The counsel is tried quite
as rigorously and critically as is the case. Such was the condition of
things previous to 1848. Robinson was not only a good English scholar,
but he was devoted to the classics, and especially to the Greek
classics and history. Afterwards he became a resident of Athens where
he lived for several years. He was a good speaker in a high sense of
the phrase. In the sessions of 1842 and 1843 the system of
corporations was in controversy. The Democrats were in opposition
generally. The Whig Party favored the system. In the session of 1842
or 1843 citizens of Nantucket presented a petition for an Act of
Incorporation as a "Camel Company." The town had been the chief port
in the world for the whale-fishery business. Its insular position
rendered it necessary to obtain supplies from the mainland and to
transport the products of the fishery to the mainland. The fact that
there was a bar across the harbor, which made it impossible to bring in
vessels of the size of those engaged in the fishery was fast depriving
it of its supremacy. New London was already a rival.
The scheme for relief was to build what was called "camels." They were
vessels capable of receiving a whale-ship and floating it over the bar.
They were to be made broad, of shallow draught, with air-tight
compartments.
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