achariah, that in a journal, kept by the latter, it is mentioned that
there were then upon the island twelve thousand "praying Indians."

Experience Mayhew is still spoken of as "the great Indian missionary,"
and the house in which he lived was still standing a few years since
upon the farm of Mr. Hancock in Chilmark.

The island is to this day full of Mayhews of every degree,--so far, at
least, as distinctions of rank have obtained among this isolated and
primitive people.

When Massachusetts erected herself into a State, and included the
Vineyard within her bounds, it was divided into the townships of
Edgartown, (or Oldtown,) Holmes's Hole, Tisbury, and Chilmark, and the
district of Gay Head, which last, with the island of Chip-a-quid-dick,
off Edgartown, and a small tract of land in Tisbury, named
Christian-town, were made over in perpetuity to the Indians who chose to
remain. They have not the power of alienating any portion of this
territory, nor may any white man build or dwell there. If, however, one
of the tribe marry out of the community, the alien husband or wife may
come to live with the native spouse so long as the marriage continues;
and the Indians have taken advantage of this permission to intermarry
with the negroes, until there is not one pure-blooded descendant of the
original stock remaining, and its physiognomy and complexion are in most
cases undistinguishable in the combination of the two races.

Gay Head contains eleven hundred acres, seven of which are the
birthright of every Indian child; but it is not generally divided by
fences, the cattle of the whole tribe grazing together in amicable
companionship. Much of the value of the property lies in the
cranberry-meadows, which are large and productive, and in the beds of
rich peat. A great deal of the soil, however, is valuable for
cultivation, although but little used, as the majority of the men follow
the example of their white co-islanders, and plough the sea instead of
the land. They make excellent seamen, and sometimes rise to the rank of
officers, although few white sailors are sufficiently liberal in their
views to approve of being commanded by "a nigger," as they persist in
calling these half-breeds.

The wigwams, which, no doubt, were at first erected here, have given
place to neat and substantial frame buildings, as comfortable,
apparently, as those in many New England villages. There is also a
nice-looking Baptist church, of which de