The Merrimack River: its source and its tributaries. Embracing a history of manufactures, and of the towns along its course; their geography, topography, and products, with a description of the magnificent natural scenery about its upper waters./ By J. W. Meader.

ITS SOURCE ANVD ITS TRIBUTARIES.
costumes; some half hid in the surrounding gloom, others conspicuous on) lofty rocks, which reflected the gleam of their waitch-fires,
moving in every possible direction, and with every variety of motion,
throwing the'scoop-net,' handling the'squirming eels,' covered
with blood and slime, inseparable from their occupation; some fighting,
and all shouting at the top of their voices,- formed a scene worthy
of Pandemonium itself. I suppose we have no idea of the immense
numbers of fish with which this river once abounded. My father has
seen the shad so thick as to crowd each other in their passage up the
falls to gain the smooth water above, so that you could not put in
your hand withlout touching some of them, and yet there were more
alewives than shad, and more eels than both. It is no wonder eels
were called'Derryfield beef,' for I have heard those say who would
be good judges in the matter, that eels enough were salted down in a
single year to be equal to three hundred head of cattle. There was
one great advantage about the'lamprey eel.' It had no bones except in the head, and, as that was never eaten, it made safe food for
the children."'
This was after tlhe fishing was confined to the immediate vicinity of
the Falls, and long after the ancient " Namoskeag" had been reduced
from its original proportions to the falls and vicinity. It appears
that the Namoskeag of the Indians extended from, and included,
Goffe's Falls to Concord, thus being made up of Goffe's, Short's,
and Griffi.n's, Hooksett, Merrill's, Amoskeag, Garvin's, and Turkey
Falls; and their Came early extended even beyond the limits of our
own country, and a curious communication firom Cotton Mather, referring to some of the natural curiosities still to be seen at the Falls,
was published in the " Philosophical Transactions," a scientific publication of London, which reads thus: " At a place called Ammuskeag, a little above the hideous falls
of AMerrimack River, there is a lhuge rock in the midst of the stream,
on the top of which are a great number of pits, made exactly round
like barrels, or hogsheads of different capacities, some so large as to
hold several tons. The natives knew nothing of the time they were
made; but the neighboring Indians have been wont to hide their
provisions in them in the wars with the Maquas. God had cut
* Extract from remarks of William Stark, Esq., at Manchester Centennial Celebration,
October 22, 1851.
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