The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-12-14
MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Interesting Papers at Yesterdays
Meeting.

The First Maine Bishop-The First White
Man to Set Foot on the American Soil
Father Rasle's Dictionary-A Long List
of Recent Gifts.
There was fan interesting session oil
the Maine Historical Society yesterda y
Three papers were read in the afternoon
by Rev. E. c.. Cummings, Rev. Chas. +.
Allen, DID,, and Judge Williamson OF
Belfast. Rev. E. G. Cummings read
memorandum upon the "Rasle DIctlon-
ary.n which is now in the Howard
Library. 1t is the dictionary OF the
Abnaki language, which was spoken by
the Indians in large part of New Eng
land. He described the book. 1t was
written.by Father Rasle, as part of his
mission airy work in learning the Ian
guape. The writing is small, and gen
orally clear, sometimes elegant. 1t is
on one side of the leaf only. The part
that is least legible is the Abnaki part.
On one of the fly leaves there is this
writing in clear hand:
Dictionary of the Abnaki language
of Father Sebastian Rasle. the gift of
Middlescott Cooke, of Boston, in 1904"
"The First Maine Bishop" was the
subject of very interesting paper by
DR.. Chas. E. Allen. The first bishop was
Joshua Soule, born in Bristol. Me-. in
1871. He became bishop of the Metho
dist church (the first Maine citizen to be
come bishop in 1924, at the age of 43
wears. He resided then in New York.
and was one of the four bishops VINO
directed the Methodist church in this-
country.
He was only four yeras old wnen his
family went into the Maine woods at
Avon. He had no schooling there, was
self educated, and was converted there
when mere boy. He commenced preach
! ing when he was II years old, and went
over the State with the presiding elder
| When IS years old he was apo inted
i preacher on the Portland circuit. He
| later preached in Boston, Baltimore An d
New York. He started the Methodist
magazine in New York IN 1916, and had
| 10000 subscrib beers the first year. In
1924 be was eleced bishop. In the great
| anti-slavery agitation, when the Southern
| Methodists seeded from the church, he
went with the South, and became the
senior Bishop of the Southern Method ist
| church. He was opposed to secession.
however. He died in 1867 at Nashville,
| Tenn, in the seth year of his age.
The subject of Judge Williamson s
paper was Martin Ring and His Voy
ages" He was an Englishman, born in
1890. At the age of % he was sent at
| the special instance of Haklwyt, an his
torian, and by leading merchants OF
Bristol, Eng, with the assent of Sir
| Walter,Haleigh, to undertake an expedi-
ton OF discovery in the north part OF
Virginia. He had two ships. OF 50 ana
| 26 tons burden. He sailed the 10th OF
April, 1908, and reached the Fox islands.
at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, now
| vinalhaven snd Northhaven. The name
came from the finding of foxes there.
| Thence he reached Casco Bay and en-
/ tered the mouth of the Saco, Kennebunk
and York rivers. and later the Piscata-
! qua. He was the first white man
| known to have set foot upon the soil OF
| Miane. His journal describes some parts
| of our coast. y ~
j. From Piscataqua he went to Martha's
Vineyard, or as some say, Plymouth
I H arbor, whre he stayed. six weeks, and
obtained cargo of sassafras, worth sc
pounds ton IN England, for its medici-
nal qualities. Without making any set.
Element he returned after six months
absence.
He made other explorations in 1906.
and died in 1926, aged 40, and imposing
monument to his memory now stands in
a church in Plymouth.
At the evening session Hon. gorge F.
Emery presented the society w1Gn me
Rev. H. S. Burrage,. DID,. read paper
upon Monhegan, with which fas cinatine
island he is very famil ar, and Rev.
Charles H. Pope read a paper entitled
"Machias in the Revolution"
The unusual press upon our columns
prevents any more than this mention OF
| these two papers.
4 The report OF Mr.. Fl. W. Bryant. libra
rian and cabinet keeper. after eumera..
ting a long list OF new books and
pamphlets, stated the following recent
gifts:
A copy of Lemuel Moodyts plan OF r al
mouth. 1775. ..,
A copy of plan offFort Balifax:
A drawing of the Wadsworth Mansion
all from Nathan Goold.
A collection of the photographs OF thu
| Is school houses OF Deering, in frame
from T.. B. Chapman.
| Several cabinet photographs from M.
Fixing. -.
Pair embroidered Chinese boy'i
shoes, from l.. M. Douglass.
CoIiection of copper and silver coins
from the s. l.. Stephenson estate.
Three account books of Smith q Still
| man Of Manhias. 176l-1772: also severa