The Portland daily press., 1878-03-15
MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Winter Meeting-sketch of the Papers
Presented.

Common Council room. The morning session
opened with a small attendance of members
| Among those present were Prof. Packard O
Bowdoin College, the Rev. DR.. Dyke of Bath
Hon. William Goold of Windham, Edward E
Bourne, Esq. of Kennebunk, Gen. j. M
Brown of Portland, R. X. Sewall. Esq, o
Wiscasset, J. P. Burnham, Esq. of Saco, tn
Rev. DR.. Cushman of Bath, A. G. Tenney
ESQ.,, of the Brunswick Telegraph, and DR.
F. II. Jewett of South Berwick.
The meeting was called to order by tn
Secretary, Prof. Packard, and in the absence
of the President, Henry Ingalls,, ESQ of Wis
casset took the chair. The first business take,
up was the report of the Wiscasset field da,
last year. In connection with the report DR.
Dyke submitted map of the Sheepsco
Farms. with brief remarks upon the histor,
and topography of the region. A paper
written by Mr.. Alexander johnson, was also
read by Dr. Dyke, treating of the same subject
An account was given of the appearance of the
Farms at the time of the first settlement. and
of the condition of the place now At the
conclusion of the reading the thanks of the
Society were extended to Mr. johnson. The
map was then demonstrated by Mr. Tenney.
Some discussion followed in regard to the
meaning and value of the Wiscasset dis
coveries.
THE CHEwONKY SETTLEMENT.
The second paper was by DR.. Cushman on
the Chewonky settlement, the necleus of Wis
casset. Robert Hooper, a Massachusetts, man,
was the pioneer of the first settlement, pitching
his tent in the beginning at Cushing's Neck
In time others came and neighborhood grew
people, their fights with the savages, &c, was
very foil, the heaviness of the statistical DOR.
ton being judiciously relieved by free use of
anecdote
vAUG HAN.
The third paper of the session by Mr.. Goold
was an account of William Vaughan of Piscat-
aqua, Martinices and Damariscotta. Vaughan
was the protector of the Louisburg expedition
of 1884, and notable man in his day, having
much to do with government and mercantile
affairs. The paper was well-considered ar
ticle. clearing up some doubtful points in
colonial history, and bringing to memory once
more others that had been ,arly forgotten.
The unwielding bulk of silver currency was
shown by the manner of reimbursement to the
colonies for their outlay in the Lousburg ex-
petition. After three years delay the money
was paid, amounting to 1885, 200 pounds ster-
ling. 1t was landed from a ship-of-war at
Long wharf, Boston, in the fall of 1749, 10 the
form of $4,000 ounces, or over 20 tons of silver
and up to the middle Of the present century,
was the common stand ard and regulator of
values, but it was required to be of honest
weight. Although the amount of the payment
was only 100000, it was contained in 215
chests, and probably it required twenty-five
two-horse wagons to transport the silver alone
from the ship to the Province House. Except
10000 pounds sterling, which belonged to New
Hampshire, the people of Massachusetts, ap-
the Province treasury, to redeem their depre-
ciated paper currency, at its .narket value.
Mr.. Goold submitted fragment of shell
picked up at Louisburg three years ago by
Mr.. j. P. Baxter of this city, relic of the
celebrated siege of 1853. The thanks of the
society were extended to Mr.. Baxter.
In presenting this shell Mr.. Gould said:
At the request of James P. Baxter, ESQ. of
Portland, l present to the Historical Society
relic Of Louisburg. 1t is large part of a 10.
inch bombshell Mr.. Baxter has taken much
interest in the history of that stronghold of
French power in America which was wrested
from that nation by our colonial fathers with
some naval assistance only from England. He
obtained this warlike memento of that conquest
from a resident of that now almost desolate
locality while on a visit to Cape Breton in
1875. In the midst of the siege of 1774 on the
Of FOL To-
Shirley at Boston in these words, "Our large
mortar is burst and also another forty-two
FOUNDER in the advance battery. l beg for the
large mortar at the castle, with good bed for
it. The shells sent with the former mortar
would not last twenty-four hours, and not
pears. determined to defend the town to the
last extremity and you may depend we shall as
vigorously push on our prant." The castle
named was 'Oastle William" now Fort INDIE
Gen. Pepperell wrote to Gov. Shirley he also
wrote to Gov. Mascarene at Annapolis, N. s.,
for ga large mortar, shells, and q skillful gun
ner." Whether this shell was thrown by their
mortars in 1744 or by Gen. Wolf who under
Gen. Amherst made the conquest of Louisburg
it was thrown during one of these sieges and
is consequently an interesting relic.
Gen. j. M. Brown introduced President Bell
of the New Hampshire Historical Society.
Mr.. Bell made few remarks expressive of the
interest he as New Hampshire man, felt in
Mr.. Goods paper, and then spoke in favor Of
closer intercourse between the societies of the
different states.
EDUCATION IN MAINE.
The morning session closed with the reading
of paper by the Rev DR.. Champlin on Edu-
cation in Maine prior to the separation from
Massachusetts,. Dr. Champlin gave very in
teresting account of the origin aud growth of
the academies within our limits endowed by
the mother state.
AfternOOn Session.
The afternoon session opened with paper by
the Rev. d. @ Cushman of Bath on the "Lo-
cation of Hammond's Fort" which he places
on the east side of the Kennebec aud on the
west side of Arrowsic Island at Stinson's Point.
PRESENTATIONS.
Mr.. Cushman then presented from the widow
of the late DR.. Benjamin f. Buxton, of War
ren,-
A map of Barkers Island, now Georgetown,
copied in 1889 from map drawn in 1749, from
the field notes Of Jonas Jones, whose survey
was made in behalf of the claimants under the
A letter from Moses Maverick. written in
1869, concerning his COW.
permit granted to the ship Fame, of Wis
casset, Nathan Clark master, In 1901, by Presi-
dent Jefferson, with his autograph.
An old copy of Hogarth's, print, 80 the
Roast Beef of Old Engl and"
R. X. Sewall, Esq, presented lawyers brief
of an argument maintaining the right of the
Pemaquid titles against the Kennebec Pur-
chase mentioned above. Date about 1870.
Prof. Packard presented sword found on
the field of Waterloo, the gift of the widow of
the late Judge Bourne Of Kennebunk
General Brown made the following presen-
tations:
Specimen of Taber money from Chas. Davis,
Jr., of Portland.
Printed Documents illustrating the Early
History of New Hampshire, containing new
and early map of the province of Msyne."
From the editor, Mr.. Jeuness, corresponding
member of the society.
Transcripts of unpublished French documents
relating to the Passamaquody Indians, show
ing among other things that they considered
themselves under the protection of France af-
ter the American Revolution. From the Ri.
Rev. Bishop Healey of Portland.
Copy of hitherto unpublished letter by Geo.
Washington, July Z, 1776. From DR.. N. T.
True of Bethel.
Copy of the "List of Capt. Abraham Preble's
Company" In 1903. From Rear Admiral
prnhla