From this day forth the Islander and the Nobska are but names, not boats. The Islander becomes the Martha’s Vineyard, the Nobska the Nantucket. Deputy Collector of Customs Duffy of the port of New Bedford has announced that on application of the New England Steamship company the change of names for the vessels has been approved by the commissioner of navigation. The third new steamer of the line will be the New Bedford. Thus are honors distributed with mathematical precision between the ports of call of the Island line. It remains but to change the Uncatena, whose name is so far spared, to And Company, as an indignant protestant against the renaming of the boats suggested in a letter to the Gazette.

Although the names Nobska and Islander will not be painted out until the vessels go to drydock next month for overhauling, legally they have passed. The new names are really grand old names for they will carry with them the tradition of two boats which ran long and faithfully in the Island service.