The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-08-08
mr.. W.ALSHS REMgRKS.

The criticism Oh the arms, which we publish
| to day, proceeds from hand unknowu TO beapa
comes from a distance. The distinction .wbcI,
the author of it draws between the words Riricc
and dneo, il in STIFFNESS, realand justly auseSst.
ed. We do not, At this moment, recbllsct any
phrase Of a classic, which would 60 7hrthkr to
warrant the use Of the word disgo in the eenss
OF the State OF Maine, than this of Cicero H. de
Diyin. 25.) Conjecture ad vertatem sapi.sime
dirssit. Ia addition to the exam pies quoted BY
the critic in illustration of bis opinion, we may
add the line of the Virgil Il I'm. 4O1.)
"Perge modo, ct qua ts dueif via drigs gressum.'
As respect. the Motto and the Coat Of Arms
/ generally, they are, we perceive, ascrbed in the
newspapers, wholly to Benjamin Vaughan, Esq.
Of Hallowell, Maine. We have good reason 10
believe. that this very esudte and truly estima
BILE persohaSs is not responsible for them altoseth-
er. Dofing the sitting of the Convention which
met at Portland to frame the Constitutions Of
Maine, some very brilliant Auroras occurred
and on the Sd April, when the people assembled
to exercise their first act ,f authority, under the
constitution, fresh play Of Northern Lights, of .
more remarkable kind, took place, and was fol-
lowed by a series Of others, less striking, the
succeeding ten nights. Mr. Vaughan, we un-
derstand, took the hint from these ncidents and
proposed the introduction Of the arc sometimes
seen in the Aurora, as an emblem in the State
arms with motto from Paul's discourse to A.
grippa-"I saw in the way a light - or IL thi6
should not be approved, another, from the a.
fronon,icon OF Manilius, :" INrER SlpRRA Con-
sPIcIrUR.o The Arc with rays pointing up-
wards 10 distinguish its character a. electrical.
was well suited to the most Northern State Of The
Union, and contained an historical reference az
ter the manner ofthe legislators Of old, who have
endeayoufed to weave notable accidents into
fha ~ Ia ri ~
The sketch of Mr.. Vaughan including Other
emblems designating other characters 4 ciFcuns
stances. such as The prominent relations Of the
State, terra naariqus, was submitted by Governef'
King to the committee of the Legislature. The
committee took the whole, except the the Arc
and the motto, and substituted the Star and the
ambitious psrigo. They threw in some figures
Of natural history, appropriate enough, but they
as regards the motto, the additional
fault Of placinsi between the Crest and the
Shield, an unusual and awkward location. We
give these explanations As wo have casually re-
ceived them, because We think them due 70 Mr..
Vaughan's we1-merited reputation for excellent
judgment as well as classical tact. According
to his plan, Maine would not have appeared 10
the invidious form Of light for guidisg Others
her device would have involved an allusion only
geographical, or indicative merely OF her indepen-
dent existence in the American Constellation Il
she would have appeared as taking her equal
rank among the States, not with an air Of drec-
'ion, but ofunpretending junior sisterhood-by
modest emblem, gaaiis deceit esse sorerum. When
we adverted in the cath NUMBER Of our Gazette
to this affair, We had not the design Of formally z
Directing to the positive propriety Of the Star,
and motto adopted but to the Simultaneous 4
choice Of Mr.. Holmes, ~ Federal Senator, In con-
neetion with the polarity thus prescribed 10 the
other States.