The Portland daily press., 1892-03-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

period of the 18th century. The fourth
volume, just issued is The Sagadahoc
Colony, comprising the Relation of a
: Voyage into New England, lambeth
Ms.) with an introduction and notes by
the Rev. Henry O. Thayer, OF Limington.
1t is cap quarto of 200 pages, printed on
heavy cream laid paper uncut, with illu-
minated title, from the press of Stephen
Berry, and illustrated with fine picture
of Chief Justice Popham, with maps,
plans, etc., among them the rare and
valuable plan of Fort ST. George obtained
from Spain through our Spanish minis
ter. Only two hundred copies are pub
lished of this series, SO that it may be
seen that they are not intended for the
general public, but for libraries which
care to preserve rare and valuable works
printed in careful and elegant manner,
but the general public is interested to
know what historical students are doing
to preserve the ancient chronicles of our
state. Mr.. Thayer may well be proud to
have this handsome volume appear I'M
der his name, as an evidence of his dill
gence and ability as a historical student.
The author of the narration is not known
but Mr.. Thayer is probably correct in as
cribing it to James Davies the pilot of
the expedition. The narration itself
covers the time from the commencement
of the voyage, June 1, 1907 until Sept. rs,
of the same year, and is supplemented
by Strachey's History which gives the
history of the colony until its return to
England in the autumn of 1908. The
manuscript is in the Lambeth Library in
London, and a copy Of it was obtained by
Mr.. James P. Baxter when in England.
The main points Of interest in it are first
colony actually settled in Maine for
year at 80 early date, thirteen years
before the Plymouth colony, and second
the actual site of their settlement.
The discovery in Spain of the original
plan of the Fort seems to establish the
latter point under the careful explana-
tons of Mr.. Thayer, who has himself
lived twenty years in the vicinity and
given much time to the subject. There
has been much difference of opinion and
discussion about this, but Mr.. Thayer
considers every argument and brings
wealth of evidence to meet it. He quotes
all the literature upon the Sagadahoc
colony and gives sketch of the Popham
Family. Apart from the interest of the
subjects discussed the old narrative itself
has much of interest, describing our
coasts as they appeared almost three
hundred years ago. For instance, itsays
$50 the boat went presently from the
ship unto point of an island, and there,
at low water, in one hour killed near
fifty great Holsters. You shall see them
where they lie in shoal water not past a
yard deep, and with a great hook made
fast to a staff you shall hitch them up.
There are great store of them; you may
near lade ship with them. And they
are of great bigness. have not seen the
like in England"
Think of that original plenty at this
day when they cost double the price Of
beef and we are destroying the last re-
mains of them by shipping the little in
nocents off to Boston when they are no
bigger than crabs. Imagine the diction-
airy of A. d. 2O00 saying ''The lobster
was crustaceous fish once found on the
coast of Maine, &C." We read also
about the Kennebec:-'sWe found great
stores of grapes exceeding good and
sweet, of two sorts, both red, but the one
of them is marvellous deep red. By
both the sides of this river the grapes
grow in abundance" This agrees with
the experience of the Mortimer further
southwest, and does not demonstrate any
change of climate, but indicates that the
native grapes were good, and ripened
early. 1t is a pity that we cannot get
cuttings of that marvellous deep red va
riety.
But the reader must look for himself,
and Mr.. Thayer has filled his pages with
comments of rare interest and curious
learning. There are but ten complete
sets remaining to be obtained of the
Gorges Series. Mr.. Fl. w. Bryant, Port
land, receives applications for them.
Equatorial America, descriptive of
visit to st. Thomas, Martinique, Barba-
does, and the principal capitals Of South
America. By Maturin M. Ballou,
Boston & New York: Houghton, Miflin
& Co. Mr.. .Ballou enjoys yoyaging so
much that he wonders why any stay at
home who can command the time and
means of going abroad. But as all can
not go the next best thing is to read
what others have written of remote
scenes and cities. In this way shadows
become substance and dreams realities.
The voyage to the West Indies and
South America affords the author oppor-
tunities of observing and expatiating
upon the beauties of tropical scenery,
fauna and flora. He describes to us the
people, their dress, manners and mode of
living. He has an eye for the picturesque
Go