Daily Kennebec journal., 1870-05-16
LETTER FROM THE EAST.
ST.. ASpRrwsN. b. MAY 10th, 1870.

To the Editor Of the Journal
left Portland on the Steamer New Bruins
wick, at eight o'clock last evening" TWO
hours late. and did not arrive at Eastport until
four o'clock this P. NJ.
We had rough passage, all sick, and
consequently kept pretty quiet. 1t was very
tedious for me / assure you. was not very
sick. but it required all my powers to pre-
vent it.
Eastport is an unpretending sort of place,
containing probably about 2500 inhabitants
Their houses are generally small, and saw
no large brick blocks of stores. Gov. Cham
berlain was on board and stepped off at that
place, and was saluted by firing of cannon
and small arms. He seemed to 9stand fire
very philosophically.
At Eastport we took small steamer for
this place. and arrived here at dark. Here |
set foot on the Queens Dominion, not for the
first time however.
The soil about this place is poor judge,
and looks about the color of hemlock tan.
As write they are making change with
silver and it sounds strange and car
ries my mind back to the years before the
Rebellion, when we too used hard currency
At ST. Stephens they have sort OF private
currency, so to speak l call it simply a
check, it is payable at the bank of ST. Ste
phens, in L. S. Currency, it passes just as
well as greenbacks in the towns adjoining
and in Calais, across the river. 1t is issued
on the same principle that Gen. Veazie issued
his currency during the war, except this is in
any denomination, as large even as one hum
dred dollars am told there is not enough
currency to carry on business without it, they
are called Z. Chipman's Checks.
Coal is used for fuel principally. 1t is
bituminous like the coal of Illinois and Iowa
and has the strong odor of sulphur shall
probably finish this at Houlton tomorrow as
the cars leave here at ) A. M.
HouLroN, MAINE, May llth, 1870.
Iarrived at this place at o'clock this +.
| NJ. over the Canada New Brunswick Rail-
wav. to Richmond Station, thence to this place
miles by stage. The railway will be ex-
tended to this place during the summer. l
have passed through the poorest part Of the
Province and have not formed correct opn-
ion of the country. l am told the country
bordering on the St. Johns is good and con-
tains some good timber lands-while on
line of the Railway the land is poor, and the
timber has nearly all disappeared. This Rail-
way reminded me of the new roads in upper
Minnesota, although not SO well equipped.
The cars were marked "Boston and Worces-
ter" and noticed one was marked 1899. /
think it was built prior to that period.
! have never seen the effects of the hurri-
cane of last October as l saw it for so miles
above St. Andrews. Everything seems to be
PROSTATE. 1t was the most severe tempest ever
known on the continent. man who was on
the steamer City of Richmond during the gale
told me he could compare the noise of the
wind to nothing but the whistle of locomo
tive going at the rate of 80 miles an hour.
Houlton appears to be lirs place although
small. There are splendid residences here
among which l notice j. c. Madigan's, S.
Carey's and others. The old barracks that
were used in the time of the Madawaska War
are still standing. They are about mile
from the cline" and command fine view of
the surrounding country That part of the
town near them and where the business was
done at that time is fast going to decay. l
noticed great pile of buildings where the
late Hon. Shepard Carey once did business,
now fast going to decay.
The business part of the town is half
mile farther West. l see quite number of
buildings going up, and every appearance of
prosperity.
/ think the business part of the people of
the Province are anxious to become part of
Uncle Samuel, while the farming portion
are satisfied with their present Government.
Their taxes are but tri1e in comparison to
ours. l can see but little to be gained to the
United States by annexation aside from the
lumber trade. Perhaps others may.
The season is some two weeks later than
at Augusta. There was quite fall of snow
here on Monday night, and tonight it is cold
and feels like snow. have not seen the sun
since last Sunday Tomorrow / expect to
leave for Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield.
In haste. Yours truly,
I