These Northmen were the descendants of the Scandinavians, who, it is thought, sprang from the Thracians, mentioned by Homer, a nation now extinct. The Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, and Icelanders, all come under the name of Northmen, or Norsemen. Their literature has been compared, in extent, to the literary remains of Greece and Latium. This opens a new fountain of research, where the scholar may often

"Return and linger, linger and return."

In a work recently published in Denmark, the author has attempted to show that the old Stone Mill was built by Northmen. The Rev. Mr. Kipp, of Albany, tells me he saw at the residence of the Duke of Tuscany, a Swedish Count, who spoke of this building as the work of Northmen. He was perfectly familiar with the discoveries of those whom he proudly called "his people."

"The active mind of man instinctively surveys the dark regions of the past, and would gladly break the unfathomable silence of the nations of the dead, and raise the veil where their beauty and glory have slept for ages. The strong desire to learn something of those who lived when time was young, leads the antiquarian to often adopt groundless theories."Antiquities of America, by A. Davis.

We have made this extract, for the purpose of preparing the mind of the reader, to draw his own inferences from the views entertained by antiquarians, with those which are held by the people of Newport, especially those of David Melville, Esq., who has devoted much time and attention to the investigation of the subject.

The most ridiculous views have been entertained of the nature and object of this structure, and also of the period when it was erected. These visionary ideas are of recent origin, and are not founded in fact, but the mere workings of a fanciful imagination which aims to surround the structure with a kind of romance, in order to gratify a morbid appetite which delights in the marvellous. We shall offer extracts from the will of Governor Benedict Arnold, and of Edward Pelham, who mar. ried his daughter, and then present the arguments which have been ably employed by one of our most respectable citizens, David Melville, Esq:

"My body I desire and appoint to be buried at ye northeast corner of a parcel of ground containing three rods square, being of, and lying in, my land, in or near the line or path from my dwelling house, leading to my stone-built wind-mill, in ye town of Newport abovementioned."-A True Copy from the Records of the Town Clerk's Office in the Town of Newport, Page 348. No.'5 Probate Records.

What language could possibly have been employed, more significant, to convey to the mind the object for which this structure was reared, my stone-built wind-mill, in the town of Newport." He does not say, "my so-called mill," as though he was ignorant of the origin or the design of the structure, but speaks in the most explicit manner, no doubt being entertained in his mind, of the nature and design of the building. We have asked the opinion of legal men, in what light they understood the language of Governor Arnold, and they have at once admitted that it was to be understood in its most literal significa tion, as a mill built by Governor Arnold, for a useful purpose, viz. to grind corn for the early settlers.

Extract from Edward Pelham's will, dated May 21, 1741. Bequest to his daughter Hermæoine, the wife of John Banister, after others previously made:

"Also one other piece or parcel of land situated, lying and being in Newport aforesaid, containing eight acres or thereabouts, with an old stone wind-mill thereon standing, and being and commonly called and known by the name of the mill field, or upper field."

The butts and bounds shew this to be part of the lot mentioned in Benedict Arnold's will, on which he says "standeth my dwelling, or mansion-house," &c., "as also my stone-built. wind-mill."

This property remained in the Banister family until the American Revolution. Here we have additional testimony of the nature and object of this structure, which has called forth such frequent discussions in the public prints. It is here clearly implied, if language can be understood, that it was built for a wind mill, and this has been the opinion of the inhabitants of Newport, who have given the least attention to the subject.

Mr. Pelham does not attempt to make out in his will, that it was anything else than what had been before so lucidly and

THE STONE MILL.

1

171

clearly described by Governor Benedict Arnold, but says, "an old stone wind-mill thereon standing." No instrument ever written could have been plainer or more to the point; and it shows a very great weakness in the human mind, to attempt to prove that it was built anterior to the discovery of this Continent by Columbus.

Those who settled the Island of Aquedneck, were not ignorant men, they had a knowledge of architecture, acquired in Europe, and the abundance of stone at their hand, induced them to erect the wind-mill, of this material, as being more permanent and lasting. There is nothing very remarkable in its construction. It is built of rough stone, placed without order, though in a communication made to the Antiquarian Society of Copenhagen; by Dr. Webb, he has made a statement so entirely incorrect as to deceive the Society into the idea that it could not have been erected by the early settlers of the island. He represents it as "built of stone, and laid in regular courses," which is not the fact, and had a tendency to mislead the mind of those to whom the statement was sent.

To our mind, the construction of this mill for an important and useful purpose, viz., to prepare food for the inhabitants, is a rational conclusion to arrive at, and one infinitely preferable to the vague notion embraced by many minds living at a distance, that it was erected as a fortress to defend a race who occupied the Island in the twelfth century. The former is the only sensible view which can be taken of the subject, while the latter is replete with the most egregious folly.

Nicholas Easton, who built the first house in Newport, makes no mention of the mill, which, if it had then been standing, would no doubt have been made matter of record by him or others of the early settlers.

A gentleman procured a quantity of the cement.or mortar, from the wall of the old stone house in Spring-street, which was built by Henry Bull, one of the first purchasers of the Island, and immediately after the first settlement of the town, in 1638, and specimens from several other ancient buildings and stone chimneys, and some from the tombs of Governor Arnold and his wife, and from the stone mill, and analyzed and com. pared them, and found them of the same quality, and composed of shell lime, sand, and gravel; and considered it very strong

evidence that they were built not far from the same time-all probably within a period of thirty or forty years from each other. It will be borne in mind by the reader, that we noticed the making of shell-lime at a very early period of the settlement of the town.

It may appear strange to the reader that this discovery has so recently been made. But when it is considered that public attention has never been called to the investigation of the subject until of late, their surprise and astonishment should cease. Many things are taken for granted, which may not in fact be true. It was currently reported and believed in olden times, that the celebrated spot known as Purgatory, at the second beach, had no bottom, and that frequent attempts had been made to sound it, but without effect. Now, so far from this being the truth, the tide ebbs and flows into it, and at low water it is quite shallow. Superstition has ever had its votaries, down to the period of spiritual knockings.

We will now subjoin a portion of the correspondence, held through the Newport Herald and The Rhode Islander, on this recently mooted subject, feeling satisfied in our own mind that our venerable townsman, David Melville, Esq., has done ample justice to the subject, and confounded the idle theories of his opponents, and shown to the world that it is nothing more or less than an old stone mill.

"MR. EASTMAN,

"Your readers will recollect the controversy published some months since in relation to this ancient structure, which originated 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' Antiquarian,' 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

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 Scandinavians,) 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 :

SIR,

"COPENHAGEN, January 4th, 1848.

"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.