The History of Portland from 1632 to 1864: with a notice of previous settlements, ... and changes of government in Maine ... Second edition

Front matter

'mEFJÆm&B 11355, T 11 E HISTORY OF PORTLAND, FROM 1632 TO 1864: With a plotter of gmiou.s settlements, (!>olcmiat (Srantjv, AND CHANGES OF GOVERNMENT IN MAINE. BY WILLIAM WILLIS. SECOND EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED. PORTLAND: B A I B E Y & NOYES. 1805. Entered according to Act op Congress in the Vear 1865, bv BAILEY 4 NOYES, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Maine. 1> lt E S S OF BROWN T II V 11 S T O N , 32 Exchange Street, ILLUSTRATIONS. I. Perspective View of Portland in 1K64, from Cape Elizabeth II. A plan of Ancient Falmouth, embracing the tract from Spurwink river to North Yarmouth, with the location of the original settler?. 04 III. Portrait of tele Author. 30S IV. Falmuuth Neck at tue time of its Destruction by Mowatt in 1775. 520 V. A View of Middle Street as it was in 1844, looking east from Temple Street, showing the front of the old Exchange, tiie Second Parish Meeting-house, AND OTHER BUILDINGS. 768 VI.

A View of the same part of Middle Street in 1863 770 VII. A View of Middle Street in 1863, looking west from Temple Street. 772 FAC-SIMILES OF AUTOGRAPH SIGNATURES. Thomas Elbridge and Abraham Shurt 21 Walter Neale ■ 37 John Winter 41 George Cleeves, George Munjoy, Richard Martin, Ralph Turner, and George Lewis. 109, 110 Richard Tucker, Edward Rishworth, and Robert Howard Ill Rev. Robert Jordan 126,217 Henry Jocelyn 183 Sir Edmund Andros and John West 259 Anthony Brackett and Silvanus Davis 268 Peter Bowdoin, John Holman, and George Bramhall. 291 Thomas Westbrook and Samuel Waldo 355 Thomas Gorges 88° Sir Ferdinando Gorges S8(> Richard Vines 88t* Rev. Thomas Jenner 88° Edmund Godfrey. 88° George Cleeve 88t* PAGE. g 35 62 95 126 142 168 CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. A brief account of tho settlements on the coast of Maine, previous to 1632.

Chapter I

Richmond's island — Spurwink — dispute between Cleeves and Tucker, and John Winter. abonl the title — trade at Richmond's island — the Neck, now Portland, first occupied — grants in other parts of Falmouth — Mitton, Macworth — first Judicial Court for the Provincesettlers in Falmouth in 1640.

Chapter II

The political affairs of the Province from the great patent in 1620, to the submission to the jurisdiction of Massachusetts in 1658 — Sir Ferdinando Gorges.

Chapter III

Boundaries and name of the town — inhabitants in 1658, and places of residence — early conveyances — first mills — settlers at Back cove — Jordan's claim and quarrel with Cleeves — lac-simile autograph signatures of early settlers.

Chapter IV

Inhabitants petition the General Court against the claims of Cleeves and Jordan — petition of the freemen to the General Court — islands belonging to Falmouth — new settlers, Munjoy, Wakely, Coe, Brackett, Clarke, Felt, Cloice, and others— Mitton's death.

Chapter V

First Court under Massachusetts — state of religion in the town — deputies — courts — pay of jurymen— highways — prison— Abraham Preble — opposition to Massachusetts— King's commissioners suspend the authority of that colony— memorial from Casco — return of the commissioners.

Chapter VI. Proceedings

of the new government— courts in Casco, persons presented, state of morals— Cleeve, death and character— Thomas Skillings death and family— government of Massachusetts restored— Jordan, Jocelyn, Neale— freemen petition General Court— Munjoy licensed to retail— eastern line run— selectmen— Falmouth presented— settlements at Capisic, Stroudwater, and Purpooduck— death of Martin, WhartT, Bartlett, and Mills. C0STE1* T S . VI 101 222 249 260 280 309 338 365 382

Chapter VII

The first Indian war— inhabitants of Falmouth 1675 — destruction of the town in 1676 — further attacks of the Indians— militia in 1675— peace— prisoners restored— Walter Gendall— Robert Jordan's death— Brackett— names of inhabitants in Casco bay.

Chapter VIII

Purchase of Maine by Massachusetts — government — re-settlement of Falmouth — Danforth's grants, and other titles on the Neck — grants by the town — Silvanns Davis — Munjoy's death and family— first tavern, Seacomb, Jones, Cloice— death of Mrs. Harvey and George Lewis — George Burroughs.

Chapter IX

Fort Loyal — saw-mills taxed for its support — deed of Falmouth to trustees — government of Andros, new patents for land required — French emigrants — roads and ferries — business of the town and its internal condition — quarrel between Lawrence and Davis.

Chapter X

Population in 1689 — commencement of the second Indian war— Andros visits Maine — lis authonty subverted — renewal of hostilities — attack on Falmouth resisted — second attack and destruction of the town.

Chapter XI

A brief notice of some of the inhabitants of Falmouth during the second settlement — names of the settlers.

Chapter XII

Revival of the town at Purpooduck and New Casco — Indian treaty of 1703 violated — commencement of third Indian war — settlements at Purpooduck and New Casco destroyed — New Casco fort abandoned — peace — the Neck settled — re-settlement of the town — Falmouth incorporated — Irish emigrants — municipal government — old and new proprietors — distribution of land on the Neck — accession to the population — controversy between old and new proprietors.

Chapter XIII

Character of the first settlerB — Samuel Moody— Benjamin Larrabee — Samuel Cobb — Samuel Proctor — ferry and traveling — Indian war of 1722 — Father Ralle — peace — accessions to the population, Riggs, Sawyer, Westbrook, and others— ecclesiastical affairs— meeting-house built — Mr. Smith settled.

Chapter XIV

Education— schools and school-masters — educated men— public library.

Chapter XV

Ecclesiastical affairs— Purpooduck parish set off— Presbyterians— Purpooduck parish— First parish, new meeting-house— revival— George Whitefield— New Casco parish— Episcopal society — settlenifnt of Mr. Deane — Quaker*. CONTENTS. VII 411 138 479 506 549 570 608 630 702

Chapter XVI

War of 1741 — causes of war— preparations for defeuse — commencement of hostilities — alarms from Indians and Freucli — volunteers — capture of Louisburg — treaty of Falmouth — unsettled state of the country — war of 1751 — capture of Quebec— peace.

Chapter XVII

Population at different periods before the revolution — taxes— currency — lumber and sawmills — grist-mills — trade and Lommerce — customs and collection — wharves- — general description of the Neck prior to the revolution — streets.

Chapter XVIII

, Revolution — causes of excitement — stamp act, its repeal — sugar act — new duties laid — military force employed — collision with tho troops — repeal of duties — non-importation agreements — duties on molasses and tea— -tea duty enforced and tea destroyed — proceedings in Falmouth— Boston port-bill — convention in Falmouth — preparations for war.

Chapter XIX

Revolutionary war — proceedings in Falmouth — Mowatt taken prisoner — proceedings against tories — troops raised — denunciation of Gov. Hutchinson — arrival of Mowatt and destruction of the town — applications for relief — measures of defense — privateering — sacrifices of the people — capture of Bagaduce — expedition to the Penobscot— capture of General Wadsworth— surrender of Cornwallis — civil affairs of the revolution— constitution prepared and adopted for the State — acts against monopolies — close of the war, the fisheries, peace.

Chapter XX

Revival of the town— buildings erected— number of dwelling-houses and population— commerce — stores and trade— wharves — light-house — harbor — banks — commercial embarrassments.

Chapter XXI

Division of the town— its size and population— post-office and mails— stages and traveling — railroads — Commercial street — newspapers — adoption of the constitution — representatives to Congress — French mama — politics of the town in 179*1— republican society — harbor defenses.

Chapter XXII

Courts — court-houses and jails — inferior courts — superior courts — law and lawyers — capital trials — decrease of crime.

Chapter XXIII

Ecclesiasticai, affairs aster the revolution — Episcopal society — First Parish — Second Parish in Portland — death of Mr. Smith, Mr. Nichols ordained, death of Dr. Deane— Second Parish, Mr. Payson ordained, his death and successors — Third Congregational society — Chapel society— Third Parish— High street church — Methodist society— Baptists— Christians — Universalists — Swedenborgians — Roman catholics — Mariners' church. C H A P T F. R X X I V Separation of Maine from Massachusetts. CONTENTS. VIII 724 787 865 867 873 875 882 884 885 886 887

Chapter XXV

MISCELLANIEB-Cumberland and Oxford canal-bridges-promenades-sugar-house-stcamships-Board of trademanufactures-academy and schools - library-Atheneumauthors— charitable societies-cemeteries— epidemics— change of government to a citytaxes— deaths and marriages— immigrants— population and character of the inhabitants —customs of tho people at different periods— amusements— theatre-conclusion.

Appendix

. No. I. Becord of an action in 1640, Cleeves v. Winter, for disturbing his possession at Spurwink, with the pleadings and verdict. No. II. Petition of Robert Jordan in 1648 to the court of Ligonia, for leave to appropriate Trelawny's property in his hands to the payment of Winter's claim against Trelawny's estate; proceedings of the court thereon, and an inventory of the property. Also a statement of the account. No. III. Aotion in 1640, Cleeves v. Winter, for disturbing his possession on the Neck, with the pleadings. No. IV. Lease for two thousand years from Sir Ferdinando Gorges to Cleeves and Tucker of part of Falmouth, dated January 27th, 1637 —-letters of Thomas Gorges, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Richard Vines, Rev. Thornis Jenner, Edmund Godfrey, and George Cleeves, to Governor Winthrop and others.

No. V. Extract from John Jocelyn's voyages, showing the situation of the several towns in the province about 1670. No. VI. Koijert Jordan's will, 1679. No. VII. Indian deed to George Munjoy of land at Ammoncongin, June 4, 1660. No. VIII. Thomas Danforth's deed to the trustees of Falmouth, 1684. No. IX. Letters to George Bramhall 10S7 and 1688, and receipts from him and Silvanus Davis. CONTENTS. 1 No. X. 889 Petitions of the propritors and sett'ers of Falmouth to the General Court in 1717 anil 171s for incorporation. No. XI. 800 Persons admitted inhabitants by the town principally iu 1727 and 172S. No. XII. 892 Petitions to the General Court in 172S by the ancient proprietors. No. XIII. 893 Report of a committee of the town, and resolves adopted in February, 1774, ou the rights of the colonies.

No. XIV. 894 Proceedings of the convention of delegates from the towns in Cumberland county, Septem - her 21, 1774, at Falmouth. No. XV. 895 Proceedings of the Committee of correspondence and inspection in Falmouth. No. XVI. 897 Muster roll of Captain David Bradish's company, May, 1774. No. XVII. 897 Houses now standing which survived the conflagration of 1774 — Dr. Deane's letter on the subject of au engraving of the town as it appeared at the time of the fire. No. XVIII. 900 An account of the lasses sustained by the destruction of the town. No. XIX. 902 Proceedings of the inhabitants to obtain relief from Europe — No. 1. Mr. Titcomb's letter to Samuel Freeman — No. 2. Gov. Bowdoin's letter to Enoch Freeman — No. 71. Gov. Bowdoin's letter to Gov. Pownal— No. 4. Gov. Pownal's letter to Enoch Freeman and others — No. 5.

Address to the people of Ireland. No. XX. 905 Grant of two townships of land to the sufferers in the destruction of the town. 906 No. XXI. The amount of tonnage registered and enrolled in the custom-house at Portland, with the amount of duties, exports, imports, etc. Ill 18 No. XXII. Petition tina division of the town of Falmouth in 1785. 911 Index.

Preface

TO THE SECOND EDITION. A third of a century has elapsed since the publication of the first edition of the History of Portland. That having long since been exhausted, I have yielded to repeated applications, and, with much labor and without pecuniary profit, have prepared a new edition of the work. I have taken the occasion to correct such errors as have been discovered in the first impression — to throw light received from subsequent investigations into our early annals upon transactions which seemed obscure, and to bring the history of our progressive community down to the present day. I have added several biographical notices, and made others more full in genealogical facts ; and to the whole have appended a copious index. During the third of a century which has intervened since the first pub lication, the population of the town has considerably more than doubled ; its commerce, and its various industrial, religious, social, and literary institutions have multiplied in far larger proportion, and almost an entirely new community has taken the place of the living generation which I then addressed.

This accumulation of facts, while it has necessarily extended the work, has given additional value to its pages. In 1820, when Maine became an independent State, no historical work, nor any other of literary value had been published in the State. Gov. Sullivan's History of Maine was published in Boston in 1795 ; although a native of Maine, he then resided in that city. Historical sketches of several towns had appeared in the Mass. Historical Collections ; and Moses Green leaf in 181C, had issued from the press in Boston, and Joseph Whipple the same year from the press in Bangor, Geographical and Statistical pamphlets, one of one hundred and fifty-four, and the other of one hundred and two pages, having reference more particularly to the question of separation then agitating the minds of the people.

The first work on a P It E F A C E . historical subject published after the separation, was Greenleaf 's Eccle siastical Sketches in 1821 ; and the same year Judge Freeman issued his extracts from the journals of the Rev. Thomas Smith, with statistics of the town and county, both in duodecimo form. These were followed in 1827 by Mr. White's History of Belfast, one hundred and twenty pages, Moses Greenleaf 's map of Maine, with an octavo volume of valuable statistics in 1829, and by Mr. Folsom's History of Saco and Biddeford in 1830. In 1831, the first volume of the Maine Historical Collections was published, which contained the first part of my History of Portland, and in 1832, appeared my second part in a separate form, bringing the history of the town to that period. The same year Mr. Williamson published his elaborate History of Maine in two octavo volumes, which has been followed by five volumes of the Transactions of the Maine Historical Society, and numerous and very valuable histories of towns and communities in our State, and in 1803 the Popham Memorial Volume, a compilation of rare value, which several works have ably and clearly illustrated our early and later annals.

Location and Meteorological Statistics of Portland. The New City Hall, near the center of Portland, is in north latitude 43°, 39', 27". West longitude from Greenwich 70°, 15', 40". Longitude in time from Green wich four hours, forty-one minutes, and three seconds. It is five hundred and sixty miles from Washington, three hundred and thirty from New York, one hundred and five from Boston, two hundred and ninety-four by the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal, two hundred and seventeen to Quebec, five hundred and fifty-seven to Toronto, and eight hundred and fifty -nine to Detroit. The magnetic variation in January, 18G3, was twelve four-tenths, having increased from eight degrees in 1705. By tables kept at the Observatory, on Munjoy's Hill in Portland, one hundred and sixt3r feet above the level of high water, for thirty-two years from 1825 to 1857 inclusive, it appears that the animal average temperature for that period was 43°, 23', of Farenheit.

The highest point it attained was 100°, 5'; the lowest was January 24, 1857, 25° below zero. The highest mean temperature in any month of that period was 71° in July, 1825 ; the lowest mean temperature for any month was 13° above zero in January, 1844. The average temperature of the seasons for the thirty-two years was as follows: March, April, May, 39°, 98'; June July, August, 03°, 71' ; September, October, November, 40°, 73'; Decem-

PREFACE.

. 5 ber, January, February, 21°, 93'. The mean temperature for 1856 was 44°, 13'; for 1857, 44°, 68'; for 1858, 44°, 4' ; for 1859, 43°, 47'. The amount of rain, and snow reduced to water, in 1857, was 47.60 inches ; in 1858, 43.42 inches ; in 1859, 48.55 inches. The prevailing winds may bo set down in the following proportions of 100. North and east 25, east and south 14, south and west 25, west and north 36=100. Mean barometric pressure at a station eighty-five and a half feet above the sea, 29.9. The sewerage and sanitary condition of Portland arc of a high order; and nothing in this respect is especially needed, but a supply of pure water. For this purpose, there are ample sources of an excellent charac ter within eighteen miles of the city. I need only refer to the Sebago Lake, a sheet of very pure water, containing about sixty-five thousand square acres, and of great depth, which is fed by other lakes and several streams of water.

PREFACE.

TO THE FIRST EDITION. Falmouth originally contained within its limits tinpresent towns of Falmouth, Cape Eliza beth, Portland, and Westbrook; and embraced u Bomber of large and valuable islands lying in Casoo Bat. It is proposed in the introductory chapter of the following work, to present a cursory view <*f the settlements made, and attempted to be made, on the coast of Maine, previous to tbiit of Falmouth. After which my attention will be principally confined to that town, until Portland was separately incorporated: this latter town will then receive more exclusive notice. The various changes in the government of the country, especially during the early period <>! its history, wiU be briefly alluded to, >_ they had an immediate influence upon the happiness and prosperity of the inhabitants.

The entire loss of the records in the destruction of the town by tie- Indians in 1090, has deprived me of many valuable materials for the present work, and rendered my task at the same time more difficult and more un satisfactory. But this consolation ha-s accompanied me, that whatever facts I could glean from the State and county reo-nls, and other srattep-d sources of information, bee more valuable and more interesting, by the unfortunate events which have destroyed the more ready and miuuk? aids to historical accuracy. It is known to most readers, that previous to 1752, the year commenced on the 25th day of March; consequently the time between the first day of January and that day, was reckoned with the former year, and it was usually expressed by a double date ; an instrument for instance, bearing date January 15, 1640, according to our calendar, would be expressed January 15, 1G39—40.

Sometimes only 1639. In such cases I have invariably adapted the date to the present mode of computation, so tar as regards the year. The day of the month by the new style, may be ascer certained by omitiug ten days in the seventeenth century, eleven in the eighteenth, and twelve in the nineteenth. The alteration wad niade in England by a statute passed in 1751, to take effect January 1, 1752. and wiiich authorized the omission of the eleven intermediate days of the calendar, from the 2d to the 14th day of September of that year. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. A brief account of the various settlements on the Coast of Maine. previovs to 1632. Iii the beginning of the year 1603, there was not one Euro pean family on the whole coast of America, from Florida to Greenland1. There had been made, previous to this time, three attempts to settle Virginia'2, and one in 1002 by Gosnold, to plant a colony on the southern shores of Massachusetts ; all of which failed.

The whole coast of North America was now open to European enterprise, and although discouragements had hitherto attended the efforts of commercial speculation, yet it was not disheartened. In 1603, new exertions were made, which resulted in bringing the coast of Maine more into notice, and preparing the way for future settlements upon it. On the eighth of November of that year, Henry 4th of France, granted a charter of Acadia and the neighboring country to Du Mont3, extending from forty to forty six degrees of north latitude. Du Mont having received a commission as Lieuten ant-general of France, the next year fitted out an expedition in company with Champlain and others, with which he sailed l Princes N. E. Chro. p. 1. - Prince's Intro., p. 104. 3 Hazard, vol. i, p. 45. This included the whole country from Philadelphia to the St. Lawrence, nominally, but never in practise extending west of the Kein;beck river.

Du Mont took possession of all the territory east of Ken nebec river for the king of France. Sul. Hist, of M. pp. 52, 55. o along the coast of Maine, formed a temporary settlement at the mouth of the river St. Croix, where his company spent one winter, and then established a colony on the other side of the bay of Fundy, at a place which they named Port Royal and now called Annapolis.* Du Mont, in two or three years afterward withdrew his attention from Acadia and turned his trade to the St. Lawrence. Poutrincourt, one of his companions in the settlement of Port Royal, sent his son Biencourt home in 1608, for supplies of men and provisions for the colony. The Jesuits, ever zealous for the propaga tion of their faith, seized this occasion to send over two of their order, Biard and Masse, to take charge of the spiritual concerns of the new plantation, and probably also to extend their regards to those of the Aborigines.

But the priests having assumed to control the civil affairs of the plantation, soon quarreled with the government, and Biencourt, who, on the return of his father to France, had become the leader of the colony, caused them to remove to an island on the coast of Maine, then called Mont Mansellf now Mount Desert. Here they planted gardens, laid out grounds, and entered on *[An interesting account of this first attempt to establish a colony in Maine, is given by Les Carbot, who accompanied it as chaplain and historian. His work was first published in Paris in 1G00 and has passed through many editions in the original and translation. It was translated into English the first year after its publication. Among the other companions of Du Mont were M. du Font Gravd! and M. de Poutrincourt, who established the colony at Port Koyal.] t[ Madame Guercheville, a zealous Catholic lady, with a view to propagandism, sent out Biard and Masse in 1011.

In March, 101:3, she sent another colony to the aid of her first missionaries, which arrived at Port Royal, May 1G. Thence they soon after sailed, intending to establish a mission at the mouth of the Penobscot river. Owing to adverse winds and fogs, they put into a fine harbor on the south-eastern side of Mount Desert, with which they were so much pleased, that they concluded to make that place the center of their operations. Biard says the savages called the island Pemetig. Champlain gave it the name of Mount Desert and the English, that of Mount Mansell, in honor of Sir Robert Mansell, one of the Plymouth patentees. Biard, after the capture by the English returned to France where he died in the work of their mission.' But they were not permitted long to enjoy even this state of seclusion.

Disputes had already arisen between the English and French, respecting the boundaries of the grants from their respective governments, which, from want of information relating to the situation of the country, run with strange perplexity into one another. The French occupied Port Royal, St. Croix, Mount Desert, and the mouth of the Penobscot, and had erected forts at each of those places for their protection.2 The fort erected by the French on Mount Desert was called St. Sauveur.3 The disposition of the French to extend their settlements still further west, was viewed with alarm by the government established in Virginia, and in 1613, they sent Capt. Argall to dislodge them. In the summer of this year, he seized the forts at Mount Desert, St. Croix, and Port Royal, and carried their ship and pinnace, together with their ordnance, cattle, and provision to Jamestown.4 The French power in this quarter was thus interrupted, and it was a number of years before it recovered from this disaster.

The name of Acadie is first given to the territory between forty and forty-sixth degrees of north latitude, in the grant from Henry 4th to Du Mont. The origin of the name is lost. Douglass5 says it is derived from Arcadia in Greece. The French in the treaty of St. Germain, call the country Lacadie,6 which Prince Anglicises Laccady7.* The English 2 Hutch, land titles in Maine p. 2. * Prince, vol. i, p. 37. i Be'.knap Biog., p. 340. 3 Sullivan, p. 156. 5 Prince, vol. i, p. 305. 0 Hazard, vol. i, p. 319. 1 Hazard, vol. ii, p. 78. Some writers have supposed this name to be derived from a tribe of Indians in that territory called the Passamaquoddy or Passa macadie tribe. *[Mr. Porter Bliss, long a resident among the Seneca Indians, and who has a good understanding of the Indian language, in 1861 informed me that Acadi is a pure Micmac word, meaning "place," and is always used in combination with some explanatory word, as Suga-bun- Acadi, the place of ground nuts, the present Hhehenacadi in Nova Scotia; Uimkegu- Acadi, Great Meadow, Grand Pr**!, Passam-Acadi, a place of fish.] occupied the country exclusively as far east as the Kennebec, and the French, except when dispossessed by treaty or actual force, had exclusive occupation as far west as the Penobscot.

The country between these two rivers was debatable land, both parties continually claiming it, and each occupying it by intervals. In the commission to the French governor before the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, Acadia is described as extend ing to the Kennebec, and the whole was then ceded to the English. But in the construction of that treaty, the French restricted the territory to Nova Scotia. In fact the limits of the province were extremely indefinite, and the title de pended upon possession, which was continually fluctuating. The colony of Du Mont was undoubtedly the first attempt to plant upon the coast of Maine, and continued longer than any other which did not become permanent. The expedition of Du Mont, [with the voyage of Martin Prinn in 1603, and the very successful exploration of the coast of Maine, between the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers, of which a glowing* account was given by Rosier,] drew the attention ot the English to this side of the Atlantic ; and in April, 1606, a charter was procured for the large extent of territory lying between the thirty-fourth and forty-fourth degrees of north latitude, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean.

This large tract was divided between two colonies ; the first, stretch ing to the forty-first degree of north latitude, was bestowed upon a London company, and called South Virginia, the northern part was called North Virginia, and was granted to a company of adventurers in the town of Plymouth. Each colony had a distinct council of thirteen appointed by the king for the management of its affairs.2 Under this charter, the adventurers sent out colonies in 1607. i Hutch, vol. iii, p. 3. Memorials of the English and French Commissioners, respecting the limits of Nova Scotia, London, 1755. -Hazard, vol. i, p. 50. The one from Plymouth destined to the northern shore, con sisted of two ships and one hundred men, under command of Capt. George Popham, as president, and Capt. Rawly Gilbert, as admiral.

They sailed from Plymouth on the 31st of May, and arrived at Monhegan upon this coast August 11th, and then continued on to the Kennebec, where they planted them selves upon an island, in the mouth of that river.1* Here they built a fort, called St. George, and made preparations for a permanent settlement. But a succession of peculiarly \in favorable circumstances'- terminated the existence and hopes of this colony within one year from its commencement; and at the same time raised prejudices against the northern coast, which checked the spirit of colonization and discovery, and threw back the settlement of the country for a number of years. Smith says that "the country was esteemed as a cold, barren, mountainous, rocky desert ;" and Prince adds, that l Prince, vol. ii, pp. 21, 254. Smith's N. E., p. 173.

Jocelyn. The late Gov Sullivan thought he found traces of this settlement on Stage Island, as late as 1778 ; others suppose the settlement to have been made on Parker's Island, forming part of Georgetown. *[Recent investigation has proved the statements of Sullivan and others, in regard lo the locality of the first settlement to have been erroneous; and it is now known to have been on the peninsula on the west bank of the river near its mouth, called by the Indians Sabino. but now bearing the English name of Hunnewell's Point. Strachey, who was one of the colony, gives a description of the spot, which cannot be mistaken. The United States government are erecting a fort upon or near the site of Fort George, called Fort Popham, in honor of the Governor of the first colony. The occasion was improved, August 29, 1862, by the Historical Society, and a very large and respectable assemblage of persons from our own and neighboring States, and the British Provinces, to commemorate the two hundred and fifty-fifth anniversary of the planting of the colony, by addresses and appropriate services, and placing memorial stones on the walls of the fortress.

The leading address was by John A. Poor, Esq., of Portland. A full account of these interesting transactions was published in a "Memorial Yohime of the Popham Celebration," issued from the press of Bailey & Noyes, of Portland, in 1863.] Prince, vol. ii p. 25. they " branded the country as over cold and not habitable by our natives." The large preparations that were made, and the circumstances attending this expedition, show that the design of the adventurers was to establish a permanent settlement. They had their President, their Admiral, Master of Ordnance, Sergeant major, Marshall, Secretary, Captain of the Fort, Chaplain, and Chief Searcher, all of whom constituted the council. But the colony arrived late in the season, and had but little time to make those preparations which were necessary to protect them from the severities of our climate in an inhospitable wilderness.