Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-03-10
FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1911.
LIE LION COUCHANT.

We have received several more let
tiers in regard to the permanent name
of the mountain whose first name, so
far as we yet have knowledge, was that
which heads this article, given it by the
great French discoverer Champlain,
lie Lion Couchant-the COUGHING Lion.
But Professor Howard of Middlebury
College informs us that he is very GER
tain that he has seen the name which
the Indians called it, he thinks, in some
book in the Middlebury College Library.
We hope the Professor will come
across this name again, for we think it
should be fairly considered in this con-
troversy.
The only Indian name that we remem-
Der of any of our Green Mountains is
Moosalamoo, for Dunmore Mountain.
And what Moosalamoo means in In
dian dialect we don't feel at all sure,
but it seems as if we had understood
that it meant THE Guide of the Great
Spirit" In connection we wonder if
any other Indian names of the Green
Mountains have been handed down.
Our townsman, Prof. D. McGregor
Means, sends US the following very
handsome letter from his winter resi-
dence in New York.
New York City, Feb. %, 1911.
Hon. Joseph Battell.
Dear Sir:
Like other readers of the Register,
/ am pleased with the idea of restoring
to Cancels Hump the name given it by
Champlain. The propriety of the name
does not appear from every point of
view, but as one sees the Mountain from
the lake, or from the northwest in gen.
eral, the resemblance to Lion Couch
ant is very striking. Moreover, to
adopt the name proposed by the French
explorer, who may be called the dis
coverer of the Mountain-noI Indian name
being preserved would be to dedicate
to him monument more lasting than
any that can be raised by human hands,
and certainly more beautiful.
Rev. Henry w. Hubert, for years a
resident of our county, writes from his
present home at Portland, Me-:
March l, 1911
Hon. Joseph Battell,
Middlebury, Vt.
My dear Mr.. Battell:
notice that my venerable father is
trying to help you rename the Noun
tains of Vermont, and can sympathize
with his longing for the old name in
vented for Cancels Hump by Cham
plain, Lion Couchant." Certainly
would favor some change. Whatever
will happen, that most interesting ira
dtion coming down from the greatest
Frenchman that undertook to create a
New France, will always be illuminat-
ing. Did he see lion there that
prophetically turned out to be the
British Lion? If he did there must
have been a sardonic grin on its lionine
face as it looked down on that fatal
victory over the lriquois Indians which
in reality settled that through those
very Iriquois the English should domi-
nate the continent.
But | am doubtful about the wisdom
of naming the mountain 1.-The Lion" as
it would inevitably be called for short.
For myself like your suggestion of
Mt, Ethan Allen. He was a lionine
soul that was reused against the British
Lion and won out, he and his compeers.
That would be a good beginning. Per
haps other mountains could wisely give
over quite meaningless names to other
patriotic ones. Snake Mt, Buck Mt.
and so many others need such change.
Pardon this letter, but l thought ]
would add my mite to the discussion.
Most sincerely.
HENRY w. HUBERT.
We have also received the following
Ginning from "A DrOn1inent New Hamn.