Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-02
ABOUT rALLeYRAN0's VISIT.
What No Did In Maine. Where Ne Went
and Other Interesting Gossip.

There has of late been going TN
rounds of some of the Maine paper,
| bits Of local history or tradition re
speeding Talleyrand's visit to Maine
This. together with statements iron
some of the Maine authorities who have
Investigated the matter, have beer
compiled for the Bangor Commerce.
by linotype. and from 1t we take thf
| following:
i The esteemed Machias Union of re
cent date picks UP the matter. and de
clares that the French statesman was
lin that town late In the 18th century. a.
about the time when we suppose hi
was on his way through Maine after his
voyage over with stephen Clough Th(
Union has good ground for its claim. al.
though it has not been generally rec
ognized by Maine historians. 1t i
pretty well settled that Taileyrand did
visit Machias and that there he lived II
the house of one Judge Jones, whose
i family | do not know. Perhaps tbs
| Union can inform us Of this.
| 1t was probably 1893 or 1894 when
Talleyrand went to Machias; because II
1925, he was certainly with Gen. Knox
| in Thomaston, and in the summer 81
| 1874. he was in Augusta, living with
| friends at the inn Of Billy Pitts. then
the most famous public house Of Maine.
| And he was in Hallowell with William
Vaughn, too. at that time. From Au-
gusta 10 Thomaston and the south his
trail is clear, so that II must have been
| late in 1893 or early in 1874 that he VS.
| tied Judge Jones. in Machias.
No roads then led over the way from
the Kennebec 10 the st. Croix,--that Is,
no roads other than horse paths. But
the young Frenchman may have gone
there on the water. frogn Wiscasse5.
very likely, Immediately upon his ar
rival in Cloughs ship Sally"
But Il is said that at least one man
did go through that horse path with ]
vehicle. Gen. David Cobb of Gouids
borough. in 1897 IS. who forced his way
through To Machlas with a horse and
sleigh. and who thus won the record Of
being the only man who ever accom- :
plished the feat. The horse should haVe
heeu immortalized equally.
Judge Jones was 4 great man OF Ma
ehias. He was one of the first. per
haps the first, justices cf the peace east
OF the Penobscot river. and in law he
become a prominent figure OF that part
Of the United States. He Is described
as having been a master of literary
style and a person of rare mental pew
RS of concentration and execution. He
took strong patriotic ground durins
the Revolution. and used his pen 10 ad-
vantage on the side of his countrymen.
His father was Stephen Jones, killed
by Indians on Feb. %, 1141. in NOV.
Scotia He settled in Machias in li6d,
| hut his father was born in what is now
Portland He lived in Machias whet'
the postofiice now is.
Perhaps | can do no more for the
memory Of Jones than to quote tbs
Bangor Historical Register. edited by
my friend. Col. j. w. Porter:
AT The first town meeting held after
he incorporation of the town of Ma
chias. June %, 1854, he was elected mod
| orator. and continued to be elected
every year until his advancing age pre-
vented He held many other towr
offices. He was authority in all mat
tiers of business, politics or religion.
Upon the Incorporation of Washington
county, June %, 1889, which took effect
May, 1890, Mr. Jones was appointed
pleas. and judge of probate for 'ths
new county which offices he filled fol
many years with great acceptance.
'.In religion he was of the standing or
der a Puritan In faith and practice. lie
believed that the minister and the school
master were both necessary to build up
state, in all the elements of greatness
His house was open 10 all. his hospitality
unhourded. food and grog. as was the
custom was dispensed in plenty. No
man Of any consideration thought of
going by iMachias bay without going up
TO Machias to see Judge Jones. Among
those who partook of his hospitality
were Albert Gallatin upon his first arri-
val in this country, in 11S0; Gen. RUFUS
Putnam. his old compatriot In the French
war. on his way to survey Moose island
and other towns in 1874: Rev. Seth Noble.
an old friend. the first minister of Ban
eor, on his way to st. John river in July.
1871; Talleyrand, the great French min
lister. in 1888
SO much for Jones. He is well record
ed, you see, and there ought to be no
reason for misrepresentation regarding
the presence of Talleyrand with him in
1884 But there is another story. still.
The most sensational feature of the
Taleyrand discussion, which IS by no
means new in Maine, is that one en-
bodied in an argument drawn by Joseph
Williamson. Esq, of Belfast, the famous
Maine historian He gravely discusses
the probability of Talleyrands birth in
Mt. Desert island, and his argument is
so good that 1t Is worth printing, which
[ do below:
In 1892 the distinguished French states
man. Prince Talleyrand having been pre-
scribed by the Jacohns. sought refuge In
this country. where he remained until the
overthrow of Robespierre. One account
states that he first landed at Castine an
other at Wiscassst. and it is undisputed.
that during his exile. Thomaston Halo
well. Brunswick and Portland were Wis
tied by him. Some forty years ago the
New York Courier and Enquirer con-
tanned an interesting communication
from what was said to be most reliable
source. claiming that he was native of
Mount Desert. In this State. instead of
having been born in Paris. as all his
biographies have alleged The writer as
serted that his Information was derived
from Hon. Edward Robbins. of Boston
formerly lieutenant governor of Massa-