USA > Rhode Island > History of Rhode Island > Part 12
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" Worth then made the man,not money-the want of it the fellow ; The rest was all but leather or prunella."
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
We wage no crusade against wealth, provided it be justly acquired, and judiciously appropriated. But when it is made the idol, and used as an instrument of power, it then becomes , a curse ; and induces many to obtain it in the most fraudulent manner, in order that their respectability may be secured. It is truly painful, when we reflect, that man can be so besotted with gold, which will perish with the using; and arrogate so much self-importance, when there is evidently a want of intel- lectual ballast, which renders them pitiful objects to contemplate.
" There's not a day, but to the man of thought, Betrays some secret,-that throws new reproach On life, and makes him sick of seeing man."
In 1768, the ship Endeavor, commanded by Capt. James Cook, sailed from England for the South Seas, having on board Sir Joseph Banks, &c., for the purpose of observing the transit of Venus over the Sun's disk, which took place on the 4th of June, 1769. After making the observation at Otaheite, Capt. Cook proceeded south, and having made many discoveries, returned, by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, to England, in 1771. She was subsequently engaged in the whaling busi ness, and put into Newport, in consequence of the war between England and France, where she was condemned. She was then sold for the benefit of the underwriters, to Capt. John Cahoone, and his brother, Stephen, (father of Benjamin J. Ca- hoone, Esq., of the United States' navy,) who were building a packet called the Concord, and the materials which were found suitable were worked in. For many years the lower part of her hull lay on Cahoone's shore, at the south part of the town. It has long since disappeared, having been manufactured into canes, boxes, &c., as curiosities. William Gilpin, Esq., has in his possession the crown, taken from her stern.
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CUNDALL'S MILLS.
The fanciful name now employed is the " Glen." We prefer, however, the original name, as being associated with many interesting events. It is now the property of the Hon. Samuel
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CUNDALL'S MILLS.
Clarke, who married Barbary, the daughter of the late Joseph Cundall, Esq., of Portsmouth. Judge Clarke furnished the author with the subjoined facts :
" The earliest notice of the Cundall family in my possession is, an indenture of apprenticeship of Joseph Cundall, son of widow Cundall, of Bruntloff, in the county of York, England ; said indenture is dated 'first day of ye first month, called March, in the fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne, A. D. 1706.' As the term of time required to learn a trade was seven years at least, it may be supposed that said Joseph Cundall was born about 1692. Said Joseph Cun- dall erected, or purchased, a small fulling-mill, where a stone factory now stands, in which to dress woolen cloths, &c., and purchased a third of a dwelling house, in the north-east corner of Hunting Swamp, (where sportsmen resorted for game) ; said house stood on the south side of the highway, nearly opposite the residence of what was then Abraham Anthony's, who was Town Clerk of the town of Portsmouth. At this house, the wife of said Joseph Cundall died, on the 3rd day of June, 1745. Said Joseph Cundall purchased, of James Sisson, the farm, long called Cundall's Homestead. It contained forty-six acres, with a fulling-mill, and other buildings thereon."
The farm at present consists of one hundred and forty acres. The descendants now living are Isaac Cundall, Samuel B., and Mary, the wife of Perrin Burdick, merchant, of Newport, and Barbary, the wife of Judge Clarke, who resides at the place.
On Christmas-eve, December 24th, -, a violent snow storm occurred, in which Mr. Cundall, on leaving his mill for home, perished, having lost his way.
Cundall's Mills is one of the most romantic spots on the island, and has become a general resort of strangers, who visit Newport in summer, to enjoy the salubrity of its climate, and its picturesque scenery. The walk through the shady bower of trees, which opens to the east passage, with Tiverton and Little Compton in view, is a rural scene, at once grand and imposing, suited to convey a just appreciation of the enjoyment of retirement, over the busy whirlpool of fashion.
The stream of water, which propels the small fulling-mill, adds beauty and sublimity to the scene. It flows on uninter- ruptedly in its course, agreeably to the language of the poet :-
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
" How steadily thou murmurest on, thou tangled little stream, That stealthily in this deep glen hides-from the day's broad beam ; Small birds are singing near thec, green branches wave on high,- But neither breeze, nor bird's glad song, thy murm'ring may put by."
LAWTON'S VALLEY.
This valley, or gulley, as it was once called, is situated on the west side of the island, in the town of Portsmouth. This is a delightful retreat in summer; blooming wild weeds hang luxuri- antly in waving wreaths from innumerable impending projections of rock. Many beautiful vagrant rills gently steal through va- rious crevices, while some, impeded in their course by rude frag- ments of stone, impetuously break a passage, and precipitate the sparkling foam down the declivity, till it pauses in the many windings of a gentle stream. It is sublimely beautiful to contemplate this wild luxuriance of prolific nature. No spot furnishes more inviting rides and walks than the island of Rhode Island, and to the mind of perception and taste, is presented a wide field for contemplation on the beauties of nature.
The entrance to this rural retreat, is situated about midway of the road running west from the Union Meeting-house, near the bridge, known as Cuff's bridge. Cuff was an old family negro, belonging to the Lawton family. His residence was a small cottage at the base of the hill, near the bridge. The old cellar is all that remains to mark the spot. We well remember his coming to market, in his old-fashioned coat, with the produce of his small plantation. These reminiscences afford pleasure and delight, far beyond anything of the present day.
This portion of the island is very interesting, and to one who prefers solitude to the vortex of fashion, presents attractions of a highly interesting character.
COUNT SEGUIN'S VIEWS ON SEEING NEWPORT.
" Other parts of America were only beautiful by anticipation, but the prosperity of Rhode Island was already complete ;
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COUNT SEGUIN'S VIEWS ON SEEING NEWPORT
industry, cultivation, activity of trade, were all carried to great perfection.
" Newport, well and regularly built, contained a numerous population, whose happiness was indicated by its prosperity It offered delightful circles, composed of enlightened men and modest and handsome women, whose talents heightened their personal attractions. All the French officers who knew them, recollect the names and beauty of Miss Champlin, the two Misses Hunter, and several others.
" Like the remainder of my companions, I rendered them homage, to which they were justly entitled, but my longest visits were paid to an old man, very silent, who very seldom bared his thoughts, and never bared his head. His gravity and monosyllabic conversation announced at first that he was a Quaker. It must however be confessed, in spite of all the veneration I felt for his virtues, our first interview would pro- bably have been our last, had not I seen the door of the draw- ing-room suddenly open, and a being which resembled a nymph rather than a woman, enter the apartment. So much beauty, so much simplicity, so much elegance, and so much modesty, were perhaps never combined in the same person. It was Polly Leighton, (the way it was then pronounced, but it was always spelt Lawton,) the daughter of my grave Quaker. Her gown was white, like herself, while her ample muslin necker- chief, and the envious cambric of her cap, which scarcely allowed me to see her light-colored hair, and the modest attire, in short, of a pious virgin, seemed vainly to endeavor to conceal . the most graceful figure, and the most beautiful form imaginable. Her eyes appeared to reflect, as in a mirror, the meekness and purity of her mind, and the goodness of her heart ; she received us with an open ingenuity which delighted me, and the use of the familiar word ' thou,' which the rules of her seet prescribed, gave to our acquaintance the appearance of an old friendship.
" In our conversation she excited my surprise, by the candor, full of originality, of her questions :
" ' Thou hast, then,' she said, 'neither wife nor children in Europe, since thou leavest thy country, and comest so far to engage in that cruel occupation, war ?'
"' But it is for your welfare,' I replied, ' that I quit all I
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
held dear, and it is to defend your liberty that I come to fight the English.'
" ' The English,' she rejoined, ' have done thee no harm, and wherefore shouldst thou care about our liberty ? We ought never to interfere in other people's business, unless it be to reconcile them together, and prevent the effusion of blood.'
" ' But,' said I, ' my king has ordered me to come here, and engage his enemies, and your own.'
" ' Thy king, then, orders thee to do a thing which is unjust, inhuman, and contrary to what thy God ordereth. Thou shouldst obey thy God and disobey thy king, for he is a king to preserve, and not to destroy. I am sure that thy wife, if she has a good heart, is of my opinion.'
" What could I reply to that angel ? for, in truth, I was tempted to believe that she was a celestial being. Certain it is, that, if I had not been married and happy, I should, whilst coming to defend the liberty of the Americans, have lost my own, at the feet of Polly Leighton.
" The impression produced upon me by this charming girl, was so different from what is experienced in the gay vortex of the world, that, as a natural consequence, it diverted my mind, at least for a time, from all idea of concerts, fêtes, and balls.
" However, the ladies of Newport had acquired strong claims upon our gratitude, by the kind reception they had honored us with, and by the favorable opinion they expressed of our com- panions in arms, whose absence they deeply regretted ; we resolved to give them a magnificent ball and supper, a step not dictated by absolute prudence, since we were only seven or eight officers, ten leagues distant from our army.
" Long Island, which was occupied by our enemies, was not far from Newport ; and we were told that the English priva- teers sometimes made their appearance on the coast. Such being the case, and the report of our fêté having got abroad, they might have paid us a visit, and rather strangely disturbed our jovial party. This apprehension, however, appeared to us quite unfounded, and I quickly sent for some musicians belong- ing to the regiment of Soissonnais Desoteux. Desoteux, who since acquired some celebrity during our revolution, as a leader of ' Chouans,' under the name of Comartin, took upon himself, assisted by Vauban, to make the necessary preparations for the
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THE WARD FAMILY.
ball and supper, whilst we went about town, distributing our invitations.
" The little fêté was one of the prettiest I have ever wit- nessed ; it was adorned by beauty, and cordiality presided® over the reception and entertainment of the guests. But Polly Leighton could not be present, and I cannot deny that this cir- cumstance occasionally cast a gloom over my spirits.
" Time glided on so agreeably at Newport, that we were not anxious to return to our tents, and, relying upon the indulgence of our General, we exceeded by a few days the leave of absence he had given us. But M. De Rochambeau, who knew all the importance of a strict adherence to discipline, dispatched positive orders for us to join immediately our respective regi- ments ; we therefore reluctantly quitted Newport, and quickly returned to our head quarters, which were at Providence, and which, at that period, contained three thousand inhabitants." -- Count Seguin's Memoirs.
Polly Leighton, or Lawton, lived in the house, corner of Spring and Washington-square, now Touro, changed in honor of Abraham Touro, Esq., for his noble bequest.
Count Seguin's vivid description of Newport, cannot fail to convince the reader, of the justness of the high-wrought enco- miums which have been passed upon her, by those who well knew her past history. There were acknowledged leaders of the ton, and their elegant and polished manners, with minds intelligent and cultivated, combined to draw around them the elite of the capital, and to render their mansions a most attrac- tive place of resort.
Entertainments of every description was the order of the day, and the prominent fashionables were emulous in gaiety. Newport gave the ton to the surrounding country, who looked to them for fashions and manners, previous to the revolution. .
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THE WARD FAMILY.
As this family held a high rank, and occupied an important position in the early history of Newport, we have felt called
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
upon to chronicle the interesting part which they took in the political drama.
The first of this family who came to Rhode Island, was Thomas Ward, who came from Glo'ster, in England, to New- port, where he married and settled. His father, John Ward, afterwards came over, and died in 1693. Thomas Ward died the same year, aged 48 years.
Richard Ward, the son of Thomas, was born in April, 1689. He was elected, in 1714, General-Recorder, or Secretary of the Colony, and held the office till 1733. In 1740, he was elected Deputy-Governor ; and, on the death of Governor Wanton, was appointed by the General-Assembly to the office of Gover- nor for the remainder of the year. In 1741-2, he was re-elected by the people to the same office. He died at Newport, 21st August, 1763, leaving a numerous issue ; among his sons were Samuel Ward, who was Governor of the Colony in 1762-65 ; Thomas Ward, who died in 1760, was fourteen years Secretary of the Colony, and Henry Ward, who was Secretary from 1750 until his death in the year 1797, a period of thirty-eight years.
Many of the descendants are now living in New-York, highly respectable ;- R. R. Ward, Esq., John Ward, and Samuel Ward.
The year 175S is rendered memorable in the history of Rhode Island, as opening the great political drama of Messrs. Samuel Ward and Stephen Hopkins.
Mr. Hopkins at the time filled the chair of the chief magis- trate, and Mr. Ward entered the field to contend with him for that honor. The office, at this period, was held in high esti- mation in Rhode Island. Mr. Ward was the favorite candidate of the South, and received the almost undivided support of the mercantile interest ; while Mr. Hopkins was as warmly sup- ported by the yeomanry of the North ; and was again re-elected the three succeeding years.
In 1762, Mr. Ward was elected, but was defeated the fol- lowing year, and Mr. Hopkins elected. The strife of political party raged with increasing violence, until such was the heart- burning hostility of the belligerent parties, as very greatly to impair the enjoyment of domestic tranquillity, and interrupt the hospitalities of social life.
In 1763, the office of Deputy.Governor was vacated by the
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STRUGGLE FOR OFFICE BETWEEN WARD AND HOPKINS.
death of the Hon. John Gardiner, who then filled that place. On the meeting of the General Assembly, Mr. Hopkins and friends proposed that Mr. Ward be invited to fill that office, and that he be clected by the Assembly, then in session. Ac- cordingly, a committee waited on Mr. Ward with this propo sition, which was indignantly rejected, and a message returned, embracing the only conditions of peace, viz. : " that both rival candidates, at the ensuing election, relinquish their pretensions and retire from the field."
Another proposition was then submitted by the House of Assistants, to Mr. Ward, to induce him to accept that office ; that five, or one-half of that body, would cheerfully resign their seats in favor of an equal number of his friends, and the division of the spoils of offices should be equally divided between the parties at the approaching election. This proposition was too humiliating for the Spartan spirit of Mr. Ward, consequently, it was as unpropitious as the former one; and he returned for answer, " that no peace could be expected, while Mr. Hopkins was in the chair ;" --- but repeated his willingness to relinquish his pretensions, on condition that Mr. Hopkins would do the same. Other overtures were made to Mr. Ward, but without success, and both parties prepared to enter the field, with fixed and settled resolution.
The friends of Mr. Hopkins triumphed, and he was again elected ; but the following spring he suffered a defeat, and Mr. Ward and friends were covered with laurels of political glory, which they were permitted to wear the two succeeding years.
At the opening of the spring campaign, in 1667, Mr. Hop- kins' party, having been recruited and drilled for the conflict, entered the field, with a firm determination to oust the incum- bents ; and achieved a victory, leaving Mr. Ward minus four hundred and fourteen. This was the last pitched battle between the belligerent parties.
At the October session of the General Assembly, overtures of peace were again made by Governor Hopkins to Mr. Ward, which were soon followed by a cessation of hostilities, and finally resulted in a reconciliation of the parties. This propo- sition, highly honorable to Mr. Hopkins, was as follows, viz. : that Mr. Ward and friends, should nominate a Governor from those in the interest of Mr. Hopkins; and these should
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
nominate a Deputy-Governor from among the friends of Mr. Ward, and so forth, alternately, with the whole council ; or if Mr. Ward and friends decline the nomination, his Honor, and those associated with him, will nominate a Governor from among the friends of Mr. Ward, and so on as before. Preli- minaries were soon entered into by both parties at Providence, and a treaty of peace was finally concluded at Newport, March 29th, 1768.
Newport being the capital of the State, it is really gratifying to learn of the chivalry which she displayed in behalf of Mr. Ward, her favorite candidate. The venerable Moses Brown has said, " that the violent hostility between these rival candi- dates grew out of a private feud, which had long existed between William Wanton and R. Ward, and that to this cause alone was the political war waged for so long a period." At that day, however, a greater freedom of opinion was manifest ; parties were not afraid to shew their colors ; the chain had not then been forged to bind the human mind, and crush the intellectual power of man in the dust. There was a pride of character, then possessed by the inhabitants of Newport, which we would feign flatter ourselves may be revived.
These gentlemen were again soon called from the peaceful quiet of domestic retreat, to enter the field, as friends, to con- tend for the rights of the Colonies, against the encroachments of British power; and engaged in the cause of American free- dom, when one soul animated each heart.
They were among the first who fearlessly stood forth in defence of the rights of their country. That they fully enjoyed the confidence of their fellow-citizens, both as patriots and statesmen, is demonstrated in their choice to represent them in the first Continental Congress. Mr. Hopkins' name, with that of William Ellery, stands inscribed on the proudest monument of fame-The Declaration of American Independence ;- and, though Mr. Hopkins' hand trembled, owing to a paralytic stroke, his heart never.
The following inscription appears on his tombstone, which has a rich coat of arms emblazoned on its head :
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THE HARARD FAMILY.
This Monument is erected to the Memory of
THE HONORABLE RICHARD WARD, EsQ., LATE GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY.
He was early in life Employed in the Public Service, And for many years Furnished some of the most Important Offices For the Colony, With great ability and reputation. He was a Member of the Sabbatarian Church of the Town, And adorned the doctrine of his Saviour, By a sincere and steady practice Of the various duties of life. He died on the 21st day of August, 1763, In the 75th year of his age.
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THE HARARD FAMILY.
The Harards were descended from Thomas Harard, who emigrated from Wales, about the year 1639, to the Jerseys, and from thence to Rhode Island, and settled in Portsmouth in 1640. His son, Robert, at that time about four years old, came with him, and was the only son that did so, as far as can be ascertained. The eldest son of Robert was Thomas, who died in 1745, aged 92. His children were Robert, George, Jeremiah, Benjamin, Stephen, Jonathan, and Thomas. From these sons a numerous issue have descended, and many of them distinguished men.
George Harard, mentioned above in the record, was the son of Thomas, who was Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony in the years 1734, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and great-grandson of the first settlers, who died in South Kingston. George, the youngest, early settled in Newport, as a merchant, and was elected a representative to the General Assembly from that town, for many years. He was the only Mayor of Newport under the city charter, in 1784, and held other honorable and responsible offices in the State. He died at Newport, August 11th, 1797.
Nathaniel Harard, third son of Mayor George, was a repre- .sentative in the General Assembly for several years, and was
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Speaker of the House. In 1818, he was elected a representa- tive to Congress. He died in Washington, and was interred in the Congressional burying-ground.
" The late Hon. Benjamin Harard was a profound lawyer, and represented his native town, Newport, in the General Assembly for thirty-one years, and, of course, was subjected to the ordeal of sixty-two popular elections, a singular proof of the enlightened stability of his constituents, of his general high desert, and his peculiar fitness for this important office. This fact, independent of all others, entitles him to claim rank as a distinguished man, and, as it were, demonstrates the possession of those impressive and useful qualities, whose combination render character at once eminent and enduring.
" His knowledge of the affairs of the State was far more extensive than that of any other man, and his attachment to her interest and prosperity was unbounded. Governor James Fenner once said, " Mr. Harard, you are in every respect a Rhode Island man ;' this was a high encomium, and well merited. Mr. Harard's course of reading and of study, operat- ing upon a mind of genuine native strength, and confirming and justifying a native steadiness of will, (the germ and guaran- tee of greatness,) gave to all his literary efforts and political proceedings, an air and cast of originality. In the middle and latter periods of his professional career, he was employed in most of the important lawsuits of the day, both in the Courts of the State, and the United States."- Updike's History of the Narragansett Church.
A block of wood, from the house built by Governor William Coddington, was procured by W. A. Clarke, Esq., cashier of the bank of Rhode Island, and is now used to cancel notes.
In 1772, King, now Franklin, and Pelham-streets, were paved, from the proceeds of lotteries granted for that purpose.
On the 16th of July, a packet, from Newport to Providence, with a number of passengers, was captured near the north end of Prudence, by a refugee-boat, with eight men. On its being known at Newport, a packet was manned by volunteers, under Capt. Webster, who succeeded in recapturing the vessel, before she could be got to sea, and brought her in, together with five of the men belonging to the boat.
We presume that this was Capt. Nicholas Webster, who was
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FRANKLIN'S PRINTING PRESS.
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for many years a very successful packet-master ; he was grand. father of the wife of James Atkinson, Esq., publisher of the " Advertiser."
On the 13th of July, a most distressing accident took place in Newport ; a pleasure party, consisting of five young men, and thirteen young women, while on their way to Canonicut Island, in a two mast boat, were upset in a squall, and one of the young men, and six young women were drowned ; the remainder of the party were rescued by a boat in sight. The names of these lost were John Stall, Betsy and Lydia Hockey, daughters of William Hockey, Polly Spooner, Betsy Allen, Nabby Stanton, and Suckey Hefferon.
Matthew Cozzens, an eminent merchant, built the house, commonly called the Dudley House, in Middletown.
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FRANKLIN'S PRINTING PRESS.
The history of Franklin's press is this :- James Franklin, elder brother of Dr. Benjamin, imported, in 1720, a press and type, for the purpose of carrying on the " Art and business of Printing." He soon after issued the first number of the " New England Courant," the second paper published in America. His brother Benjamin became his apprentice, and was employed in distributing copies to his customers, after having assisted in composing and working them off. The publisher of the Cou- rant having given offence to the Assembly, the paper was suppressed, and he removed his office to Newport. Here he first published the " Rhode Island Gazette," and shortly after (1758,) established the " Newport Mercury." The press was used as long as it was serviceable. It is now honored as the one on which Dr. Franklin worked, when learning his trade ; and as giving to the world his first effusions, in the form of anonymous letters, printed in the " Courant." It still remains in the printing office of the " Newport Mercury."
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