The Portland daily press., 1881-10-03
For the PRESS
Casco Bay IN Summer.

|
last. Towards the close of the last century, as
Parson Smith grew old aud vanished from the
scene, and Parson Deane followed him, the
whole town seems to have grown old with
them because we look through their spectacles,
and then there follows a gap of fifty years in
| our history, where we have only an outline
| with no color or shading to give it life Yet
| we may be sure that Commodore Preble and
| the other young fellows who did such gallant
| work in the youthful days of our navy were as
| full of spirit as the Brigadier and his
companions had been ia former days That
| they, too, had couviva parties al Black Point
aud suppers at the old Broad Tavern. And
| summer must have seen their sail boats an.
| chored in Diamond Cove, their chowders cook
ing on the banks under the shade OF the bseches,
and their initials cut into tho smooth bark as
those OF their grand children aud great-grand-
| children are today. We know that such was
the custom fifty years ago, as the elders tell us
| of some of the famous parties which they used
% have there, of ths punches and merry
making. These old gentlemen in their time
| sailed down in such boats as the LaRfel and
| the Mechanic, roomy aud comfortable, but
| quite clumsy compared with tho feet which
now sail the same waters; and the young folks
Of hundred years ago were probably content
with such boats as we SEQ the islanders from
the lower bag come sailiag up to town in.
That kind Sf sailing excursion Is somewhat
changed now, although Captain Ben. Jones
still keeps up the fashion. as if unconscious
that the days of steam have come in, SO that
every pleasant day you may see tho broad sail
of the Clarence somewhere futtering over the
waters, and few old-fashioned folks who own
their own sailboats come down in tho oldtime
way; but the yachters generally cook their
meals on board, while large parties charter
pleasure steamer to take them down and back.
The change is rational aud does not detract
from the romance of the trip. These dainty
little steamers are like feiry-craFt. Tho other
day Bangor gentleman asked leave to take
the Tourist home with him to wear on his
watchguard as a charm The certainty OF
getting home to supper makes up to those who
are specially fond Of sailing, and delights those
who are Indifferent to it. One afternoon met
an old friend coming down in the "Minneha-
ha" for sail. He disconrsed Of sail
ing in auld lang syne, and how he
once took me rp triumphantly through
squal when old sailors predicted that We
should upset. Then, the spirit gro~ing on
him he said longiugly, "H5w | should like to
90 back in that sail0oat told him that ne
could, and hailing the skipper, asked him to
take my friend back to town. The wiAd was
light aud soon lied away, and as I went to
supper saw the boat trying to beat up past
the Government landing. About nine o'clock
hail out of the darkness tannonneoi that my
friends were not far off sT9sy had anchored
aud wished to be set over to 90 up 10 the late
boat. When met smy friend aglin, he said
he did not bargain for such : n experience as
that, but assured him that it was exactly the
way it used to bsin 1859, oaiy he had forgot
ten that part of it. What;t will be in 1910 we
can easily conjecture. Probably light yachts
driven by electricity. Everything necessary
f)r them is now inveated save the method OF
generating the power, and as We know that
there is an inexnaustible supply Of that all
about US, it is strange il We csanot find way
Of getting at it. We may be sure that the
summer residences at the seaside viii vastly
increase This year nauy new cottages have
bseG built, and yet the ts1ts are 10 less
numerous The teuteFs have learasd to avoid
the exposed and windy spots and to get
shield OF trees between them aud the possible
squall. Parents find that pure air, ses-bath-
iug and ont-of- door exercise, ensure their chill
dren vigorous healsh to tide them over tan
months Of school work and the Gloss houses of
winter, and many who are not naturally in
Glued to commune with n stnre. Cad them
selves adopting semi-wid life for the sake Of
their children.
| Although the weather has not been especial
| ly favorable this sumner, the pleasure steam
| ers seem to have done a larger business than
ever before, and it is getting SO that Custom
| House wharf is almost impassl le at times on
account of the throng Very different it looked
Of hot day thirty years ago, when an ccca-
| sional lounger went down to see If some vessel
| was coming up to the dock The Mnaehaha
has been making an evening trip which was
very pleasant for the islanders. AT half-past
eight she would bring down a party Of dancers
Co Evergreen landing, and it was very agreea-
| BILE to sit on the piazza aud listen 60 the band,
/ aud watch the bright reflections which her
| colored lights threw deep down into the water
| as she glided by. Then at half-past ten or
eleven, strain Of music would fit across your
dreams as she pl owed her way homeward un-
| der the sweet silver light of the moon.
Professor Morse has been here this summer,
and has opened shellheap on Great Diamond
Island. These remains are not SO abundant as
on the lower islands, but the shape Of the shells
confirm him in his opinion that they are quite
ancient We get several interesting sugges-
| tions from these heaps. These islands were
evidently favorite summer resort of tho In
dams, but not their permanent dwelling place,
for we know that their villages were generally
by the side of river on the mainland, as at
/ Congin, at Norridgewock and Norumbega.
This was necessity, because rivers are always
the highroads Of savage people, and they are
obliged to live near the large game on which
they mostly subsist, and which would be scarce
upon the islands. When our ancestors settled
here, the Indian race had nearly vanished, for
we hear of little fight like that at FrYeburg
breaking the power of tribe, and there never
seem to have been more than fifty or hun
dred warriors together except when q general
gathering was made OF many tribes.
1t is evident that such scauty population
as that could leave no such evidence Of their
feasts as we here 6nd. The many thousand
whites who have visited Diamond Cove have
ieiU very ilbtlb TuUulSu Uoutuu. Il ovA4o A-euhO
professor should fiud there an acre of tin cans
in layer five or ten feet thick, he might in
Ter that there had been large population liv-
ing near here, and so we may conclude that
many hundreds Of years ago the Savage popu-
ation was numerous, and that our forefathers
saw only the remains Of great nation which
aad been reduced by war, pestilence, aud per-
haps western emigration. No doubl ths Indi-
ans moved continually westward as the white
nan does now. 1t seems to be q Law among
savage as well as civilized populations Asia
mas always overaowed into Europe, aud we
ind that iu Africa wave after wave Of popula-
tion has flowed from the north east to the
vest coast where each in its turn is davoured
by pestilence. The ancestors of the Apa3hes
nay have left our shell heaps. should like
to try an Apache with bunch Of Pennyroyal
.nd see il any lingering touch OF sentiment
would go out towards it, There is nothing