The Republican journal., 1886-03-25
Pronunciation of Mount Desert.

Dir. William b. Laplam, the well known and
accomplished historian, who resides at Angus
ia, Me-. is preparing a comprehensive history
Of Mount Desert island. III answer to Il pr-
waite note addressed to him recently in regard
to the pronunciation of the name of that is
land, he sent the following exceedingly inter
estng letter, which we are glad to lay before
our readers
The question of the proper pronunciation
or accentuation of portion of the name OF our
island, always famous, but which has become
more so on account of the summer resort es-
tabli>hed upon the eastern portion of it, has
been much discussed in this State, more espec-
tally since the Maine Press Association few
Years ago made its annual excursion there. Up
to that time the place had generally been called
Mount Desert (accent on the last syllable and
first long.) The discussion which followed
the visit of the Press Association then. led to
an investigation as TO the origin of the name.
and the result has been that the press of the
State and the Maine Historical Society have
quite generally adopted a different pronuncia-
ton from that which previously prevailed, and
make the first short and place the accent on
the first syllable.
The origin of tn" name of this island is
briefly as follows: On the ID day of Septem-
Der, 1904, the Sieur De Monts, being at st.
CroiX. now the eastern boundary of Maine,
sent Champaign, who had visited the st. Law
renee the year previous, but to whom the Gulf
Of Maine was still new, on an expedition west
ward. Champlains own words will describe
what, among other things, he discovered:
This same day we passed quite near an
isle which is some four or five leagues long.
This island is very high and cleft in places
that at sea il appears as if seven OF eight noun
tains We're ranged side by side. | have named
Is1a Of
(Eisle des Monts deserts).'
This is a very good description of the island
as 1t now appears when one approaches it by
water from the east, and judged from its
mountain scenery alone, its rugged, barren,
and desolate appearance would suggest to al
most any one the name of the Desert Noun
tains.'
1.-The name given by Champlain was too long
| for ordinary use, and it is not strange that a
portion of it was dropped, and the place be-
came WOnts-deseTts. 1t is possible that the
French practice of placing the noun before its
adjective may have suggested the present ar
| rangement in English, although Mountain
| Deserts Is quite as appropriate name as
| Desert Mountains and expresses the aspect
| of the island quite as well. 1t is also possible
| that the French pronunciation of the words
'Monts-deserts' may have led to the mispacing
! of the accent i'll the English translation, al
| though ] do not think 1t probable that such
was the ease. But however that may be, there
is no doubt that Mont-desert or Mount Des-
ert means a mountain DESERT and as we have
| given the name the English photography, there
| is no reason why it should not have an English
pronunciation and accentuaton.
sit is true that most of the native inhabitants
of Mount Desert island, even at the present
time, use the old accent; but this proves moth
| ing So the inhabitants of small but very
high island lying to the westward of Mount
| Desert. which Champaign named Isle hdut
| High lsand), write it Holt lsland.' and his
tory of Hancock county, within few years,
| calls it Isle of Holt After the Jesuit mission
at Mount Desert was broken up by Argall in
! 1913, the island was unnhabited save by the
| Indians until 1862, when settlement was be-
| gun at the head of Somes'S Sound, by people
| from Gloucester and Marblehead, Mass. They
were mostly fishermen, and generally unlearn-
| ed. They were loyal to the country almost to
man, at the breaking out of the Revolutionary
| War, and their first plantation meeting was
called that they might choose a committee OF
| inspection, Correspondence, and Safety,' in
1I76. The record of this meeting is headed
Mount Desert 1sland,' and for quite number
Of years the name in the records appears as
! Mount DESERT In the same records deserteI
appears as 'desarter,' and deserve as 'desarve.'
1t is quite probable that these old settlers pro
nounced the name Mount Desart, placing the
accent on the last syllable, but their pronuncia
ton and accentuation were Just as likely to bt
at fault as their photography, which we know
was wrong. In fact, | was told by one of the
| oldest natives of the island. now over 80 wears
of age, the grandson of the first settler, that
Mount Desart, accenting the last syllable, was
the pronunciation of the early settlers, and thi.
doubtless accounts for the misprOnunciation OF
| the word by native islanders at the present
time; but when we know the origin and mean
| ing Of the name, there can be no doubt as to
what the pronunciation should be. In the
pronunciation practised by Mount Desert peo
pie there is no significance whatever, and by il
the real meaning is obscured, while the Other
method is full of significance and expression
! concord, N. II. Statesman.