there is a vast amount of travel. The Muskin-
gum is navigable for small steamboats to Dres-
den, 16 miles above Zanesville ; from which point
a canal, 2 miles long, forms a connection with
the Ohio Canal, which itself traverses 3 of the
north-western townships of the county.

Mystic, Ct. In the town of Stonington, New
London co. On the E. bank of Mystic Eiver,
opposite Portersville. 52 miles S. E. from Hart-
ford. The two places are connected by a bridge.

Mystic Bridge, Ct. In the town of Groton, New
London co. 56 miles S. E. from Hartford. Con-
nected with Mystic village by a bridge. The
river is navigable to the bridge for vessels of 400
tons. The people are employed in coasting and
the whale fishery. Several vessels are employed
as wreckers along the coast. Considerable busi-
ness is done here in ship building.

Nacogdoches County, Ts., c. h. at Nacogdocnes.
In the E. part of the state. On the N. E. bank of
the Neches.

Nahant, Ms., Essex co. See Fashionable Resorts.

Nansemond County, Va., c.h. at Suffolk. Bound-
ed N. by Isle of Wight and York counties, E.
by Norfolk co., S. by North Carolina, and W.
by Southampton eo. Watered on the N. E. bor-
der by James, and S. W. by Blackwater Eivers.
Drained by branches of Nansemond Eiver. It
contains a part of Dismal Swamp, and Lake
Drummond in this swamp supplies the Dismal
Swamp Canal by means of a feeder 5 miles in
length. Soil fertile in many portions.

Nanticoke, N. Y., Broome co. Watered by
Nanticoke Creek, a branch of the Susquehanna
Eiver. Surface undulating; soil suitable for
grass. 14 miles N. W. from Binghampton, and
144 S. of W. from Albany.

Nanticoke Springs, N. Y., Broome co. Here is
a sulphur spring of considerable note. W. S. W.
from Albany 142 miles.

Nantucket, Ms., county and town. On an island
of the same name in the Atlantic Ocean, about 30
miles S. of Cape Cod. This island is about 15 miles
in length from E. to W., and about 4 miles in aver-
age breadth, containing about 50 square miles.
It is mostly a plain, varying from 25 to 40 feet
above the level of the sea, entirely destitute of
trees and shrubbery, or any sign of them,
although it was once covered with forest. The
highest point of elevation on the island is 80 feet
above the sea. The land is owned in common
by proprietors, and not fenced, excepting a few
house lots adjoining the town. As many as 500
cows and 7000 sheep used formerly to feed to-
gether in this large pasture. They are now ex-
cluded, however, by the proprietors from the com-
mon field.

In 1759, the title to this island was granted by
Governor Mayhew, whose ancestor, Thomas May-
hew, had obtained it of William, Earl of Stirling,
at New York, in 1641, to 27 proprietors, many
of whom settled at Nantucket. Among them was
Peter Folger, —a man of great influence, whose
daughter became the mother of Dr. Franklin,—
and three men by the name of Coffln. Both of
these names have numerous representatives on
the island at the present day. The Coffin School
at Nantucket originated in a donation by Admi-
ral Sir Isaac Coffin, of the British navy, who vis-
ited this place in 1826 ; and finding that a large
part of the inhabitants were more or less remotely
related to him, expressed a desire to confer on
59
his kindred some mark of his attachment. By
his liberality, after taking measures to ascertain
the preference of the people in regard to the
way in which it might be most acceptably applied,
a building was provided for a school of a high
order, and a fund of about $12,500 invested for
its permanent support. For many years past,
great attention has been paid to education in Nan-
tucket, and the public schools, as well as others,
will not suffer in comparison with any in the state.

The town is situated at the bottom of a bay,
on the N. side of the island, made by two points
of the beach, nearly three fourths of a mile apart,
on one of which, called Brant Point, is a light-
house. The harbor of Nantucket is good, with
seven and a half feet of water at low tide on the
bar at its mouth. The town is built on a site where
the ground ascends more rapidly from the water
than at almost any other part of the shore. It
embraces nearly all the houses on the island, and
is verj compactly built. Many of the streets are
very narrow, and the houses are mostly con-
structed of wood. There are many handsome
buildings, however, botli of wood and of brick;
and some of the churches, of which there are
nine or ten in number of various denominations,
are tasteful edifices. There are several fine build-
ings for the public schools. The Nantucket
Athenaeum, incorporated in 1834, has a commodi-
ous building, with an Ionic portico in front;
erected in 1847, after the burning of the former edi-
fice, in which are contained a library of over 2500
volumes, and a large number of interesting curios-
ities, chiefly from the islands in the Pacific Ocean.
In the upper story is a fine hall for public lectures.

The whale fishery commenced at Nantucket in
1690; and this, place is more celebrated than any
other for the enterprise and success of its inhab-
itants in that species of nautical adventure. In-
deed, it has been the mother of this great branch
of wealth in America, if not in the world. The
first establishments in New Bedford were started
by persons from Nantucket. Of late a consider-
able diversion from this business has been occa-
sioned by the tide of adventure setting to Califor-
nia ; so that the statistics of the whale fishery, if
taken now, would not perhaps exhibit fairly the
amount of energy and of capital ordinarily em-
barked in it. In the year ending April 1, 1844,
Nantucket employed 78 vessels in the whale fish-
ery, the tonnage of which was 26,684 tons;
1,086,488 gallons of sperm and whale oil were
imported, the value of which was $846,000. The
number of hands employed was about 2000.
The capital invested was $2,730,000, including
the ships and outfits only.

There are manufactures, on the island, of ves-
sels, whale boats, bar iron, tin ware, boots, shoes,
oil casks, and candle boxes. The whole amount
of the manufactures of oil and candles, in 1844,
was $1,375,745.

On the night of the 13th of July, 1846, a fire
broke out in the most compact part of the town,
and in a few hours it destroyed not less than
350 buildings ; among which were two banking
houses, a church, the Athenasum, seven oil and
candle factories, &c. The loss was estimated at
$900,000.

The village of Siasconset is situated at the S.
E. extremity of the island, about 7 miles from
the town, and contains about 70 houses. The
cod fishery was carried on there a few years since,
but of late it has been nearly relinquished. The