The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-20
HISTORY NOT CORRECTED.

From q paragraph in Boston paper, we
learn that gentleman of Portland, Mr.. Poor,
has recently delivered lecture before the His
torial Society of New York city, in which he
essayed to show that the Plymouth and Massa-
chusetts Bay colonists were merely trading
adventures, while the real founder of New
England institutions was Ferdinande Gorges,
the original proprietor of the State of Maine.
We can conceive of no more ludicrous PROPOSE
ton than this. Gorges was loyalist and an
Episcopalian, and stuck to his Church and
King to the last. In the civil wars, he held a
command up to within two years of his death.
He was never either Puritan or Republican
He was the original proprietor of Maine, and for
forty years tried to colonize and settle it. He
spent his life and his fortune in this enterprise,
but with such poor success, that, after an ex-
penditure of 100000, his grandson, Ferdin-
ando, finally sold out the entire possession, in
1877, to Massachusetts,, for Ell $50 sterling.
Georges never had any other idea than to es-
tablish principally in Maine for himself and
his descendants. He framed an elaborate sys-
one head, who was to be the appointee of the
proprietor. His plan was cumbrous and alb
surd, and in no way fitted for the circumstances
of the colonists. The disposition of the lands
was encountered by the payment of annual
TEN looked to the establishment of modified
feudalism on this continent He never had
conception beyond that of establishing pos
session for himself and his posterity In this
idea he lived and died. He spent money, sent
over settlers, established mills, and did what
every great proprietor does who is looking for
advantageous returns from his investments.
But his enterprise did not pay either as COM
mercial or political speculation, and he died in
deep disappointment at his failure. His heirs
very soon after alienated his entire interest to
the Massachusetts, people, who were not adven.
turers in any sense of the term, but migrated
hither to establish home, and who, therefore
naturally fell heir to the remains of every spec
ulator and adventurer who came over with
mere personal and selfish aims, and failed as
nearly all of them did, to realize their dreams of
wealth or distinction. The basis upon which
Gorges attempted the settlement of Maine was
a principal reason why Massachusetts, SO soon
outstripped her. Maine had the advantage of
starting before Massachusetts,, some fifteen or
twenty years. That State has distinct history
of fun seventeen years prior to the landing at
Plymouth, and as late as 1880 had popula-
ton fully equal to that of the Old Bay State.
But emigrants very soon learned to prefer
hold ohol1 n
citizens of Commonwealth, to being tenants
and subjects of palatinate, or of any non-resi-
dent Government The great embarrassment to
the growth and development of Maine in its
early history was the fact that it was always
held as province by somebody. Gorges held
it first; portions of it were afferward held BY
the Plymouth colony, by Rigby, and under
other large patents, and finally the whole by
Massachusetts. But the great check to its for.
tunes was the fact Of its being held at all as a
fief or province. For this original vice in its
Constitution Gorges is responsible, as the author
of the system, which clung to Maine for two
centuries; it never being freed from its proyin-
cial character till it was erected into State, in
1920; nor hardly then, since Massachusetts re.
tanned very large proprietorship in her soil
long after that period.
We do not think, under these circumstances
that 1t is at all becoming in anybody, who de.
sires to exalt the claims of Maine, to set up the
man Gorges as deserving of any credit what
ever In advancing either her interests or the
interests of free civilization on this continent
Had Maine never been vexed by the ambitious
projects of Georges, it is likely it would have
early become an independent Commonwealth.
like Connecticut and Rhode Island. and would
have developed its elements of prosperity at a
period in advance of that which has marked ;ts
growth 1t was always favorite State into
which to Danish schismatics of every descrip-
ton, and Its annals are not disigured by anv
acts of religious or political persecution. TT Il
could have been left to itself, relieved of tho
little as well as great endorsements Of the
great proprietors- (Gorges broke up the fish.
cries of Monhagen at one time, by his endeavors
to exact revenue from the fishermen land not
held to answer the consequences of iniudicious
expeditions against the Indians, by foreign au,
thority, it can hardly be doubted it would have
taken an earlier start in the race of empire.
and been at this day wealthier and a more
populous State than it now is. But, to accom-
plish this result, it wanted fewer, and not more,
OF such men as Gorges-a man who, from his
nature, could never have the least comprehen-
sion of either the character, the motives, or the
ability, of such men as Robinson and Bradford
and John Winthrop. as .