Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-02-14
fcr tbs Gazette.
To a RUsric OBSERVER.
sir.

Oatcment, the difference in favor Of Alfred
will be mush nearer one eighth than ievcnth;
but, If you purdue the fame rule, IN dividing
the dinances from Kennebunk, the difference
will be nearelt one ninth part, in favor OF Al
fred. Supporting however, without admitting
your ftatement 10 be JUN. Yet, u the con-
centring of roads, the accommodations at Ken
nebunk, and the various convenient commu-
nieations between that place, and the various
towns in the county, are duly coniidered, the
preference will undoubtedly be given to Ken
nebuuk bur am iatisfed that the faving of
travel will be in favor Of Kennebunk. How
ever, DO not mean to nhft upon that, as an
objection aganl holding court in Alfred.
have been more particular IA noticing
errors in the map, becaule yon appear to
have availed you felf Of them whenever they
would operate in favor of Alfred.
If any one ihould inquire, how i happens
that the travel would be lefs TO Kenncbunk
than TO Alfred when w. has admitted that
Alfred is about as near the center of the
county as Kcnnebunk my snlwer IS, that
Kenncbunk, being the moa comfortable mar
ket in the county, the people in the country
mulf travel ten times as often TO Kennebunk,
as they will have occs6on to travelto Alfred,
even fuppofine court 1,ould be bed there.
The roads, leading from the various parts OF
the county to kennebunk, are at preisnt, and
probably will be hereafter, more direct than
thofe leading to Alfred.
You attempt to prove the eartialIty Of w.
by charging him with divers omillions IN his
natcment, which in your opinion ought to
have be- itated.
You fay w. has not (tzted, that il was the
with of many of the inhabitants ofthat county
that goal fhould be erected at Alfred, when
there was but one term o. the 5. Court hol-
den in the county and that petitions, from
five or fix hundred inhabitants, were prefer
led 70 the Court of scflions, for that purpofe.
liz anfwer to this, W. might rstort your own
bubbles. and argue as you did with regard to
the partial notice Of certain gentlemen in
York and Kittery. You fen 10 be afflicted
thar w. has made any Placements at all and
therefore. according 10 your reafoning, II ia
with an i'll grace that you complain OF his not
making further fatements. But, waving this
kind of profound reatoning, my anfwer is-lf
w. had made that ftatcment, he muf ALTO
have Gated. that more than thculand of in
habitants wifhed, at the fame time, that goal
might be erected at Kennebunk. w is will
ling to leave il with you Mr.. o. on further
confederation, 10 determine whether this
omillion was material.
You further complain, thlt w. has omitted
10 fate thar after the General Court had ap-
pointed committee 10 view the county, and
tx upon place for a goal, the Legislature
palIcd an at eilab.ifhing one term of the S.
J Court at Wells and ak why it was not
ordered TO be holden at York. until the com.
mi,tee ihculd report And ycu cave it with
w. 10 determine by whole inaucnce the aGf
was obtained. Anwcr-As w. was rot then
member Of the Legislature, Eor in Boaon
for a long time before or after the paihng Of
the act, nor during that time ccrrefponded
with any member of the General Court upon
that lutjea he mum leave it with You Mr..
O. if you want latislaction, 70 make inquiry
Of foDe Of tho members from the county,
who were prelent at the time the act was paf-
fed. W. thiaks that this omilFion will not
amount TO an IN pcachmenl Of his impartiality
Another complaints that w. omitted TO
tate any thing relative TO the increafe OF
population, ard particularly, that the feveD
old towns, Berwick, York, Kittery, Wells,
Arundel, Biddefofd and pepperreIboro' 10
ten yeare had increafed much lsf5 than the
rehdue of The towns. in the county below
great Olhpee watch is very true. About
ten years ago, niolt of thofe other towns
bad made comfortable prosrefs 10 fettle-
meht, and their increafc has been rapid
but, are they not nearly full of inhabi: ants
VIII they admit OF an increaie. OF more
than at the rate of sfty per cent. f? Is there
not, on an aver age, ten inhabitants TO every
tract containing hundred and fifty acres
Of inprovesble lands, Especially, when il is
con6dered that more than one half ofthe
lands which remain TO be fettlcd are poor
pine lands Some lands mutt be referyed
for timber, and Especially for fuel, which
eanaot be imported with any convenience.
Ia the feven old towns, concerned in trade
and navigation, they have ten thouiand
tons f fhippinG, equal 10 hundred vef-
iels Of a hundred tons each, employed
chiefly in foreign navigation. What is
there 10 prevent the doubling of that num-
ber9 What is there to prevent the mer-
chants from building and employing fever
al hundred veiIrls CT do not mean fix or
IeDen. but two or three hundredl to be
employed in the Fifhery, when hands can
be found for manning them! Certainly
there are ftveral towns 10 the county, as
well calcslated for the fihery as any in the
State. The principal if not the only OBJ
jeetion, againit carrying on that bufaets
at prefent u the want Of ffhermen for the
purpofe. Might not that bufnefs be pur-
fued with as great advantage at Kittery,
York, Cape Porpxs and Winter Harbour.
as at Marblehead and Cape Ann, where it
10 carried on with great facets Il is fup-
pofed that York, Kittery Berwick, Wells
and Arundel may, in fhort time, iucreafe
at The rate of fifty per cent. at leaR--that
Biddeford and PePPerelboro', who have