THE STORY OF HARVARD.

(One of a series of papers on America, published in the Ponemah Review, at Valbralla, A. D. 4851.)

ABOUT thirty centuries ago there existed on the eastern coast of America a settlement of a most peculiar nature, to a brief account of which this article is devoted. That such a settlement had once existed there had long been a traditional belief, but until the last five years nothing definite about it was known. The exploring expedition sent out by the government in 4845 brought back from the eastern coast of America some most important relics, and among them some papers relating to this town of Harvard. It is expected that there will soon appear a work on America written in the light of these developments; at present it is sufficient to remark that the common notion that America was once a populous and powerful country, but that in the twentieth century there commenced a reduction of temperature and a southward movement of ice from the northern coast, which finally brought the land to its present barren state, is essentially correct. This article is confined to Harvard, for from documents it appears that this was the name of the place, and not Arvart, as tradition has it.

The circumstances of the foundation of Harvard, and the purpose which it served, are alike unknown. One of the chief peculiarities of Harvard is, that it seems to have had absolutely no connection either with the nation or with its immediate neighborhood. Containing within itself a government and a classified society, it had no hand in the management of the affairs of the nation; it had no connection with the Church; it concerned itself neither with commerce, with manufacturing, nor with agriculture. All that is known about it is the form of its government, the divisions of its inhabitants, some scattered facts about its customs, and the story of its destruction.

The ultimate government was in the hands of an elective body, holding their places for life. This body contained from twenty to thirty members. We are in the dark as to its powers. How it was elected we do not know, but from one authority we learn that it was elected by and composed of persons who seem to have been otherwise wholly unconnected with the town. The immediate government was vested in a Legislature of one chamber, which had also judicial power, elected in some unknown way, and responsible, not to the people, but to the higher body. The executive was an officer, called sometimes the Dean, and sometimes the President, elected by the higher body, and holding office during good behavior. That a government so arbitrary, and so entirely beyond the control of the people, should have endured as long as it did, is astonishing.

The people, or perhaps we should rather say the subjects, of Harvard were divided very distinctly into two castes, the more numerous of which considered the other as inferior to it. The upper caste was divided into three classes, though what the distinctions between them were is unknown.

The members of these castes were called "men," and seem to have had no particular occupations. Many of them spent their time in travelling between Harvard and what must have been an adjoining city; others devoted themselves to "grinding," a term which would seem to imply the presence of some industry, but we find no other traces of it.

Our principal information about these "men" is derived from some scattered sheets of what were probably periodicals published by the men themselves. We learn from these that there existed among the men a continual discontent with the acts of the Legislature, which they speak of as the "Faculty." If this word is the same as the Latin facilis, as seems probable, the ironical application of the name becomes evident. This, too, would seem to imply quite an advanced state of intellectual culture among the inhabitants of Harvard.

The men of this town were beset by many foes. Among them were "goodies" and "pocos," who dwelt in the town itself, and a race of fierce savages, called "Port peelers," who infested a high mountain near the place called "Mt. Auburn," whence they frequently descended, and bearing away every one whom they met, buried them alive on the slopes of the hill. Query: Was "port" an abbreviation of porto? The men had also a feud with a certain Yale, of which nothing more is known. Men are often spoken of as "deading"; may they not have been killed in these contests?

The men of Harvard were great riders; we frequently hear of their taking a trot. They had large families, if we may judge from their extensive use of cribs, to the importation of which the government seems to have had an unaccountable aversion; penalty for using them was often capital punishment. They were enthusiastic patrons of the Fine Arts, often expending large sums on busts, none of which, however, have lasted until our day.

Harvard owned a large library, but it was kept hermetically sealed. One of the chief subjects of complaint in the papers is the impossibility of getting at the books.

A large number of the inhabitants, we should judge some five thousand, were compelled by the Legislature to board together. A vast amount of murmuring was the natural result. Almost every paper speaks of it. The price of the board was extortionate, and the quality was very poor. The meat was sent from the West to Harvard in barrels. From other sources we learn that the meat was bought of a certain landowner or farmer near a place called Fort Sill. Great corruption at one time prevailed in regard to this meat-supply, and one of the highest officials of the national government was involved in it.

The end of this town was as curious as its existence. The government passed a law that all the men should get up at twenty minutes past four A. M., and assemble at the "Chapel"; there every man was required, under penalty of twenty-four marks, (was the whipping-post still in use?) within fifteen minutes, to write and hand in "a theme and forensic." We are ignorant of the reasons for this most extraordinary enactment; it looks like wanton oppression. Neither are we informed as to the nature of the "theme and forensic."

This soon brought matters to a head; the whole town broke out in revolt. The men assembled round an aged tree, called the Rebellion Tree, or the Charter Oak. Here they were taken command of by C. I. Washington. This leader is famous only for carrying a hatchet instead of a sword. The war raged violently for four or seven years, - accounts differ; during a battle in the town, Hollis Hall, one of the principal buildings, was burnt. The final battle was at a place that went by the name of "The Annuals." The government was completely defeated, and fell into the hands of their subjects. After some discussion they were placed in boats, in bands of six or eight, and compelled to row out to sea. This the men called the "withdrawal from the association." The officers were never seen again. The victorious townsmen then erected a large hall as a memorial of their valor, and afterwards seem to have emigrated, as no further mention of them is known.

W. H. T.