The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-12-22

bein@ most oesirous to make due
proofe uuto you're highnesse of all things Demon
strated in this present booke when so ever 1t shall
please you're hfghnesse TO command me, none i
humbly beseech allmightle god who In ms abund-
ant mercie ordeyned you're highnesse Tor Eng
lands happinesse and for The reumtlng OF TINS
most famous Antient and Iismembred monarchie
OF create britaine, and hath exalted you're throne
above all you're highnesse noble progenltorrs to
eStaDllShe the same to you're hlghneSSe ana 10
you're most noble postertie to that 1t may colltn-
ne as the DayeS of heaven, and to heape glorie
wealth and honour upon zee all ragning ON
earth TO crowne wee with everlasting happiness IN
the life TO come. Your majesties obedient
subject GEORGE YARMOUTH.
He speaks of his failure to find the North
west passage as follows:
First then for the time of the yeare all though
were indeed very sufficiently sett foorth by the
said merchanfes and furnished with all thinges
necessarie for such voyage, so fare as eyther
they or i could then perceive, yeti was the time
as there was not so good hope of finding the pas
sage as there would If had sett foorth rather.
for they promised TO sett me foorth in march and
1t was June before could gett cleare of the coast
of England which was great hinderance to my
DiscOverie for so long as the sunne retrogresseth
to the south warde so long is there dificulltie to
the passage to the northwarde, secondly for the
windes they were very unfortunate, and eontin-
ued much thwartinge, allwayes crossing our en-
terpryse when soeyer wee directed our course to
lande to seeke for any harbour. and therefore
could wee not winter in those parties thirdly the
untemperature of the ayre Denied us eyther har-
create and thieke Pressing and congealing
SO fast as the fall upon our ropes and sales as
that we. could hardly have any use of the II /;
fouerthly my men being most of them sickle and
weake all hope of passage and harboureng being
taken away, / thought il my best course to re-
turne as well tor the relieving Of my men, as for
the saigarde of the shippes and goodies comitted
TO my charge, and also the profit of the mer-
chantes, for wee having at the first but 10
m0nethS vietaieS, If we might have harboured
safely on the coaste of America yeti woulde it
have been the next maye after before wee could
have discovered our.shipes to lanch out into the
sea and by that timeIOur victaile being all most
spent, what possibilities had there beene ito have
performed the Dseoyere then with the residue !:
where rs, ! being returned home by the 8 daye Of
September they might have saved there shippes
cordage, rgiage. oittailes and mems wages for
or months, then lett all wise men Judge if /
tooke not the safest and best ana give SEN
tence OF me according to my good intent, as
thanke god the most prof0undest men, both for
learning and judgment in the mathematical
sciences have all readle done, or else had / long
before In slime smarted for the contrarie TO my
great shame and utter DiScredite for ever, could
there have beene founde in me, but the least want
of knowledge or diligence in prosecuting the so
farr as was possible eyther with the safgard Of
our lives or of our shippes and goodies, but not
with standing endeyored myselfe with all my
power and skill to the performance of this intend
ed Discoyerie sparing no labor nor travel in great
extremitee of colde and many other dangers even
to the pelill and hazard of the lives of all my
companie and myne sefe yea even so far foorthe
as il was possible for any man these let's being
considered and also making so much spare
my chardge as was requisite for the furderonce of
this enterprise. SO long as L continued fOorth
and delivered them againe more then they las
some confessedl could with reason expect, yeti
was my travel by some of them reqnited with
Discourtesie and all my by past miserie with
dlspittull infalme charging me with many things,
contrarie to the trouthe where at although
were greeved We used to them neyther PRAYER
nor entreatie but by A commission procured from
the Right honorable lords and other of the priyie
COUNSEL Directed unto certaine wise and Worship
full men for that purpose before whom answered
all these Interrogatories and in II artikles under
the handles of the master and his mate of the god
speed Declared the causes Of my returne and the
reasons of the impoSslblite of our STAYING foorth
which articles, and answeres with these Interrog'
aries purpose god willing shortly to publishe
that my proceedings therein may the more mani
festlie appear, which Doubt not will sufficiently
Statistic any reasonable man."
He then goes on to state that he went
down into the country expecting that the
merchants would send for him to undertake
another voyage and was there applied to bv
the States OF Holland, which wished to en-
pl0y his services, but he prefers the service
of his country which win be greatly benfted
by the discovery of the Northwest passage.
when ne considers feasible, but being una
Bile, through want of learning and eloauence
to discourse Of things as | ought" he thinks
best, Ito do them by DEMONSTRATION The
original volume is fine example of early
binding, which is reproduced in the copy
here shown. The paper, number of pages,
a line, are the same in this copy as in the
original, andl the drawings are facsimiles,
so that you have before you a counterfeit
presentment' of the original. Speaking of
Weymouth recalls the allusion by Charles
Kingsley, in Westward Ho, to an Indian
said to have been buried at Biddeford.
England, early in the 18th Century Being
at Clovelly in the parish of Kingsley, l called
upon his son-in-law, the Rev. Mr..
Harrison, the present incumbent, to inquire
# there was really any truth in the story
Mr.. Harrison was then on the Continent
but has kindly interested himself in the mat
ter, and the past week have received note
stating that il is true that early in the 18th
century an Indian embraced the Christian
religion at Biddeford, England and upon his
death was buried there, and that the proper
certificates shall be sent me. The writer,
Rector of the Parish, the Rev. Roger Gram
vile, states that he is said to have been of
Wyndgatoria Perhaps some of our Indian
scholars will tell us where this is. Was this
Indian one OF those carried away by Way
MOUTH 1t is an interesting question. To
return to this manuscript it was written
shortly before Weymouth made his memora-
BILE voyage to the coast of Maine and was
the cause of his employment in that under
taking The account of this voyage related
by Roster, sold Tor a few shillings at the
time of its publication but is now valued at
9325 or over $1,000 by Quarritch who paid at
auction short time ago 9275 for copy.
The reprint published by the Georges Society
and annotated by Mr.. Burrage viii be Of
a sketch of Weymouth and be in every way
a most exhaustive work. No historical
student should be without it. The volume
of maps which have to show you is | think
unique. Among them are the following:
PRINTED MAPS.
LAmerique. A French map of 1920.
Septentrionale Amsterdam n d.
Noyi Belgii. A very curious Dutch map show
ing New England and having upon it a view of
New York in Knickerbocker times.
England map.
John Baptlsta Homann's rare map of New Eng
Nova Belgca ct Angelica Nova a man. showing
the location of the Indian tribes
These are among the most interesting of
the printed maps and were picked up by me
in Germany and France.
The most interesting things in the volume
were never printed, but are fac-similes of
the originals. These are:
Two views of the fort at Piscatadua. 1899.
showing Col. Aliens house and Champernorme's
Island.
A map Of New Ireland and Main; found in a
letter of 1870.
A map Of Piscataqua river, 1908; showing the
location OF the houses from Salmon Falls to Exc
The Province of Maine; the earliest in exist
enee.
There is no date ON this map, but it must
have been made not long after 1850
An early 18th century map of New Eng
land, drawn by |. s., and dedicated in an
acrostic as follows:
just Great and Good are Princeley Epithets
And each of these your Highness well beftts
Ny Aime with your Vertues cannot want
encouragement (creaving whats fit to grant
oereneSt Prince heer (untO your eye)
I've,
Unseen in Rivers of the New Plantations;
kingly Commanding Heads of other Natious
Equally II to Honour. Neither Spane
Or the boasting Dutch can show the like againe 4;
Freely accept Great SIR the Loyaltie
Your meanest servant offers to your Eye.
oceans and Rivers Ring loud Peales of Fame,
Resembling Echoes to your honoured Name
hind Heavens and Stares continue long the
same"
One of the most interesting maps in the
collection bears date 1854 made by Will
liam Huck near New Staires in Wrapping"
and shows the entire coast of New England
at that date.
There is also map showing the exact To-
cation Of the leaden plate buried by Gov.
Pownall May l23d, 1853, which some of our
friends may want to dig for; and last and
not least, plans of,Pemaquid Fort, Saco Fort,
and the old Falmouth Fort.
have also placed upon the table fac
smile OF the letter Of George Popham, writ
ten at Sagadahock Dec. 10, 1907, and pic
ture of the Gorges tomb and coat-of-arms.
Upon motion of Mr. Bryant. a vote of
thanks was passed to Sir Josiah Pierce for
his gift
EARLY YORK DEEDS.
The paper prepared by II. w. Richardson,
Esq, upon the first book Of York Deeds,waS