USA > Rhode Island > History of Rhode Island > Part 15
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" MR. EASTMAN,
" Your readers will recollect the controversy published some months since in relation to this ancient structure, which ori- ginated from the inquiry of a 'Visitor,' published in the Mercury, as to its origin and object, which was answered by a writer in the Newport Daily News, under the signature of ' Antiquarian, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.' The correctness of which was disputed, and pronounced false and groundless by the writer, under the signature of 'One of the Oldest Inhabitants,' published in the Herald of the Times and Rhode Islander. The publication of his last article on the subject, in the Herald of August 5th, 1847, silenced ' Antiqua- rian,' by showing conclusively that his whole statement was a base fabrication, without the least foundation in truth, and undoubtedly intended for deception ; the object of which ap-
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THE STONE MILL.
peared to be to fix the date of its structure to remote antiquity, and that it was the works of the North men, (the ancient Scan- dinavians,) who visited the eastern portion of this continent as early as the tenth century, and as evidence that they visited, and established themselves on this island at that period ; from what sinister motives this was undertaken, the writer will not attempt to decide, but leaves that to the public.
" In conformity to the declared intention of the writer to represent the facts to the Royal Society of Antiquarians at Copenhagen, he forwarded to the President of the Institution, by the favor of the Honorable George Bancroft, our Minister in England, through the Danish Legation in London, a copy of the Herald of the Times and Rhode Islander, of August 5, 1847, which contained the full report attributed to Professor Scrobien, as published by ' Antiquarian, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island,' with a letter, calling the attention of the Royal College to the subject, (which is too lengthy and quite unnecessary to be published,) asking the favor of an answer, if such a report had ever been made to the Society, and acted upon as stated in the report.
"To this communication, the writer has just received the following answer :
" ' COPENHAGEN, January 4th, 1848.
" 'SIR,
" ' Your letter of the 12th of August, with the Herald of the Times and Rhode Islander, of August 5th, 1847, I duly received a few days ago.
"' I beg to return you my thanks for the communication transmitted, and deem it my duty to inform you that the article which lately appeared in your journals, on the subject of the ancient structure in Newport is, from beginning to end, a downright fabrication, no such having ever been made to the Royal Society of Northern Antiquities as the one alluded to. The persons mentioned in the article, too, Bishop Oelrischer, Professors Scrobien, Graety, &c., are all fictitious characters, there never having existed here individuals bearing those names. Thus the entire notice is nothing more than a fiction, the object of which is to mystify the public.
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
" ' It were to be wished, that such of the American journals as have admitted the article in question into their columns, would apprize the public of its entire falsity.
" ' In 1837 I published, on behalf of our Society, the Old Northern Sources to the Ante-Columbian History of America in the work entitled, ANTIQUITATES AMERICANE. Taking the astronomical, nautical, and geographical evidences contained in the ancient records themselves for a groundwork, I have en- deavored to prove that our Scandinavian forefathers in the tenth century discovered a portion of the eastern coast of North America, and in particular visited Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
" ' Inquirers of the greatest celebrity here in Europe, have looked upon the arguments used by me as conclusive, among whom I may mention Alexander Humboldt, in his recently published Kosmos, vol. 11, pages 269-272, where he considers the results of my investigations as historical facts fully de- monstrated.
" ' At the time when I published the work above alluded to, I was not aware of the ancient structure in Newport, which, consequently, cannot have led in the remotest degree to the results deduced, nor is there a single word said about it in my work, which, moreover, is to be met with in most of the larger libraries in America, as well as in Europe ; and thus opens an easier access to the study of the original written sources them- selves.
"' The right interpretation of the accounts in the ancient parchment copies, clearly proves that it was precisely Massa- chusetts and Rhode Island which the ancient Scandinavians visited, and where they established themselves. The agree- ment of the astronomical, nautical, and geographical evidences, leads in this respect to so certain a result, that doubtless nothing further is required.
" ' The early monuments which are met with in those regions, unquestionably merit the attention of the investigator, but we must be cautious in regard to the inferences to be drawn from them.
" ' Concerning the ancient structure in Newport, (of which we had no previous knowledge whatever,) we first received a communication on the 22d of May, 1839, from Thomas H.
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Webb, M. D., (now of Boston, formerly of Providence,) which is inserted in our Memories des Antiquaires du Nord, 1836- 1839, page 361, and I feel assured, that whoever reads that article, will therein discern all the caution which a scientific investigation demands, and all the respect due to an institution which has acquired confidence in and out of Europe.
"' From the drawings transmitted to us by a trust-worthy hand, our ablest judges skilled in the history of architecture, have pronounced the architectural style of the building to be that of the twelfth century, from which period a structure exactly corresponding has been pointed out, along with others in the same style. It is difficult, however, without being on the spot, to offer any decided opinion as to the period to which the structure itself is to be referred, nor has any one here ven- tured to do so. Here, in the North, no wind-mills occur of this construction, and a gentleman distinguished for his know- ledge in the progressive history of the arts, and who has traveled much in Europe, has declared, that he never met with any such .* It would seem better, therefore, to leave the matter undecided, until further information can be obtained. But, even supposing that the origin of this and other monuments cannot be ascertained with precision, this in no way affects the stability of the historical facts deduced from the ancient manu- scripts ; that the Scandinavians in the tenth century, discovered and established themselves in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, in proof of which no other testimony is required than what is afforded by the ancient records themselves.
"' Our Society would be glad to receive trust-worthy
* In the " Penny Magazine of the Society for the diffusion of Useful Knowledge, for November, 1836," p. 480, there is an engraving of a Wind-mill at Chesterton, Warwickshire, England, erected after a design of Inigo Jones, which. without the roof and vanes, shew an exact fac-simile of the Old Mill at Newport. An aged ship-master, late of this town, of the first respectability and of undoubted integrity, who has been many voyages to the North of Europe, informs me that he has seen there more than forty wind-mills, of the same material and construction as the old wind-mill here ; and he had curiosity once to ask, at one of them, why they were built on pillars and open between them ? and was informed that on this construction the wind having a free passage through, there was no eddy wind caused to make a back sail and lessen the power. Other authorities might be quoted, but we think it wholly unnecessary, for every sensible mind after reading the evidence adduced, must be convinced of the object for which the structure was intended .- Note by the Author.
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
communications on the subject of Ante-Columbian Monuments of America, to 'be preserved in the American section of the Society's Historico-Archæological Archives, and also for inser- tion in their Memories, in as far as they may be suited for the purpose. Such articles as the one you have made known to us, merits no place within the pale of science, and we are glad to observe that by you also, they are estimated according to their deserts.
" ' I have the honor to be, sir,
" ' Your obedient servant, " ' CHARLES C. RAFN, " ' Sec'y, R. S. N. A." " ' David Melville, Esq., Newport, R. I.'
" It appears by the foregoing letter that the Royal College re- ceived a communication on the 22d of May, 1839, from Thomas H. Webb, M. D., (now of Boston, formerly of Providence,) which is inserted in their Memoirs des Antiquaries du Nort, of 1836-1839, page 361, in which Doctor Webb gives a description of the architectural construction of the ruin, and they received also drawings of the same, transmitted to them by trust-worthy hands, from which description, and the drawings referred to, their ' ablest judges,' skilled in the history of architecture, have pro- nounced the architectural style of the building to be that of the twelfth century. Upon this it is barely necessary to remark, that the description given by Dr. Webb, as well as the drawings which were transmitted, though in their general contour cor- rect, are in their minutiæe visibly incorrect, so decidedly so, as to mislead the judgment of those best skilled in the history of architecture, and to render it impossible for them to determine with any reliable precision, the period to which the structure may be referred ; there is no reliance, therefore, upon the opin- ions pronounced by the ablest judges skilled in the history of architecture, founded on date so incorrect as that submitted to their inspection.
" The Royal Society of Antiquarians, at Copenhagen, which is universally considered as the source of correct information, on facts relating to subjects of antiquity, have been imposed upon by unprincipled miscreants in this country. As an instance of their success in their attempts at deception, I would refer to the following : The inscription on the Dighton Rock, which is
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THE STONE MILL.
undoubtedly an Indian inscription in commemoration of some great battle, and was so pronounced by General Washington, when a copy of it was shown to him at Cambridge, during the Revolutionary War, he having seen many similar to it in the Indian country ; and is so considered by Henry R. Schoolcraft, Esq., Professor of Geology in the service of the United States, who visited the Rock the last summer, and who has seen many of the same description in various parts of the country, from Maine to the source of the Mississippi, and is acquainted with the meaning of many of the characters in the inscription. This inscription has been copied by some designing wretch, and for- warded to the Royal Society of Antiquarians, at Copenhagen, undoubtedly for deception, and published in the work alluded to by Prof. Rafn, entitled Antiquitates Americana. The version of . the inscription published in that work, and distributed throughout Europe and America, was altered so as to make it appear to have been the work of the Scandinavians, by altering the characters, and adding in the body of the inscription, the characters, ORINY, which is said to be the name of one of their early navigators ; such unwarrantable conduct is disgraceful to the authors, an imposition on that highly respectable institution and the world, and ought to be discountenanced and exposed by every admirer of the correctness of facts relating to ages past. The Society has, (from misrepresentations made to them in regard to the ' Newport Ruins,' as it has of late been called,) been drawn into an error in supposing that their Scandinavian forefathers visited in the 10th century the island of Rhode Island. At the remote period referred to, in the letter of Professor Rafn, they may have visited Massachusetts, and reported it by its true Indian name, and if they had visited this Island, it is reasonable to sup- pose they would have called it by the name it was called by the native inhabitants, which was Acquethneck. It was not called Rhode Island until 1644, as appears from the following extracts from the Old Colony Records, 'at a General Court held at Newport on the 15th day of the 1st month, 1644.'
"'It is ordered by this Court that ye island commonly called Acquethneck, shall be from henceforth called ye Isle of Rhodes, or Rhode Island.'
" There is no doubt that the Northmen discovered in the tenth century, the eastern coast of this Continent, and visited that
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part called by the Indian inhabitants, Massachusetts, but it is doubtful if they visited at that period the Island of Acquethneck, now Rhode Island. There does not appear from any history or tradition from our ancestors, that there was any tradition among the Indians of Acquethneck, ever having been visited by white men before the settlement of the country by our British ances- tors. When the first white inhabitants settled on the Elizabeth Islands, there was a tradition among the Indians, that the Vine- yard had been visited many ages before by a colony of white men, who came there in a vessel from the North, and remained there for a season, and returned to the North in the winter, with an intention of returning there again the next year, but never came back, and were supposed to have been lost, and the same tradition was rife among the Indians on the main, and remains to this day. It is very probable that these were the Northmen from the borders of the St. Lawrence, and that the Vineyard Island was the extent of their progress westward along the coast. From this circumstance, and from sinister motives, it has been endeavored to be shown that the Northmen visited this Island in the tenth or eleventh century, and called the island ' Vinelant,' &c., and the Newport Ruin has been endea- vored to be palmed upon the world through the Royal Society of Antiquarians at Copenhagen, as evidence of the fact of the visit of the Northmen, and the work of their hands,* but
" Let Antiquarians say what they will, It is nothing but an Old Stone Mill.
" ONE OF THE OLDEST INHABITANTS."
What better traditionary evidence than that of Gov. Arnold's grandson, Josiah Arnold, who died long since the Revolution- ary war, and that of his great-grandson, Sanford Arnold, who has been deceased but a few years, who both spoke of it as the old Stone Mill, built by their ancestor Benedict Arnold, as has been heretofore stated, but disregarded ? Why then dispute its origin, and the use for which it was erected, except it be for interested and unholy purposes ?
In 1784, the harbor with the rivers, were all closed with ice, from Castle Hill to Providence ; so that people crossed there from the Island to the main.
* The author of this imposition, as well as the report attributed to Scrobien, is sup- posed to be a foreigner, a few years since & resident of this town.
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THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM.
THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM.
1763. This year the Jewish Synagogue, in Newport, which was erected the year before, was dedicated to the God of Abra- ham, with great pomp and magnificence, according to the cus- tom of the Hebrews. At this time the town of Newport con- tained upwards of sixty families of Jews; among them were many merchants of wealth and enterprise. Mr. Aaron Lopez was a man of eminent probity and benevolence, his bounties were widely diffused, and not confined to creed and sect, and the people of Newport, notwithstanding the lapse of time, still con- secrate his memory. Mr. Lopez was afterwards drowned in his carriage in Scott's Pond, a few miles north of Providence.
Rev. Mr. Touro, married, in Newport, a sister of the late Moses Hays, of Boston, and left two sons and one daughter. Mr. Hays removed from Newport soon after the peace, taking with him his family. One of the sons was the late Abraham Touro, who died in Boston in 1822, leaving a large estate; by his will a fund of $10,000 was left for the support of the syna- gogue and burial-place in Newport, and $5,000 for keeping Touro-street in repair, on which they front. This fund is under the direction of the Town Council of Newport, and the interest is judiciously applied for the purposes above-mentioned.
The other son is Judah Touro, Esq., of New-Orleans, a gen- tleman distinguished for his many acts of munificence. He went to New Orleans previous to the cession of Louisiana, where in mercantile pursuits, he has acquired a princely estate, and is universally esteemed by the inhabitants of the city of New- Orleans. Such is the attachment of the Jews for Newport, and the sepulchre of their fathers, that their remains are brought here for interment.
A gentleman who settled in Newport, about twenty years since, and erected a tasteful mansion in Bellevue-street, near the Jewish burial-ground, in a conversation had with a per- sonal friend of Mr. Judah Touro, suggested that it would be a commendable act on the part of Mr. Touro, were he to enclose the burial ground with a noble wall of granite, as the then present brick wall was in a decayed state, having been slightly
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HISTORY OF RHODE ISLAND.
built. He gave an assurance that he would address him on the subject, which he accordingly did ; and Mr. Touro, with a liberality which has uniformly distinguished him, authorized his friend to apply to some eminent architect for a suitable plan. The work was commenced, and completed in 1842, and a more chaste and beautiful enclosure, with the ornamental gateway, is not to be found in the country. The whole cost was $11,000. The architect was Isaiah Rogers, Esq., of Boston.
A few years since, he gave $1000 to repair Redwood Library. His adopted city has experienced his noble benefactions, irre- spective of denominational distinctions, in which he has set an example worthy to be imitated by Gentiles. Such an indivi- dual is a blessing to society, and throws into the shade many, whose niggardly spirit renders them a burden to themselves and to the world at large.
Abraham Rod. Riviera, a highly respected Jew, was an importer of dry goods, in connection with other business. In early life Abraham was called " the honest man," which title he merited as long as he lived. He was extensively engaged in commerce, and met with many losses ; and at that date there were no Insurance Companies, consequently, the risks in navi- gation were very great. Although a man of wealth, frequent Tosses at sea, forced him to assign his property, which, when divided, cancelled but a part of his liabilities. As soon as the failure was known in England, the merchants with whom he had traded, offered him any amount of dry goods ; and, that he might avail himself of their generous offer, took the benefit of the Insolvent Act, clearing himself from old claims, and open. ing a way to the renewal of business. He was prosperous, and at the end of a few years, gave his old creditors a dinner party, placing under the plate of each guest a check, for the amount due hiin, with interest. He died worth $120,000. Such was the honesty of the past.
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There is now in the Town-Clerk's office, the copy of a deed, (certified by William Coddington, Town-Clerk, Oct. 19th, 1677,} in book No. 3, page 11, of Land Evidences, of a certain lot of land, thirty feet square, sold by Nathaniel Dickens, to Mordecai Campannall and Moses Packeckoe, for a burial-place for the Jews. This deed is dated February 28th, 1677, which shows that some of the descendants of Abraham found an asylum of
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THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM.
rest, from oppression and persecution, on this island of the sea, at an early period of the settlement. It has been said that it was as early as 1657.
How long prior to the purchase of the burial-ground, we have no accurate means of ascertaining. The first Jews who settled in Newport were of Dutch extraction, from Curraso, and were not possessed of the wealth, intelligence, or enterprise, which so eminently distinguished those who subsequently settled in this town, which, with the smallness of their number, accounts for the lapse of time from the first Jewish settlement in Newport, to the erection of the synagogue.
It is not probable, however, that during all this time they maintained no regular form of public worship, and there is a tradition amongst the most ancient people of Newport, now liv- ing, that from the earliest settlement here, public religious worship was regularly maintained in private houses.
Between the years 1750-60, many families of wealth and distinction came to this country from Spain and Portugal, and settled in Newport, which contributed largely to the intelli- gence and commercial prosperity of the town.
The synagogue was thronged with worshippers, from its erection until the war commenced, and the scriptures were publicly read, and the God of Abraham worshipped in the Hebrew language, in Newport, by more than three hundred of the dispersed house of Israel, up to that time.
About 1763, and long after, flourished the distinguished families of Lopez, Riviera, Pollock, Levi, Hart, Seixas, and their late respected priest, Isaac Touro. The north side of what is now the Mall, was once covered with Jewish residences, which were destroyed by fire. The Revolutionary war, so dis- astrous to the commercial interest and prosperity of Newport, induced the greater part of them to leave the town ; and after the conclusion of the war, the remnant that was left gradually declined, until not an individual now remains. Moses Lopez, nephew of the celebrated Aaron Lopez, was the last resident Jew in Newport. A few years previous to his death, he removed to New-York ; his remains were brought to Newport, and interred by the side of his brother Jacob, in the burial- place of their fathers. Moses Lopez was a man of no common abilities ; he was an honorable merchant, deeply versed in
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mathematics, and of uncommon mechanical skill. He was pleasant and interesting in conversation, and an ingenious defender of his religious belief. The Society of Jews, gene- rally, who settled in this town, have left a reputation for integrity and uprightness, which should perpetuate their memory from generation to generation.
After the long interval of sixty years, in which the synagogue had been closed, in the year 1850 it was thrown open again, and services were performed on Saturday (the Jewish sabbath,) by an eminent Rabbi from New-York. It was an important era, and calculated to revive in the mind the great and impor- tant events, which had taken place in the history of this dis- tinguished people.
Emery's Corner, at the south side of Bridge-street, was a general resort in olden time for young men, residing in that section of the town. Hence we meet with it very frequently in the old records of the town, as we do that of the Granary, or Brick-market, where the inhabitants assembled, and still con- tinue to assemble. We like to retain antique names, as they remind us of the past, and the inhabitants of Newport have been more tenacious than most places, of innovation. But the recent resort of strangers to Newport, has led to an attempt to remove the ancient land-marks, which should not be counte- nanced for a moment by the original inhabitants. It is the remains of antiquity in Newport, which invests it with so much interest, and makes the spot more deeply interesting to the Antiquarian.
Hog Hole, before the hand of modern vandalism despoiled it of its pristine beauty, was the scene of many a joyous festival. Purgatory, at Sachuest Beach, is invested with a high degree of romance, from the traditionary account of two lovers, who met at the brink of this dangerous chasm. The lady, to test the strength of his affections towards her, as the condition of the nuptial celebration, required that he should leap across it. Dangerous as was the experiment, he quickly sprung ; she caught the skirt of his coat, which instantly rent, while he landed safe on the opposite side to the terror and dismay of the fair one. The Devil's foot print is strongly impressed on the rocks, near to this chasm, with other singular marks, which has made it a place of interest to those visiting the island.
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THE REV. MARMADUKE BROWN.
It affords pleasure and delight to ramble amid those joyous scenes, and listen to the ærial choristers warbling their orisons. The inhabitants of this charming retreat, seem the only unde- lighted enjoyers of the scene, because to them it exhibits no novelty, consequently but little allurement; the eye of the stranger alone beholds it with admiration and wonder, and the heart of sensibility could alone feel the exquisite sensation of delight its contemplation inspires. In the words of the poet, we would say :
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