The Portland daily press., 1870-07-09

The annual meeting of the Maine Historical
Society is to be held at Brunswick on Com.
mencement week, on Thursday, July A. at 8
o'clock, A. NJ.
The meeting this year promises to one of un.
usual interest. 1t is supposed that some meas
ures will be adopted to increase the resources
OF the Society and make its library and muse
um more accessible to the public.
In April last the Standing Committee APP
pointed committee to take into consdera-
ton and report upon such measures as might
be necessary to increase the funds of the Scci-
ETY.; and among the measures talked of, is an
| amendment of the bylaws, taking off the linn
itation which fixes the number of resident
| members at 100; SO that elections may be made.
on the recommendation of the Standing Com
mittee as candidates of admission are present.
ed, willing to work, or contribute to the cause
of history.
AT the reorganization of the society in 1859,
the number of active members-known as res
ident MEMBERSHIPS reduced to Is, on the
limitation at so members A bylaw adopted
in 1859 limited the number of resident MEM
bers to 100.
The society Immediately thereafter, entered
upon new career, going back to the earliest
discovery and occupation of the coast of Maine,
which resulted in small appropriation from
the State to obtain copies from European arch
ives of documents bearing upon our early his
tory. Since then, a further sum has been an
nually appropriated by the State, for the pub
LEGATION of our Documentary History, the first
volume of which, the great work OF DR.. Kohl,
was issued IN 1869. This work has already OBJ
tanned distinguished place among historians,
geographers and men of letters, both in this
country and in Europe. Mr.. r. H. Major of
the British Museum, in charge Of the geo.
graphical department, editor and author of
several volumes on historical subjects, and
known as the best and highest authority in
England, writing to friend under date of
May Sd, 1870, says:
81 am preparing a short paper for the An
tiquarie's Society here, on the question of the
1494 and 1887 dates of Cabot's first discovery of
Terra Firma. DR.. KohPs observations in
which l heartily agree, are most sagacious,
and l shall give them all. l am about to send
few lines about his valuable s'History of
the discovery of Maine, to Sir Roderick Muir
Gibson, for insertion in his annual address. 1t
is a most admirable book, &c."
Volume II. of the Documentary History of
Maine, about to so through the press, will con-
tain the original Hakluyt manuscript of 1854,
obtained by DR.. Woods, when in Europe in
1868, but never printed, of which SO much has
already been written, -accompanied by an
elaborate introduction by DR.. Woods; setting
forth the motives and influences which led to
the colonization of the New World by Euro
peans Other volumes are to follow, embrac-
1:1, Al g. oIo e.
of whom laid claim to the territory of Maine
1t was upon the soil of our State that the first
conflict of rival races took place, and the first
shedding of blood, in that strife between
France and England, that devastated the
frontier towns and for $50 years kept back the
settlement of Eastern Maine.
1t has been intimated that the Library and
Museum of the Society will ere long be re-
moved to Portland, and an elegant suite of
rooms in our new City Hall building set apart
for this purpope We believe the feeling is
unanimous in favor of the proposed change,
and its value to our city is SO fully recognized
by the city authorities that they will now
cheerfully cooperate in this movement.
Stated meetings of the Society, monthly, or
at shorter intervals during our lecture season,
for the reading of papers, and public discus
sion, like those of the New York Historical
Society would be of interest and profit to a
large circle of intelligent citizens
Several deaths of prominent members of
the Society have occurred during the current
year; among others, Hon. VIM. Willis, LII. D.,
Jabez q. Woodman, Esq, of our city, Exc Chief
Justice Tenney of Norrdgewock, Hon. Geo.
Downes Of Calais, William Bartlett of Ma
chias, Hon. Philip Eastman of Saco and DR..
Putnam Simonton of Searsport.
OF the IS resident members of the Society
borne on the last printed catalogue Of 1859, 81
have been numbered with the dead. OF the
40 original members embraced in the list of
corporators at the time of the approval of the
act establishing the Society Feb. 9TH, 1922, four
only survive,-the venerable Judge Ware of
this city, now in the 89th year of his age, ex-
Chief Justice Weston of Augusta, of the same
age, ex-Chief Justice Shepley of this city,
now in his sd year, and Judge Peleg Sprague
of Boston, formerly resident of Hallowell.