and　Weekly　Advertiser；〃　published　by　a　former　apprentice　of　Fowle；　a　certain　Thomas　Furber；　backed　by　a　number　of　restless　Whigs；　who　considered　the　〃Gazette〃　not　sufficiently　outspoken　in　the　cause　of　liberty。　Mr。　Fowle；　however；　contrived　to　hold　his　own　until　the　day　of　his　death。　Fowle　had　for　pressman　a　faithful　negro　named　Primus；　a　full…blooded　African。　Whether　Primus　was　a　freeman　or　a　slave　I　am　unable　to　state。　He　lived　to　a　great　age；　and　was　a　prominent　figure　among　the　people　of　his　own　color。

Negro　slavery　was　common　in　New　England　at　that　period。　In　1767；　Portsmouth　numbered　in　its　population　a　hundred　and　eighty…eight　slaves；　male　and　female。　Their　bondage；　happily；　was　nearly　always　of　a　light　sort；　if　any　bondage　can　be　light。　They　were　allowed　to　have　a　kind　of　government　of　their　own；　indeed；　were　encouraged　to　do　so；　and　no　unreasonable　restrictions　were　placed　on　their　social　enjoyment。　They　annually　elected　a　king　and　counselors；　and　celebrated　the　event　with　a　procession。　The　aristocratic　feeling　was　highly　developed　in　them。　The　rank　of　the　master　was　the　slave's　rank。　There　was　a　great　deal　of　ebony　standing　around　on　its　dignity　in　those　days。　For　example；　Governor　Langdon's　manservant；　Cyrus　Bruce；　was　a　person　who　insisted　on　his　distinction；　and　it　was　recognized。　His　massive　gold　chain　and　seals；　his　cherry…colored　small…clothes　and　silk　stockings；　his　ruffles　and　silver　shoe…buckles；　were　a　tradition　long　after　Cyrus　himself　was　pulverized。

In　cases　of　minor　misdemeanor　among　them；　the　negros　themselves　were　permitted　to　be　judge　and　jury。　Their　administration　of　justice　was　often　characteristically　naive。　Mr。　Brewster　gives　an　amusing　sketch　of　one　of　their　sessions。　King　Nero　is　on　the　bench；　and　one　Catowe　are　nothing　if　not　classicalis　the　prosecuting　attorney。　　The　name　of　the　prisoner　and　the　nature　of　his　offense　are　not　disclosed　to　posterity。　In　the　midst　of　the　proceedings　the　hour　of　noon　is　clanged　from　the　neighboring　belfry　of　the　Old　North　Church。　〃The　evidence　was　not　gone　through　with；　but　the　servants　could　stay　no　longer　from　their　home　duties。　They　all　wanted　to　see　the　whipping；　but　could　not　conveniently　be　present　again　after　dinner。　Cato　ventured　to　address　the　King：　Please　you　Honor；　best　let　the　fellow　have　his　whipping　now；　and　finish　the　trial　after　dinner。　The　request　seemed　to　be　the　general　wish　of　the　company：　so　Nero　ordered　ten　lashes；　for　justice　so　far　as　the　trial　went；　and　ten　more　at　the　close　of　the　trial；　should　he　be　found　guilty！〃

Slavery　in　New　Hampshire　was　never　legally　abolished；　unless　Abraham　Lincoln　did　it。　The　State　itself　has　not　ever　pronounced　any　emancipation　edict。　During　the　Revolutionary　War　the　slaves　were　generally　emancipated　by　their　masters。　That　many　of　the　negros；　who　had　grown　gray　in　service；　refused　their　freedom；　and　elected　to　spend　the　rest　of　their　lives　as　pensioners　in　the　families　of　their　late　owners；　is　a　circumstance　that　illustrates　the　kindly　ties　which　held　between　slave　and　master　in　the　old　colonial　days　in　New　England。

The　institution　was　accidental　and　superficial；　and　never　had　any　real　root　in　the　Granite　State。　If　the　Puritans　could　have　found　in　the　Scriptures　any　direct　sanction　of　slavery；　perhaps　it　would　have　continued　awhile　longer；　for　the　Puritan　carried　his　religion　into　the　business　affairs　of　life；　he　was　not　even　able　to　keep　it　out　of　his　bills　of　lading。　I　cannot　close　this　rambling　chapter　more　appropriately　and　solemnly　than　by　quoting　from　one　of　those　same　pious　bills　of　landing。　It　is　dated　June；　1726；　and　reads：　〃Shipped　by　the　grace　of　God　in　good　order　and　well　conditioned；　by　Wm。　Pepperills　on　there　own　acct。　and　risque；　in　and　upon　the　good　Briga　called　the　William；　whereof　is　master　under　God　for　this　present　voyage　George　King；　now　riding　at　anchor　in　the　river　Piscataqua　and　by　God's　grace　bound　to　Barbadoes。〃　Here　follows　a　catalogue　of　the　miscellaneous　cargo；　rounded　off　with：　〃And　so　God　send　the　good　Briga　to　her　desired　port　in　safety。　Amen。〃

VI。　SOME　OLD　PORTSMOUTH　PROFILES

I　DOUBT　if　any　New　England　town　ever　turned　out　so　many　eccentric　characters　as　Portsmouth。　From　1640　down　to　about　1848　there　must　have　been　something　in　the　air　of　the　place　that　generated　eccentricity。　In　another　chapter　I　shall　explain　why　the　conditions　have　not　been　favorable　to　the　development　of　individual　singularity　during　the　latter　half　of　the　present　century。　It　is　easier　to　do　that　than　fully　to　account　for　the　numerous　queer　human　types　which　have　existed　from　time　to　time　previous　to　that　period。

In　recently　turning　over　the　pages　of　Mr。　Brewster's　entertaining　collection　of　Portsmouth　sketches；　I　have　been　struck　by　the　number　and　variety　of　the　odd　men　and　women　who　appear　incidentally　on　the　scene。　They　are；　in　the　author's　intention；　secondary　figures　in　the　background　of　his　landscape；　but　they　stand　very　much　in　the　foreground　of　one's　memory　after　the　book　is　laid　aside。　One　finds　one's　self　thinking　quite　as　often　of　that　squalid　old　hut…dweller　up　by　Sagamore　Creek　as　of　General　Washington；　who　visited　the　town　in　1789。　Conservatism　and　respectability　have　their　values；　certainly；　but　has　not　the　unconventional　its　values　also？　If　we　render　unto　that　old　hut…dweller　the　things　which　are　that　old　hut…dweller's；　we　must　concede　him　his　picturesqueness。　He　was　dirty；　and　he　was　not　respectable；　but　he　is　picturesquenow　that　he　is　dead。

If　the　reader　has　five　or　ten　minutes　to　waste；　I　invite　him　to　glance　at　a　few　old　profiles　of　persons　who；　however　substantial　they　once　were；　are　now　leading　a　life　of　mere　outlines。　I　would　like　to　give　them　a　less　faded　expression；　but　the　past　is　very　chary　of　yielding　up　anything　more　than　its　shadows。

The　first　who　presents　himself　is　the　ruminative　hermit　already　mentioneda　species　of　uninspired　Thoreau。　His　name　was　Benjamin　Lear。　So　far　as　his　craziness　went；　he　might　have　been　a　lineal　descendant　of　that　ancient　king　of　Britain　who　figures　on　Shakespeare's　page。　Family　dissensions　made　a　recluse　of　King　Lear；　but　in　the　case　of　Benjamin　there　were　no　mitigating　circumstances。　He　had　no　family　to　trouble　him；　and　his　realm　remained　undivided。　He　owned　an　excellent　farm　on　the　south　side　of　Sagamore　Creek；　a　little　to　the　west　of　the　bridge；　and　might　have　lived　at　ease；　if　personal　comfort　had　not　been　distasteful　to　him。　Personal　comfort　entered　into　no　part　of　Lear's。　To　be　alone　filled　the　little　pint…measure　of　his　desire。　He　ensconced　himself　in　a　wretched　shanty；　and　barred　the　door；　figuratively；　against　all　the　world。　Wealthwhat　would　have　been　wealth　to　himlay　within　his　reach；　but　he　thrust　it　aside；　he　disdained　luxury　as　he　disdained　idleness；　and　made　no　compromise　with　convention。　When　a　man　cuts　himself　absolutely　adrift　from　custom；　what　an　astonishingly　light　spar　floats　him！　How　few　his　wants　are；　after　all！　Lear　was　of　a　cheerful　disposition；　and　seems　to　have　been　wholly　inoffensiveat　a　distance。　He　fabricated　his　own　clothes；　and　subsisted　chiefly　on　milk　and　potatoes；　the　product　of　his　realm。　He　needed　nothing　but　an　island　to　be　a　Robinson　Crusoe。　At　rare　intervals　he　flitted　like　a　frost…bitten　apparition　through　the　main　street　of　Portsmouth；　which　he　always　designated　as　〃the　Bank；〃　a　name　that　had　become　obsolete　fifty　or　a　hundred　years　before。　Thus；　for　nearly　a　quarter　of　a　century；　Benjamin　Lear　stood　aloof　from　human　intercourse。　In　his　old　age　some　of　the　neighbors　offered　him　shelter　during　the　tempestuous　winter　months；　but　he　would　have　none　of　ithe　defied　wind　and　weather。　There　he　lay　in　his　dilapidated　hovel　in　his　last　illness；　refusing　to　allow　any　one　to　remain　with　him　overnightand　the　mercury　four　degrees　below　zero。　Lear　was　born　in　1720；　and　vegetated　eighty…two　years。

I　take　it　that　Timothy　Winn；　of　whom　we　have　only　a　glimpse；　would　like　to　have　more；　was　a　person　better　worth　knowing。　His　name　reads　like　the　title　of　some　old…fashioned　novel〃Timothy　Winn；　or　the　Memoirs　of　a　Bashful　Gentleman。〃　He　came　to　Portsmouth　from　Woburn　at　the　close　of　the　last　century；　and　set　up　in　the　old　museum…building　on　Mulberry　Street　what　was　called　〃a　piece　goods　store。〃　He　was　the　third　Timothy　in　his　monotonous　family；