Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-07-14


Wiscasset. Here they discovered the
indian village. its sycamore, and about
thirty OF the tribe. 1t was most friendly
conference, and after disposing OF some
trinkets among the delighted savages, a
treaty was entered upon. The following
oay, guided by the Indians, the French
made the passage from the Sheepscot into
another stream.
The annals Of this trip, written by
Ihamplain, are as follows, SO far as they
relate TO this immediate adventure: "Pas-
sing by some islands each OF the savaQes
lett an arrow near cape by which all
must pass; they believed that unless they
do this the devil will bring about some
misfortune. They live in superstition as
well as many others. Near this cape we
passed fall OF water, but it was not done
| without great difficulty, for although we
had fair and fresh wind and carried all
the sail we possibly could, we were obliged
to take hawser ashore and fasten il to
the trees, and then pull with all our
strength, and thus by main force and the
| favoring wind, we got through
1.-THE savages who were with us carried
their canoes along the shore, being unab
to make Roadway with their paddles.
After having passed the fall we saw beau
tifui meadows lands. / was much aston
ished at this fall because we descended
easily with the tide, but at the fall it was
against US, but above the fall it ebbed as
before much to our satisfaction.
Pursuing our route we came to a lake
which is three or four leagues long with
islands in it. Here descend two rivers, the
Quinibequy which comes from the north
east, and another which comes from the
northwest, by which Marchim and Sa-
zanou were to come, but having waited
the whole OF this day without seeing them
we resolved to keep our time employed
and so weighed anchor and came to the
mouth Of the river
According to General John Marshall
Brown, whose brochure upon Champlain's
explorations is warm and deserved trib-
ute to the genius OF Champlain and his in
f1uence in the colonization OF the Maine
coast: SIT is evident that Champlain ex-
plored the Sheepscot to the northern ex-
tremity Of Westport, descended the river
on the west side Of the island, passed close
to what is now Hockomock Point, pulled
the vessel through the upper He'll Gate and
so entered the Kennebec proper and passed
on the Merrymeeting bay. The descent
was made through the channel to the site
OF Fort Popham where they probably
anchored unless they made harbor lit
tie further to the westward.
Mr.. Sylvester, in his charming chapter
on the explorers, is Of the opinion that
General Browns tracing Of the trail is
correct. Champlain used up four days in
his "spyeing about, being delayed by
fog. 1t was the eighth OF July when he
sailed away westward toward Casco bay.
1t is evident that Champlain put in about
three weeks around Casco bay and Cape
Cod which latter he designated as Cap
Blanc, or White Cape. When he again
sailed down the coast homeward he ran
into the mouth of the Saco river, then
called the Chouacoet. Here he met
Marchim, the sagamors of the lands
around Caseo bay, whom it will be noted
above he had expected to meet up the
Sheepscot earlier in the month. Cham
plains chronicles give a very circumstan-
tial and picturesque account of meeting
Marchim, and described him as having a
fine manner with all his gestures and
movements grave and dignified.
on THE KESNEBEc,
Four days later Champlaln had reached
the mouth of the Kennebec where he met
another Indian sycamore, named Anassou.
Champlain says in his chronicles;
.Anassou told 10 thefe was vessel six
leagues from the harbof ~sieh had been
engaged in fishing, and the people on
board had killed five savages of this river
under the pretense of friendship and ac-
cording to bis description we judged them
to be English, and named the island
where they were LIE Nef, because at that
distance II had that appearance"
lie Nef Is the French word for vessel,
ship. The island was Monhegan, and
1t Is believed by our Maine historians, in
Guiding Mr.. Sylvester, whose story we are
following herein, that this vessel was
Weymouth's "Archangel'. From this adj
venture at the mouth Of the Kennebec,
ChampIain evidently went directly back
to Port Royal. Many of DuMonts' follow
ers went back to France that year, but
Champlain remained, intending, as he
says, by the grace OF God, to finish and
perfect the chart which he had commenced
Of this country and of this coast.
1t was in September, 1905, that Cham
plain made his third voyage OF discovery
along the coast of Maine. The first of
these, it will be remembered, reached only
to Monhegan, the second, which we have
Just outlined, went as far as Cape Cod; the
third brought him, after six days pas
sage, to the mouth Of the Kennebec where
his vessel came very near to shipwreck
amid the currents which are peculiar to
this place. Says Mr.. Sylvester: Ellis stay
here was brief, as his destination was the
Cap Blanc OF the preceding year, and it