The Portland daily press., 1868-06-29

10 We EdltOT of the Press:
In your paper OF the oath inst 1 noticed
communication with the above heading, sign =
ed 3d." 1t contained part of paper from
the light-house-keeper at Monhegan asserting
that the elMountains had been seen by
him from the top of the turret, some thirty =
seven times during the last eight months, and
your correspondent "B" drawing his inferen-
ces from that letter, "thinks it takes away
all doubt as to the possibility of the White
Mountains having been seen by Weymouth
from his anchorage north of Monhegan, and
adds weight to other arguments which show
the fact that the Kennebec was the river dis
covered. !"
How the fact if it be fact-that the White
Mountains can be seen from an elevation
nearly two hundred feet in the air at Monhegan
thirty-seven times in the course of eight months
is to 'add weight to those other arguments"
it is difficult to conceive, unless those other
arguments are of the same weight and cal
iber.
The mountains seen by Weymouth were
visible from the deck of his vessel, and from
his boats, and ''were constantly in their view"
He did not go into the interior of the island,
but merely landed on the shore, under the cliffs
to gather few sticks of dry wood, without
stopping to make any explorations. The mar
rative, as prepared by Roster and published
in the fourth volume of Purchases Pilgrims,
in 1925, which can be seen at the Astor Libra
ry, n. Y, or at the library in Harvard Col
lege, reads as follows:
About twelve o'clock that day, MAY II
16O5) we came to an anchor on the north side
OF this island (Monhegan) in forty fathom of
water, about league from the shore. About
two o'clock our Captain with twelve men
rowed in his ships boat to the shore, where we
made no long stay, but laded our boat with dry
wood OF the old trees upon the shore side, and
returned TO our ship where we rode that night.
This island is woody grown with fir, birch, oak
and beach, as far as we saw along the shore;
and SO likely to be within. From hence we
might discern many islands, and the main
land from the west-south- west, to the east
northeast; and north-north-east from us a
good way, as it there seemed and we afte T.
wards found it, up into the main we might
discern very high mountains, though the main
seemed but low land.
This narrative was prepared by James
Roster, member of the expedition, and dedi-
Gated to George Abbot, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, some time between 1909 and 1921, and
printed in London by VIM. Stanbery for Hem
ry Featherstone in 1925, Farther on, the mar
rator says, after passing up into the river with
the ships towards the mountains about twenty
six miles,
Ten of us with our shot, and some armed,
with a boy to carry powder and q match,
marched up into the country towards the
mountains which we deserted at our first tall
ing in with the land, and were constantly in
our view; unto some OF them the river brought
us so near, as we judged ourselves where we
lnWNl NlA1 fDk kAwVD L. -
Can the English language speak palmer
than this, in refutation of the White Noun
tain and Kennebec theory? If any candid
man can go to the vicinity of Monhegan with
Rosters narration before him, and not be con-
yinced that the Camden mo untains were the
ones there alluded to, then he would net be
convinced though Weymouth himself should
rise from the dead and declare it. p.