Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-02-02
AIist,llancous.
Mount Desert Island.

la looking over files of the Ellsworth
HcrlH of lsj3. We found tile f,llowin.
sketch of this motel head Iani. taken
from the Republican .Joarnai. and witt
ten 10y its then editor. who was sprnl.
Irg 4 flw weeks on the Island. w
caa giNe our reader, no more Interest
an; account Of Mount Desert Island il
We spent 4 week ia looking up ,hr a..
thorltlcs, and SO we rc-publish this -
Nh DEsERT. Sept 2.tb, 1888
The most remarkable island upon
the coast OF Maine. and, perhaps, we
may with truth say. whole Atlantic
American coast is Mount Desert. II
l. remarkable ior its size. its singular
topography, its bold aud Wild scenery,
and stlll more for lis wilder aud s,ran.
ger history.
Our country is always spoken Of rs
''new or Young, and vet the earl,
history Of tie coast oI Maine goes back
three hundred wears, aud indeed is lost
OF obs.:ured in the mists which hang
over il, and which are symbolized in
the misis Of the ocean which SO often
fall upon it's scenery. Mount Desert
ls especially mythical region. Its
visitor If not familiar with what is pre-.
served of its earliest record. legends.
AS lie sits upon some bold pinnicle of
It's mountains, and glances an eve over
its sea crad!ed islands, its sun-burn-
ished creeks, its mountain lakes, and
lis Alp-Iike ravines, almost expects to
see the savage emerge from some glen,
or see lying at anchor the rude shallop
OF two hundred years ago, or yet TO be-
hold some wanderer from England.
France. or spain, in the habililncnts of
his time, with steepie-hat, peaked
beard, slasbed doublet, and sword by
his side, climbing the sea-wall thrown
up by tie ocean to seek his rude cabin
upon the sea-shore. Or vet his inag
lnation may picture some follower of
Lo-yola with the sombre habilments of
his order, with we-inspiring mein and
raised cross advancing towards q
group of the wild mcE of the forest
with the. 10 them, strange name of the
Saviour spon his lips. Again he sees
them earnestly contending for the
faith with those whose only IDEAS are
drawn from the striking natural objects
around them, and who can onl,
comprehend such illustrations as are
taken from their own savage life. and
who picture heaven as happy hunt
ing ground and he'll as a wretclied sol
aud an eternal night. And when ON,
turns 10 the actual around him, ant
sees what our country has attalne,
since those times, were it not that Ia,
mountains with granite crests aroun,
him would seem ~ make the figure i'm
possible, he might exclaim with til,
English King in his hour of unrest:
Tha, one might read the book VI tate and see
The revriAIi1 ns OF Time, make aims level,
Ana The Contineat weary vI so.id ur.uaes.
J.elt itself laito the sez."
The aLte-revolutionary history o
Mt. Desert,-the most interesting o
all to the antiquary can only b.
glanced at here. The most imposin:
point upon the whole coast, it was
natural attraction TO the earliest voy
ayers. From the early part of the SIX
teenth century the region was visited
and its waters contributed largely t
the tables Of the European nobilit
during all that period when the fis
mania reached . point that the gol
mania has meyer attained. Later o
in the early part Of the seventeenth cen
tpry. Mount Desert was o familiar Ia
cality to the voyagers, DE Monts
Gosnold. Pring. Weymouth and Smith
Earlier than these it was well know
and recognized locality. Indeed
competition sprang up between thos
engaged la the fisheries on the Main
coast and those Of Newf0undlsnd
John Smith (of Pocahontas memory
, was constrained TO write up these fish
cries 70 such an extent that he deeme,
it necessary to apologize for his en-
thusiasm. Says The Admiral quantity
''Bat because ! speak 20 much OF fish
ing, II any take ~ Tor dsvout ashsr