The Portland daily press., 1883-12-22
MAINE H1sToRroAL socsErY.
Winter Meeting of the Society-Report of
Donations by the Secretary Abstracts
of Papers Read.

I
William Goold, Gen. j. Marshall Brown, Rev. Dr.
Burrage E. P. Burnham, DIR. Lapham, H. W. Rich
arcson, Lewis Pierce, Alexander Longfellow, w. E.
Gould, stephen Berry Rev A. Dalton, GOV. Perham,
| e. E. Browne, j. P. Baxter Edward johnson. and
j. G. Elder.
On taking the chair the presiden. said 1t L ad
been thought advisable by some to adjourn the eve
| ming meeting account of the storm. He had
| heard from DIR. True, of Bethel who had been sick
that he had paper about ready on Locations on
the Androscoggn;' from Mr.. Sewall of Wiscasset.
who lately met with an accident, that he was on
| the road to recovery, and another member had a
| paper about ready. He thought perhaps, it would
be well to Lave meeting on February 22d, the an
niVersary Of Washingtons birth, and at the future
| meetings to have more discussion upon the papers
| presented He spoke of the anniversary. SO near
at hani, of Washington's surrender of his commits
sion an event that placed the hero in SO different
| position from any other like commander of re-
noWn. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon he sur
rendered principle to ambition; so Cromwell, when
| he drove out the Parliament and Napoleon.
the Directory. Brougham called Washington the
greatest man who ever lived. The birthday of such
man would seem filling one for a meeting.
Mr.. Bryant then reads his report which was &C.
cepte'.
| SECRETARY BRYANT's REPORT.
The History of Phillips Academy at Exeter, n.
/ H., from Charles II. Bell.
4 Suffolk Surnames, from Oliver Gerrish
Memorial Address on Garfield, from James G.
Memorial History of Bradford. Nass from Will
liam Hilton.
Austin's Life OF Longfellow, from oscar Holway.
| Seven volumes of the Presque Isle Sunrise Au-
| gust, 1868, to August 1877, from Daniel Stckney.
| Abbotts Primitive Industry, the reports COM
plete of the Peabody Museum wyman's Shell
| Mounds OF Florida, besides forty other scientific
| reports and papers, from Prof. f. W. Putnam.
one hundred Reviews and Law Reporters, from
Twenty-Five miscellaneous sermons. from Elmer
/ Brown.
One bound volume of reports from 1868 to 1874,
Sketch OF Bangor, illustrated, from George F.
/ Godfrey.
Two bound volumes and six pamphlets concern.
| ing Dartmouth College. from Prof. g. f. Richard.
| son.
Three volumes and 80 pamphlets from Dr. s. A.
shipmaster's Assistant of 1894, from George H.
Ten miscellaneous pamphlets, from Stephen
Berry.
Three volumes Military History from G. A.
Fifteen volumes Documents X[VIth CONGRESS-
| from the Department of the Interior.
| Colby.
Volume z New Jersey Archives from tina New
| Jersey Historical Society.
Volume 3 Collections, from the Virginia Histor-
Volume Collections, from the Nova Scotia
Historical Society.
Twelve Bulletins of the Library of Harvard Uni
versity, from Professor Winsor.
| Aided by Judge Chamberlain and Judge vii
manson we nave completed our set of five vou me
of the Bulletins of the Boston Public Library.
Through the generosity of Mr. W. H. Whitmore
| of the Heraldic Magazine.
From Mr.. S. II. Coesworthy, Senior we have re-
ceived copy of the New Zealand grammar print
ed IN 1920. This is the grammar of the Maori
Having been requested by the mana ers of the
Woman's journal published in Boston, to prepare
an am eznio of tS Ct s the writings of woman
| circulation of the Portland TRANSCRIPT
we have prepared up to the present time list mum
| bering seventy women, natives of Maine who have
published books. The publication of this list from
time to time has been the means OF increasing ouI
departments OF Maine authors, but still there are
many as yet not represented on our shelves and tc
| you in good company
| DR.. George P. Bradley's memoir of Dr. Alexande,
ramsay OF Fryeburg, referre to in our report d
last May, has been printed in the transactions Of
| the Maine Medical Association.
10 Lucius L. Hubbard we are indebted for a cony
| Oh MS indian place names in northern Maine
printed as an appendix to his Woods and Lakes Of
BY purchase and exchange we have received the
ten volumes Of the Provincial and State papers Of
The History of York county, Me.
Groton, Mass, during the Indian wars
Volume of the Granite Monthly
index TO the publications of the American Anti
The History of Shirley Mass.
Sundry other books and pamphlets from j. G
| EIder, +. W. Hacsett. George Henry Preble John
Ward Dean, D. A. Hawkins, Peter Thatcher, s
league. w: e ,DI,insmore, B. F. Tallman f. a
Sewall F. NJ. Sabine, Thomas B. Reed. Charles
Deane, Eugene Hale, G. G. Gardner. O. d, Bradlee
E =: T. =, Burnham E. F. Duren, A. B. Weymouth
ton Herbert Welsh, L. M. Barton, Charles M, Gore
The following is the cabinet record since july
last:
War envelopes, from William Hilton.
Early Maine Newspapers from j. g. Elder.
| H. Boyd. -'' -AoAt .
The Boxer papers, 1913, from James B. Thorn
| ton.
| Letter from the Committee on Safety of portlard
1913, from John A. Peters.
Panel Of stueeo Work from the Eseorial, the sth
"A piece OF fusee, used at Fort Fisher from H. G
The key of Fort Halifax, from j. W. Charming
| The uniform aud chapeau of the Portland Riff
Corps, from #. b. Hanson.
Constitution and records of the Fryeburg Socia
| Library, lSO0-1S30. from Miss Edith Mcmillan
the first and last records made by Judah Dana: in
tervening entries by Samuel Fessenden, Enoch Lin
Pieces Of Wood cut from the floor of the Marshall
nouse IN "a Alexandria, Va, where Colonel Ellsworth
fell in 1851. from S. M. Watson.
Deed of 1774, attested by Enoch Freeman ftou
John L. Hull.
Plaster bust Of the late Israel Washburn. Jr.
| from Mrs. Washburn.
| AiSouchg DAduuuly bIl6u cdileu upon HOD. j. w
Williamson, of Belfast, for his paper.
THE BRITISH OCCUPATION OF PENoBsooF DURING
THE REVOLUTION.
| The investment of Penobscot, now Castine DIR
ing the war OF the revolu ton; the successful de
tense OF the place during protracted siege aeans
the stringent forces which could be brought aqains
It, and Its uninterrupted retention by the enem,
for over four years. until after such retention Ia;
formed tne snDJect OF many yexed questions of dip
lomacy and constituted the lost vestige of British
authority In the old thirteen colonies-from one a
the most interesting passages in our history. TIL,
commander of the armed vessels who warded off tb,
attack was Capt. Henry Mowatt; of the land forces
Gen. Francis Mclean. A very interesting sketcl
was given of Henry Mowatt, of whom the write
sald, ne was born in Scotland, 1884, was the sol
OF Capt. Patrick Mowatt of III. M. ship Dolphin
When made a lieutenant his certificate said nbe
Rroducetn Journals kept by himself in the Chester
| and do the duty of an able seaman" In 1894 h,
was promoted to commander and served in The
| Cancean twelve years. He was forty-one years OLE
| at the destruction of Falmouth. His next shin wa
the Albany flagship of the squadron on the Pepob
scot. after thirty years service on our coast he
died OF apoplexy April IA, 1898, on his ship tht
Assistance, near Cape Henry, and he was inferred
| at Hampton, Va. He left a son. A short tim,
| before his death he wrote Relation of the ser
vices in which was engaged in America from l75s
| to the close of the American war in 1888" II
was probably never printed, it cannot be found
| after an exhaustive search in the British Museum
the principal British libraries and advertisements
with liberal rewards attached. It's discovery would
shed much light ON our revolutionary history. in
| GLIDING the dismantling of Fort Pownall soor
after the battle Of Bunker Hill; the reasons which in
| duced the occupation of Penobscot and whether he
instigated the destruction of Falmouth or obeyec
the commands of superior officer. Incidents that
| have been preserved concerning Capt. Mowatt seem
to indicate that he the brutal Ignorant man
| he is generally believed to have been.
To return to the subject. Apprehensive of a sec
ond attack, Gen. Mclean labored increasingly after
| the siege was raised to- complete Fort George
| named after George III. The men labored MIGHT
and day, and by December the works were in a pood
| state OF defence The men were well fed and well
housed, in striking contrast to the condition of the
American army at Morrstown, shiyerine in the
| cold. AT one time order had to be issued that
| only two-thrds allowance of rum and butter could
be furnished the soldiers until an arrival from Hall
fax. 1T became necessary later to limit the sale of
| GUS liquors to non-commissioned officers and mi
Yates. The writer says s'This was the first Maine
law, and doubtless more practically enforced thar
| its numerous successors have been.'' The officers
OF the garrison were men of education and refine
ment Mclean was man of noble spirit cool and
determined, and beloved by the inhabitants for his
kindness in their distress. After few months he
| went to Halifax, and died there in 1881 Col
| Campbell, his successor, was violent, impulsiye
man. Gen. Wadsworth speaks of the Co onel,s
| treatment of him while he was prisoner in the
| highest terms. Among his officers were Capt Craig
| afterward Sir James Craig, governor of Canada:
| Lot Moore, the celebrated Sir John Moore immor.
talized in Wolfe's beautiful lines. Dr. John Calf
| of Ipswich. was surgeon and chaplain The 74zb
| and S2d Highlanders formed part of the garrison
| dressed in their national costume. The winter III
| 17S0 W eOld the ruor