The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-07-06

oh oCous Co Cdmt our uTSt SeCtler. 90
was founded our "beautiful city by the sea-"
Our voyagers landed on the western shore
of the creek. No better place for settlement
could be found. A low, rolling plat of land
extended west to Clay cove. AT the head of
the creek brook leapt down the hillside, with
an abundant supply of pure spring water,
which is utilized even to this day. The cove
made snug little harbor for their craft, close
to excellent fishing and shooting grounds and
scarcely more than two miles from the open
sea. Round the head of the creek and the
adjacent Clay cove was goodly supply of
salt grass for the cattle; while to the north
rose the wooded heights of Munjoy hill, a
barrier against the blasts of Boreas.
Here landed George Cleeves, his wife, Joan,
and their only child, Elizabeth, Richard
Tucker and his wife Margaret (and probably
two or three men servants,) with their domes-
tic animals. tools and utensils; and here they
began that great work which has gone on
through quarter of thousand years,--which
is still going on to-day-the work of converting
an unbroken wilderness into one of the most
beautiful. and most prosperous cities on this
continent.
The first summer of our history saw busy
work on this neck of land. From morn till
| eve the blows of the axe echoed over the har-
Dor, interrupted now and then by the crash of
| falling trees. Here by the side Of the camp
hire, the women cooked the hearty fare of ven-
| ison from the woods, ducks from the bay, or
fish from the sea; while the men felled the
trees, cut the logs into lengths, notched them,
| and rolled them up, one on the other into a
log house, which should withstand the cold
| and storm of winter.
Then little clearing was made in the
woods and corn planted. Strong hearts, willing
hands, and hard work began to make little
green dell by the waters edge in this wilder
| ness. In three years our pioneers had felled
| the forest, cleared the land, and extended their
corn field west to Clay cove. They began to
see around them the prosperous beginnings
of great things.
But all this they had seen once before over
ON the ocean side of Cape Elizabeth near the
mouth OF Spurwink river. For we must not
forget, that three years before Cleeves and
Tucker landed on our neck, as early as 1880,
they built house and cleared the land at
Spurwink. They had settled there in good
faith and under an equitably good title. But
one John Winter, taking advantage of certain
informalities in the title of our pioneers, "by
virtue OF succeeding patent surrepticiously
obtained" drove them from their home. So
Cleeves and Tucker had sailed to Machigonne,
and had seized upon their plantation here, I'M
der the proclamation of King James, which
gave to every man $50 acres of land provided
he occupied the same. How strikingly like
our famous United States homestead law is
this old royal proclamation!
But as our first settlers toled on in their
little clearing their bitter experience at Spur
wink was ever before them. They could not
rest context without a full specific, legal title
to the soil whereon they had built their
home. The matter was too important to be
entrusted to any messenger. so in 1886, three
years after the landing, Cleeves sailed over to
England.
Our townsman at once obtained the favor of
the English landed proprietors. They saw in
Cleeves man of force, of ready wit, full of
resources, Astounding in practical knowledge
and above all man fitted by nature to COM
mand. Cleeves's success in England must
have exceeded his fondest hopes. Sir
Ferdinando Gorges granted to him and Tucker
by deed not only their little clearing at the
point but the entire site of our city, large
portion of the town of Deering, and all OF
Hogg island in the bay. The deed bore date
January 81, 1857. And this was not all.
Gorges empowered Cleeves to settle and let
all of Gorges's domain lying between Cape
Elizabeth and the Sagadahoc river at his own
good pleasure and to whomsoever he saw fit.
And furthermore Gorges gave Cleeyes !com-
mission directed to Cleeves, Governor Win
throp and three or four other gentlemen, to
govern Gorgess Province of New
Somersetshire.
And Gorges was not the only English
landed proprietor who was impressed by the
manly bearing and practical knowledge of our
towsman. Cleeves was also given "a protec-
ton under the privy signet for searching out
the great lake of Iracoyse, and for the sole
trade of beaver, and the planting of Long
Island, by articles of agreement between the
Earl of Steering, Viscount Canada, and him. ="
With these princely deeds and commissions,
/ Cleeves hastened back to America arriving
here in May, 1887. What joy must have
filled the hearts of the little band in the log
house by the creek, on the point, ss Cleeyes,
on the first night of his return, standing erect
in their midst, by the light of torch of pitch
pine held aloft by his fair daughter Elizabeth,
read aloud to his little audience the deed from
the brave old English knight which gave them
the sure title to their little home by the sea.
Not only that; but extended their possessions
over the entire neck, and adjacent main, and
Included the fertile island where they pastured
their cattle. And how their pride must have
swelled as Cleeves went on to read his mag
nifcent commissions OF power, control and
government.
| Then sitting down Cleeyes told them all
the news from their relatives and friends at
the old home over the ocean interspersed with
bits of English politics and his own adven-
lures. What numberless questions he must
have answered! We may depend upon it,
there was ''no sleep till morn in that cottage
by the sea.
But there was one in that little company
who found something more interesting than
deeds or commissions lands or possessions
He was young Michael Milton. This young
gentlemen had met Ceeves during his late trip
to England; had been captivated by Cleeves s
stories of sporting and adventure in the new
world, and had followed him across the At
lantic to his little home at Machigonne. AS
Cleeves read. Mitton's eyes were not on him,
but on his fair daughter, who held the torch
full high aloft, and stood meath its rudy
glare as beautiful as Hero, priestess of Venus.
as she stood on the stormy shore, holding high
the torch to light Leander on his watery way.
With an absolute title to the SOIL we may
well believe our colonists pushed on their i'm
provements with renewed vigor; their clear
ings were extended back from the sea, their
cornfeld was enlarged, new log barns and
storehouses were rolled up, and their trade in
beaver skins with the In dams increased.
In all this busy work, we may be sure
Michael Milton took little part. He soon built
him light skif and from morn till eve sailed
the bay in quest of game. lie had always
with him his trusty match lock, brought over
from England, and dealt death far and wide
among the feathered denizens of the bay.
But Milton did not always use his skif for
shooting. On some bright summer nights,
when the moon look cd down unou tho sea we