The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-12-28
"The Enchanted Land"

''The Enchanted Land"
Mr.. S. B. Allen of Boston, formerly of
York county, recently delivered lecture ON
Maine which he was pleased to style the
Enchanted Land" The following report is
taken from the Boston papers:
Mr.. Aliens subject, ''The Enchanted
Land" was really glowing description of
the State of Maine, Of which he IS a ioyal
man. He gave an enthusiastic picture of its
early history, of its rivers, lakes, forests and
mountains; of its vast water and of its miner
al treasures. Seen through his eyes, it is one
of the most wonderful countries in the whole
world.
He commenced by saying that most men
are strangers, and cherish in their hearts
dreams of some enchanted land. The Swiss
in other lands see the Alps in their dreams
no emerald CLEANS so brightly as the memory
of dear old Ireland to her absent sons, and
the eyes of the French fill with tears as they
look across the great sea. One of our most
eminent divines looks longingly toward the
wilderness of the Adirondacks, and the eyes
of the Lily of the "Fields' turn thitherward
also, and, he said, too, had a great love for
his old home, where the skies are brighter,
the fields greener, and the mountains more
majestic than in all the rest of the world.
Many years ago this land was known to the
nations of Europe. The Historical Society
last August reported that in Bristol, on the
coast of this land, sections of pavement, artis-
tically built, with perfect cutters and curb
ings, were unearthed, and further examina-
ton showed that the State had mysterious
but buried history; that here existed a culti-
vated race, probably of the old Mortimer Wis
iting the country in the eleventh century.
Then he told of the visits and settlements Of
GosnOld and Popham in 1902, OF Capt. John
Smith in 1914, and of Ferdinand Gorges eight
years later, and of the laws and the disputes
until the whole State was sold for 91250 to
Massachusetts. A description of the Indians
followed. Few are left. Some of the Mic
Mac tribe are yet in the eastern part of the
State, and four or five hundred Penobscots
still live on the islands above Bangor. None
of the Tammany tribe have ever lived there !;
the air is too pure. The lecturer gave a
thrilling description of his visit to the Penob-
scot tribe and = adventures on deer hunt
in canoe and fol- with the old chief. He
described the coast and islands, Casco Bay
having 365 islands, or one for each day in the
year, while the whole coast is so diversified
by bays, inlets and capes, that if the sea line
could be Strengthened out, it would grow from
two hundred to nearly eighteen hundred
miles.
Hunters have only explored the edge of the
vast northern forest, but there they find game
in abundance. Deer in countless numbers,
the moose standing two feet higher than COM
mon horses, black bears, otters, foxes and
other smaller game, while all the rivers and
lakes are filled with pickerel, trout and SAL
mon. The lecturer, with few friends, visits
some of these rivers every year, and says the
fishing is the best in world, Trout are caught
weighing from three to seventeen pounds,
and two gentlemen caught in the mornings of
one week over 100 pounds.
If the sportsman desires the bracing sea air
let him go to any of the islands along the
coast. The Isles of Shoals are composed al
most entirely ofrough granite, bleached to a
light gray by the storms Of a thousand win
tiers, and around them are all kinds of salt
water fish and sea fowl. There is fresh sea
breeze, all the advantages of shipboard with
out its discomfort, at times perfect stiffness,
broken only by the murmur of the wild waves.
In the bay in front of the house lies fleet OF
fishing boats for the guests. In the early
morning one after another spreads its white
wings and silently glides away into the dim
distance, and in the afternoon they come
back, touch at the wharf, then hover mo-
ment around the moorings, and 60 to sleep
again.
Mr.. Allen then gave description of dress
and outfit for journey of two weeks, which
could be made with an Indian guide for about
$50. You can leave Boston in the afternoon,
and the next evening eat your supper of yeni-
son which you have shot or trout which you
have caught.
This land is rich in minerals. In all its
hills are found the finest granite. 1t is now
being used to build two of the largest bridges
in the world-acroSs the East river and at st.
Louis. Sufficient can be taken out to build a
State like Rhode Island and then leavs
enough to supply the whole country forever.
In the eastern countries is an immense guam
titv of lime stone and several iron mines,
from one of which was taken in on year
1000 tons of the finest iron ever known. In
Washington county is found native copper
and black lead. In Barring, Columbia, Oriand,
and along the Sandy river gold has been dis
covered, and in other places slate better than
that of Wales and more abundant, the State
Geologists estimating the quantity in a. single
hill in Foxcroft at over a million tons. In
other towns are anthracite coal, copperas, tin
ore, galena or common lead, white, blue and
clouded marble, massive horn bende emer-
aids, garnets, the jasper, agate, carnelan,
chalcedony, beryl, and a whole mountain OF
mica. Many of them are yet little known,
but in time to come they will enrich their
owners.
The whole area of this State is about thirty
thousand miles, of which the great primeval
northern forest contains over twenty
thousand square miles, being many times
larger than the great Black Forest of Ger
MANY or the wilderness of Northern New
York. 1t is largely composed of tall pines.
Then followed a graphic description of the
lumbermen, tie logging camps and the river
drivers. In the southern part the scenery is
magnificent. There is a white maple, from a
tender and watery green shading into delicate
orange; the beech and rock maple, from the
.,o4, <lt 30 md
brown, each shining in the forest like burn
ing bush, procaming the presence of its
Maker. The great pine forest wears a dress
of green the year round, and winter throws
over it robe of the softes't errnine.
The land in the eastern part OF this State is
the richest this side of the Western prairies,
and gives larger and surer crops. A thousand
Swedes have settled in Aroostook county, and
as many more are expected every year. A
lifelike description of their dress, appearance
and homes was given.
There is no portion of the globe in which
are so many rivers and lakes. There are
about eighteen hundred lakes in this State
covering nearly three thousand square miles
Nearly all these lakes lie at the head Of
rivers which run to the sea, and their great
altitude gives to their descending water an
immense power. Rangely Lake is 1900 feet
and Lakes Umbagog and Moosehead are each
over one thousand feet above the level OF the
| sea, and the whole surface of the State is, on
an average, six hundred feet in elevation, SC
| that the water of all the lakes and rivers must
| fall that distance The Commissioner esti-
mates the total water power of the State tc
| be equal to the combined working energy OF
! thirty-four million men laboring night and
day all the year round; or, counting that
| which is available, exceeding the actual
working power of all the men in the United
States, and of England, France and Germany
| Statistics show that the expense of running
| mill by water is only one-eight that of steam
| and in this State lies to-day, wasted and un
| improved, this great giant water power suffi
Gent to carry all the mills of the nation.
The mountains, which are mostly in ;
broad belt running across the State, possess