The Portland daily press., 1886-10-27
OUR FOREIGN LETTER.
Especial correspondence of the PRESS. ]
DEyoNsurR1e Ann son,rpsrr

DEvoNSHIRE AND SOMERSET.
Before leaving home we resolved at the
sacrifice of many places of interest to tourists
generally, we would make a pilgrimage to
Devonshire and to Somerset, the home of the
Gorges, who have left behind them lasting
monuments in many parish churches. From
scraps of information gathered from our ear
ly records and the letters of that period we
know that many of the early settlers of
Maine went from Southern England. Follow
ing these clues somewhat vague in some
cases, we meant to search out as far as we
might the habitations of the first white men,
who called Casco Bay and Forest City home,
and who underwent the privations and bitter
disappointments of pioneer life to pave the
way for our present comforts. Atlast the good
time came in lovely June weather to accom-
plish our two-fold purpose of making the an
tiquarian tour, and seeing Deyonshire, which
we had always pictured an earthly paradise
of rural delights. Believing the Plymouth
| colony to be the foundation of the sterling
virtues of the New England character we
felt we first must go to Plymouth and, stand
ing on the quay, look westward with our Pill
grim Fathers, beyond a dreary waste toward
an unknown world that we might appreciate
the full power of the faith which inspired
their souls to encounter so many perils. A
little haven, the Barbican, now shut in by a
sea wall, is filed with fishing smacks and
coasters. Here stands a corner of the old
castle, transformed into poor mans dwell
ing, from whose portals the Kings guards
looked upon that little band of Pilgrims as
they tearfully bade goodbye to home and
kindred. We followed the shore around the
cliff, and across the Hoe to the old fort. of
which Sir Ferdinando Gorges was governor
for many years. Today the bay formed by
Mount Edgecomb on the right and high
promontory on the left is very beautiful, and
truly, to the eyes of those mothers and their
little ones, crowded together on poor ship.
with no more comfort than is provided to-
day for cattle on transatlantic steamers, it
must have seemed as lovely as vision of
the heavenly Canaan, as it slowly and forey-
er sank out of their sight. Most of our day
was spent in searching out the few traces of
our forefathers, which are left in Plymouth
They were only strangers and sojourners
here, and were looked upon with suspicion
by the grandees of the place. therefore they
made little stir, and stepped SO softly while
PAOPdlAnS III bllCll ClllDdIkdllOu lntlT
footprints were quickly washed away by
the tide of coming events. They would have
thought the man demented who would have
pictured to them the scene within the Guild
Hall, which we witnessed that evening. See
ing the door open we entered, and were ush-
cred into most enthusiastic assembly, which
proved to be political caucus of the temper
ance Liberals, the very hottest of the dissent
ers from the aristocratic usurpation of power
in the church and state. Many Of the cler-
gy and politicians of the neighborhood ad-
dressed the citizens and Blue Ribbon League.
and were followed by Mr.. Conybeare, the
Liberal member of Parliament from this dis
trict. who introduced the bill into Parliament
last winter, prohibiting the sale of beer to
children under thirteen years of age. Lord
Salisbury and his friends defeated this bill
on the ground that it deprived parents of the
service they had right to demand from their
children. In the widest fight of imagina-
tion the idea could never have darted across
the brain of one Of this Pilgrim band that
the day would come in old Plymouth, when
future representatives of heretical opinions
similar to their own, would be permitted to
promulgate unrestrainedly the doctr of
freedom of thought and action. 1t would
have been bewildering to their senses to inn
agine the day when the corporation of Ply
mouth would esteem it an honor to the city
to decorate the windows of its public assem-
bly, hall with the portraits of their leaders
engaged in the openly disloyal act of depar-
ture from the Fatherland to the New World,
protest in itself against the oppression of
the home government.
From Plymouth an enjoyable visit was
paid to Ham, the home of Sir Robert Trelaw-
ney, and the hiding place for two hundred
years of the original letters, which comprise
the volume of ''The Trelawney Papers" A
drive through long avenue of centennarian
trees leads the visitor to an open lawn, in
the midst of which stands the manor house,
about which there is nothing grand-it is
simply home like, roomy and hospitable
house. With only one step from the path
bordered with flowers, the guest enters the
broad hall, its walls filled with family
portraits, among which was that of Sir Rob
ert Trelawney, taken when a lad of twelve
years, with his pet dog.
The first object that attracts the eye is the
stately mantel of antique carved oak, which
was rescued from the Office Of Sir Robert in
Bristol, only few years since, just as the
estate was to be demolished by some land
SPECTATORS The drawing rooms and break
fast roem, opening on either side are filled
with well kept family relics, with a fair
sprinkling of fresh articles to take off the
air of dinginess and decay, 50 frequently op-
in homes where one generation has
succeeded another. For many years Ham
has been the residence of the late Rev. G. 7. |
Collins Trelawney, who took the name of |
Trelawney on his marriage to the heircss of |
the estate Being childless, the estate of |
Ham passes into another branch OF the Tre- |
lawney family. But gloom and stiffness
filled the whole house, since only the week |
before the VISIT the dreaded messenger |