The Republican journal., 1870-02-24

| l,ikU
Amount winch was paid for, 2,3n, ,424, ,238
Excess of bonus and usury over the
actual debt, sI79. .1a4.71s
Let the laboring men and tax payers re-
member that out of 81, ,921 1888, 1914 claimed
by the bondholders they are called upon to
pay 81 $50 ,558, 1856 rabout $3.50, 900, 900 more
than half of the amount claimed as due them
by the bondholders, not one penny of which,
as Mr.. Voorhees, shows, has ever been re-
ceived by the government.
THE MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
A very interesting meeting of the Maine
Historical Society was held in this city on
Tuesday afternoon and evening. 10th inst
During the afternoon several papers were
read by the Secretary, Rev. DR.. Ballard of
Brunswick. The first was a paper prepared
by Rev Mr.. Vetromile of Biddeford, relating
to the custom among the Indians of celebrat-
ing the Summer Solstice by kindling bon-fires
IN the square OF the principal settlements.
The fact that the day designated for the cele-
bration was st. Johns day would 90 to show
that it was adopted after their conversion to
Catholicism, but there is abundant evidence
that they practlced the custom long before
and did not take it from Europeans that
came to the country after Columbus time
The Ph9nicians observed the rite.
The next paper read, was prepared by G.
+. Emery of Lynn, Mass. 1t was accom-
y iona Rha9tSgsaBa hSar ep 2e r N idol
The third paper was prepared by DR.. n. T
; True, and treated of the radical aub in the
u Algonquin language, which the Dr. con-
cludes means eye, or circle of light.
; The fourth paper was communication
from Mr.. Williamson of Belfast, transmitting
book published in 1880. Joseph P Mar
tin, OF Prospect, revolutionary soldier
who died at the age of 81 years, was the au-
thor. The book is full of interest as a per-
sonal narrative of the sufferings, dangers,
fortitude and patriotism of the fathers Of the
Republic.
: The fifth paper read, was remonstrance
to Thomas Pownall, Esq, Governor of Mas
sachusetts, against the petition of Sylvester
Gardiner and others, who wanted the Kenne-
bee purchase set off as a separate county and
Pownalborough as the shire town. The re-
monstrants urged various reasons against
the petitioner, among which was that there
were no public houses, and parties might
, perish in going to court. 1t also argues
against the claims of the petitioners to the land
The sixth paper was made up of a series
) Of notices Of the rowilall family and extracts
J from manuscripts given to Eliza S. Quincy
in 1S49 by the nephew of Pownall and copied
tor the Maine Historical Society. There is
an interesting account of a journey to Bos
ton in 1910.
The seventh paper presented was the
. rough draft of Josiah Quincy's speech
against the separation of Maine and Massa-
A chusetts.
S Mr.. Benson of Brunswick gave an account
Q of the origin of Article of the Constitution
of Maine, relative to education. He shows
that it was written by Thomas Jefferson.
4 President Bourne read a paper upon the
tearly block-houses and garrisons. He men
toned number OF these and of the heroic
. defences made by the settlers against the
U French and Indians man accused of
% witchcraft was seized IN one of these and
5 sent to Massachusetts,. This led to talk
s about witchcraft and that it never was enter
= tanned in Maine. negro came to one of
n the settlements and preached it but met with
SO strong opposition that he soon left.
Mr.. Bradbury presented a communication
y from Judge Weston relative to George Evans.
. Judge Weston says that when he was made
Il Judge he had crier to appoint, and that
g Daniel Evans, the father OF Geo. Evans, ask
A ed for the appointment that he might send
= George to college. Mr.. Bradbury hoped
that some member of the society might be
appointed to write a biographical sketch.
! The next paper presented was prepared by
10 tions in Maine at the close of the Revolution
)3 Another paper was from DR.. True on the
-Iusc of copper by the Indians, in which he
/, took ground that it came from European
. traffic
= A paper on the early settlement of the
Penobscot ridculed the idea of ancient No
rombega, and cast doubts upon many state
ments relative to the settlement. 1t states
that Norombega means 4 still stretch in riv-
t,nfrI fol hat
. means much the same.
= In the evening the society assembled in
5 the Representatives Hall, and paper was
. read giving some account of the attack ofthe
''rebels" upon Castine iu 1779, taken from
- some papers left in the hands of the heirs of
;. VIM. Readhead, a native of England, who
had settled in that locality and joined the
British forces. These papers show that Sir
l. John Moore began his services at Castine.
g The next paper read was the report of the
:, ISecretary of the committee appointed to ex-
/. anime the oyster shell bed at Pemaquid and
: Damariscotta. The paper gave the extent
: of these beds and their formation 1t must
: have been great bivalve country, and the
S inhabitants must have given themselves up
fl to the work of consuming this delectable
l. shell-fsh. Mingled with the oyster shells
= were the bones of birds, beasts, and even
It human beings. They also found abundant
), remains of coal, proving that the shell depos-
h its were made by men, All the remains and
c the offal 60 to prove large population over
n an extended period of time, accustomed to
culinary art, which indicates a race of Euro
10 pean tastes and habits On the skeletons,
o too, were found copper helmets. Whence
: came this class ? The author claims that
y every record and tradition points to the
g Northmen. Mr.. Bradbury suggested that
= the country was long occupied by Indians.
and that the stra ia of soil of which there are
three, indicate centuries when, from some
=, cause, the assemblies at these oyster depos-
its were omitted. Mr. Ballard suggested
that as all the Indians along the coast were
g under one confederation, that in the oyster
e eating season they assembled here from hun
G dreds of miles and enjoyed protracted
= feast. Mr.. Sewall spoke of the possibility,
if not probability, of this race that dwelt
l here being mingling of the Northmen and
8 Indians; certainly there existed strong
! = grounds for the presumption.
Mr.. Sewall of Bath then read an extended
i paper, respecting the settlements of Pema