Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

258 RAMBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
and warmth compensate for a day of gloom and chill. I
was glad to lhave the recurrence of these days put an end to,
but I was sorry to have the hill, our favorite play-grounld,
taken fiom us. And now I watched each day the movements of the prisoner soldiers as they worked at the levelling of the parade giround, with a long iron chain- fastened
to their waist, to which was attachlied a heavy iron ball,
which they had to lift and carry wherever they went ani
whichever way they turned. This was the punishment, then,
for all attempts a.t deserting. They seemed cheerful enolugll,
laughingo alnd talkincg among themselves; but I could
not help pitying them, as I watched them through a whole
summer, working with shlovel, pick axe and wheelbarrow,
in the hot sun,, with thalt ball and chalin, and I freely forgaLve
them for dligg(ing' up andl wheeling oil' the' soil whllcl had
been a little world to us.
RAMBLE CXXX.
Capt. Daniel I3cernald -- Resiclll oe - Oxvnership of thoe
iTavy Yaard - A-Var -Adventures -- Diddling the Spencer
74l- Putting a British i'rigate oni the rocls.
A FEW rods west of the Southl Walrd Room, on tle corner
of Manning and HIoward streets, stands,an old gailmbrel-roofedl
house, whicll numbers alinost as rnliry years as thle oll
Church itself which Was removed from tile spot in 1863.
It was in a central part of the town wlien it was built,
tand tlle elevated position it then occupied must larve
in de it a desirable residence. It was built by Capt.
S muel Frost, who died before tlhe recolle-tion of the
late occupant, tle venerable C;Ipt. DANIEL FERNALD, thle
o0d1st p'1rson in PJrtsm )Uth at the time of lhis deatl, whichl