The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-31

bors afford laDd-locked thoroughfare along
our coast. Still mora wonderful and without
parallel in our country, is the extraordinary
arrangement of our interior waters by which,
through river and lake, one may traverse the
state from one quarter to another The econo-
mist sees in these lakes the store-house of
power to drive the factories of nation, the
rivers the avenues to bring the power within
our reach, and our capacious harbor room for
the fleets of the world. To the historical stu
dent the map OF Maine tells another story. The
thoroughfares by rivers, lake and sea do not
speak Of commerce, manufacture or trade but
OF aboriginal tribes of early adventure, of pain
full planting and settlement, of Jesuit devotion
and diplomacy, of peaceful intercourse and IA
tai war;
Gen. Brown from maps specially prepared
showed the peculiarities of the inland water
system of Maine. He showed that frequently
the head waters of the principal rivers were
embraced within al area of few square
miles. For instance, a canal at the northwest
angle of Moosehead Lake would bring the
waters of the Penobscot into the lake and so
into the Kennebec, while canal at the north.
to flow into the Penobscot. Within few
miles of the northwest angle of Oxford coun
ty, can be reached the head waters of the
Connecticut the Androscoggin, the Kennebec,
Penob,cot and the St. John in Maine and the
St. Francis and the Chaudere in Canada At
Bethel 1t seems but a. step fro d the intervaes of
the Androscoggin to point which is drained
into the Sebago So from lake In Hancock
county, one can go east, west north and south
to Calais, Ellsworth. Woodstock IN b., and
Machias.
10 this day these carrying places and portages
are in use as they have been for two and three
quarters centuries of rec rted history and back
TO the earliest times OF which tradition speaks.
The earliest English and French navigators
were familiar with these portages. The ha-
tives at Passamaquoddy bay told De Monts
that they could go to the Penobscot or ST.
John with but short land journey. At the
Kennebec they told him that by that river they
could go across 10 Quebec with only two
leagues of portage"
These river and lake journeys by the aid of
strong canoes, became familiar to the Jesuit
missionaries who made frequent use of them,
and frequent alluslon is made to them in all
their reports By means of this mode of con-
veyance on the inland waters and over the
short 'carrys" the French, GU the St. Lawrence
got news from Port Royal, Nova Scotia, in Is or
II days, when it would require double that
time by sea. The French and indians from
Canada rendezvoused by the river communca-
tlon for the capture of Salmon Falls and Dover,
N. 81. In 1859 the attack of the English on
Quebec was made known to the French COM
msnder there by an Indian from Port Royal,
who made the journey in twelve days, which
took the fleet SIX weeks from Boston.
Gen Brown also gave an interesting history
OF several expeditions up the Kennebec and
across the carrys into the waters of the St.
Lawrence, including the expedition of Arnold.
The great carrying place" between the Ken
nebec and Chaudere rivers is but "a miles.
He also gave an account of the report of an ex.
ploration in 1772 in charge of Hugh Finlay
from Quebec to Portland via the Kennebec for
the purpose of ascertaining if there was not
shorter route to take the mails to Canada than
by Lake Champlain.
In this connection Gen. Brown gave report
OF this postal officer, Mr.. Finlay, of his inspec-
tloE of the office at this point in 1878 The
postmaster, Mr.. Child, complained that he had
be sustained by withdrawing the franking
privilege, which was good as forty shlllings
year to him. He could not Withstand the I'M
portunity OF poor people to mail letters for
them, by which be lost and his house was
made common to all persons after mail matter,
even when no mails were DUE He urged the
official to get another man to take the office.
Mr.. Talbot said he could but express his deep
interest in the paper of Gen Brown. He spoke
of the natural falls in Maine rivers-wbich in
many were far from the sea, like Tioonic Falls,
VI ohO AAOuuOpCC, duu cdSt, olludItu
below tide water and near the mouths of riv.
ers. The paper of General Brown was highly
commended for it's research, finish and deep
interest.
VARIOUS MATTERS.
DR.. Jewett of South Berwick, called the at
tention of the Society to the fact that parties in
York county had papers which would be very
valuable to the Society, and which it should
make an effort to obtain. On motion, Dr. jew
EFT was authorized to apply for those documents
or copies of them in the name of the Society
Gen. Brown called up the matter of securing
permanent rooms for the Society-a matter
which has frequently been considered, and
which the fast accommodating papers and prop
erty of tie Society rendered absolutely neces
sary. He then showed plans of rooms in the
third story of Mr. Jose's Centennial Block on
Exchange street, which would be finished for
the Society. The building was to be made as
near fire proof as can be, and would have vaults
which would be absolutely so.
Gen Brown also suggested plan of having
committees this centennial year to point out,
and mark historical matters of interest.
The Society then adjourned until y o'clock.
Evening session.
The evening session was more fully attended
than the sessions of the day. The session was
devoted to the exceedingly Interesting paper Of
Hon William Goold of Windham, on
FORT HALIFAX.
Mr.. Goold spoke over an hour and half. Not
only did he give minute history of the con
struction, locality. ETC., of Fort Halifax, in the
present town of Winslow, on the Kennebec,
hu q min of oil tha al
it and the men who had to do with il. He had
accurate maps of the locality, with the former
buildings which made up the then frontier post,
and of which nothing now remains but dilap.
idated block house-the only remaining one of
scores in New England century ago.
There can be no doubt but that Fort Halifax
was gotten up in the interest of the land propIi-
etors of the locality-one of whom was Gov.
Shirley of the Massachusetts Colony. Such
project would afford foundation for an official
scandal and result in Congressional investi-
cation today The fort was built in 1854. The
troops were principally raised in Massachusetts
800 men-commanded by Gen. WinsIow of
Massachusetts,. He laid out the fort and built
it originally. TWAS named Fort Halifax for the
Earl of Halifax, the first Lord of the Treasury
in the British Cabinet of the time. Portland was
lively place at the time, for Gov. Cilley and
his council came hither with the troops and
here met representatives of the Norrdgewock
and Penobscot Indians. Mr.. Goold, among
many curious papers, read the contract of the
Governor with citizen of Falmouth, named
Isaac Illsey, who took nineteen carpenters to
Kennebec to build the fort. The plan of the
fort was changed by the officer left in charge of
it, Capt. L;tbgrow, who perfected it the next
year. The official papers presented at the time
showed that the garrison suffered many priva-
lions during the first year, because of INSULT
Gent clothing, food, etc., to say nothing of the
fears of the French and Indians, So far were
they separated from succor.
Tho building of the fort was most beneficial,
since it afforded security to settlers and the
town of Winslow-named for the tuil1er of the
fort-grew rapidly.
No abstract can do justice to Mr.. Goods in
teresting paper, for he has spared no effort to
present every fact connected with the enterprise
and the principal actors in the events of those