The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-24 00:00:00

SETTLEMENT OF MAINE.

On Saturday, August, 28, the 262 d anniversary
of the settlement of Maine and New England, was
celebrated at Fort Popham, mouth of the Ken-
nebec; vast crowds flocking to the spot from Bath,
Augusta, Portland, and surrounding country. Capt.
Popham landed here August 20, 1607, with two
ships, representing the "London" and "Bristol" in-
terests under a charter of King James, dated 1606,
giving authority not only to establish a trading
port, but to assert the right of empire. A fort,
mounting 14 guns was erected, 50 houses and a
church built, a:shipyard established, and prosperity
reigned till winter set in with great rigour, when
Captain Popham died, and also his patron and
kinsman, the Chief Justice, in England. Discou-
raged, the colony, with their ships, London and Vir-
ginia returned to London, but Popham's fortifica-
tions were distinct for upwards of 200 years.
Although not a commercial success, the influence
of the expedition induced another attempt to esta-
blish a trading port under a leader whose name is
unknown, which did not last long, for being harsh
to the natives, many of the command were killed,
and the rest driven to Matinic to carry on their
pursuits under civil government. The French ship
of war, commanded by Captain Plastier, captured
by two British vessels, was sent to Matinic to be
disposed of, Captain Plastier being permitted to
withdraw on condition he would never again ap-
pear there. Thus English rule was asserted, and
from 1602 to 1620 English vessels are known to
have sailed along the coast, especially to Ken-
nebec ; and the shores at that period were as
well known to English, French, and Spanish
navigators, as Labrador is to Americans now ;
most of the explorers had charts of the coast, es-
pecially Weymouth and Smith. The latter not only
gave maps of the coast into the hands of the Crown,
but surveyed the site of the Plymouth Colony as
early as 1614, and pointed out the spot where the
Pilgrims landed six years later. The Tribune says
this is a well-ascertained fact, though not generally
known. The Popham settlement was the first in-
troduction of civilisation into New England, and
on its arrival the Rev. Richard Seymour used the
same services, as the Bishop of Maine on the 262nd
anniversary celebration. Popham was nominated
and elected first President of the country according
to the records, and a letter written to the King,
soon after landing, said, " Within seven days from
this spot an ocean lies that reaches to China !" now
happily proved by the Pacific Railway. Ex-Gov.
Washburne presided, and addresses were made by
President Harris and Prof. Packard, of Bowdoin
College ; the Rev. Dr. Woods, former President of
College ; Mr. Stevens, of London ; Dr. Neeley, of
Portland ; Mr. 11. K. Sewall, of Triscassett ; the
Rev. Mr. Leakin, of Baltimore ; Charlton Lewis,
of New York ; Prof. Mathews, of Chicago ; and a
Mr. Tuttle, of Boston.

The Tribune gives the following interesting ac-
count of the researches of a special committee, con-
sisting ofcMessrs. Bourne, Sewell, Poor, Bailey,
Dyke, Woods, Ballard, Harris, Gilman, and others,
who on Aug. 26 last, invaded Pemaquid, where they
found a meeting composed of nearly 2,000 citizens,
of Bristol and Newcastle, who had heard of the ex-
pected revelations :

" We start with the theory that Pomaquid was earlier
occupied than any other portion of New England, and the
investigations were actually startling compared to anything previously known. A paved street was laid bare
most artistically built, and about ono foot beneath the sur-
face. Ruins of wells and cellars, vats that must have be-
longed to a tannery, and other evidences of civilised in-
dustry, were found in unmistakeable forms. Capt. Smith
and his cotemporaries made the region the centre of all
their observations, and King Charles first denominated it
New England,' and the very site of this Old Fort Frede-
rick he called St. Johnston. This was the home of Same
set, and it was the seat of tho Warwenock power. Thirty
sail ofvessel were counted here in 1622, and a deed of a
tract of land to John Brown, whose soul went marching
on from this place a few years later, bears date 1625, and
was acknowledged (in the precise form now used) befee e
Alfred Shurt, the former Secretary of the Mayor of
Bristol, and it is now written in the records of the
Maine Historical Society that Pemaquid was the metro-
polis of Now England long before Boston was settled.
The plain deductions are that this region was inhabite4
by other than savages long before any recorded evidence.
of English settlements. What the people were, and what
they did, is to be most thoroughly investigated; but that
there was a settlement here, antedating any mentioned in
authentic history by many years, is now admitted by
everybody who has heard the result of this week's investi-
fations. The details of the discoveries will be fully given
n the forthcoming formal report, and will be of vast in-
terest to the whole country. Another matter of great in-
terest was the examination of the oyster-shell deposit at
Damariseotta. Strata of opened shells just as they had
be dumped' were found to the depth of
25 feet, promiscuously dumped
vast hordes of people must have fed
upon the shell-fish abounding here centuries ago. Many
of these shells are eight to twelve inches long. Tra_
dition sustains some of these marvellous discoveries, but
as to the date of the occupation of this spot, or what race
they were, is now purely conjecture, but able men are
working at the problem. At any rate, th's Eastern coast
now lays claim to having been earlier occupied by the
Caucasian race than any other portion of this North
Atlantic territory,: and in many regards our history will
be revolutionised."