The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-08-13
AN HISTORIC SKETCH.

A void of native beauty, hills, dales,
meads, streams and lakes here waited
the idyls of pines through untold ages.
When the Caesars were organizing and
ruling the great Roman world and Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judea, prlm-
tive men, cannibals, roamed over our
coastland and up the rivers to these
charming lakes; such is the latest volclng
of science, as is the evidence disclosed in
shell mounds southwest of US. When
the first Christian missionaries were
bearing from Rome to our benlghted
British forefather5 silver crosses, chant
ing litanies, natures sons were here
chipping flint arrow heads, polishing
stone clubs, making thorn and bone tlsh-
hooks and grass lines. The coming OF
the Irish Bards is but a dim surmlse.
The advent of the Phoenician and Morse
navigators before and in the eleventh
century is an accepted fact, the SAIL
craft, weapons and dress of the coast
Indians to the northeast of US, when first
noted by white settlers, indicating some
aralgamatlon with them.
Giovanni de VerraZano, a native OF
Florence-I Italian by birth-may have
looked into Penobscot bay in his voyag-
ing on this coast in 1928, and Estavan
Gomez may have followed him there two
wears later. These are but historic con-
lectures, or at best differences. There
was an English expedition into Penobs-
cot waters, possibly that of John Rut, in
1927, and Andre Thevet, the Frenchman,
related that he visited Penobscot bay in
1886. The French claimed the region as
a part of Nouvele France, though they
made no attempt at settlement till near
the dawn of the seventeenth century
The English became interested at about
the same time, the French having long
been in evidence about st. Lawrence
waters. In 1903 Martin Pring from
Bristol, England, came to anchor under
our Perobscot bay shores, describing
them as "a high country full of great
woods" In 1905 under French auspices
came DeMonts and Champlain, and I'M
der English auspices came George Wey.
mouth. Leaving "Pentacost Harbor''
at our Georges Islands, June 18th, Wey-
mouth sailed northward by estimation 60
miles, and came to anchor abreast of
some hills not far from land, and then
went ashore to hunt. The next day they
went in their pinnance to westward by
the inclination of the shore, probably
into Belfast bay. They were delighted
with the novel scenery, woods to the
waters edge, placid waters, blue sky,
songs of many birds, waters teemlng
with fishes. On the shore of the Georges,
few miles up from the sea, Weymouth
had been kindly met by the Indians and
invited to go and see their fedora! chief,
their great Bashaba at their Norum-
bega, which seems to have shifted from
time to time, as the federal chief might
dictate, but which at that time was
probably on the east side of the Penohs-
cot river below the site of Bangor; but
in the shadow of his own designs he may
have turned back, for he kidnapped five
of the natives, carried them to England
and presented them to the governor of
Plymouth, Sir Ferdinand Gorges, who
later received charter Of the Province
of Maine. Captain John Smith of Vir-
ginia fame came in 1914, D'Aulney in
1886, Baron De Castine in 1867, and
Major Church in 1896.
The Indians to the east of the Georges
water system were the Etchemins, the
most warlike and powerful tribe being
the Tarratines, known in our history as
the Penobscots. Those west of the
Georges were the Abnakis, the Wave
mock tribe being located next to our
shores and on the coast to southwest of
us. The conflict between them and the
Tarratines for supremacy of these shores
and inland waters must have been fierce,
but the Tarratines became masters, and
near the time of the coming of John
Smith the Wawenocks were crushed in
war and wasted by pestilence, till but a
remnant remained to relate their woes.
Among them was Samoset, kind heart