The article below was written in 1885 and makes interesting reading. North and south of the highland belt, which is an extension of the White mountains of New Hampshire, the country is more level, and slopes gradually to the valley of the river St. John, and to the ocean. The sea coast, although only 270 miles in length in a straight line, is so deeply indented that, including the numerous islands, the shore line is over 2,400 miles. Mount Desert is the largest of the islands, and has an area of 60,000 acres. Others of importance are Isle de Haut and Deer, Fox and Long islands.
Maine contains a great number of lakes, mostly of moderate dimensions.
The winters are long and cold, and snow lies on the ground from three to five months. Frosts occur as early as the middle of September, and occasionally as late as June. The summers are pleasant but very short, and the temperature varies greatly during the year, the thermometer sinking sometimes as low as 25 below zero, and on a few days in July or August reaching 90 Fahrenheit. In the spring and early summer the sea breezes from the Atlantic are laden with cold fogs, and the inhabitants are subject to pulmonary complaints. With this exception the general health of the State is good, and the death-rate is low.