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" Your commissioner, Mr. W. W. Thomas, jun., one evening last summer, assembled his little colony of immigrants to partake of a collation, where good wishes and kind words were exchanged. We, the remaining friends, left with confidence our brethren and sisters in his care: his last and firm assurance was, ' All that has been promised will be kept.'
" Yes, sir, these promises have been kept, but not only that : they have been far surpassed by your generosity. The poor immigrants, landing on your shores, have been received and greeted with the most friendly wel- come. Their homes established, their future secured, they have not been disappointed in their hopes by the difficulties and grievances of the real state of things.
" The young colony will probably be the nucleus of an extended coloni- zation; and you will not, sir, I feel sure, find the hardy Swedes ungrateful, and unworthy of your kindness : they would then, surely, be unworthy of their origin.
" The colony of ' New Sweden ' has requested and authorized the writer of this letter to convey to you, Honorable Governor of the State of Maine, the expression of their sentiments of deep gratitude; and you will kindly allow me, sir, to add thereto the expression of the same sentiments of many other Swedes, who have followed the immigrants with their sympathies.
" Allow me at the same time to express to the people of Maine, who have received their new brethren with so much cordiality, the thanks of the colo- nists ; who have mentioned more especially two gentlemen, Mr. W. W. Thomas, jun., and Mr. P. P. Burleigh, land-agent, as objects of their grati- tude and high esteem.
"May the young colony of ' New Sweden' grow and flourish, not only in material strength, but even in developing their moral and intellectual faculties ! And may the new population thus add to your State and to your . great Republic a good and healthy element of moral power from the Old World, and, becoming imbued with the spirit of your free institutions, reflect that spirit on their native land !
" What we have lost, at present, in the old fatherland, will then not have been lost to humanity: on the contrary, the trees have only been trans-
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planted on a fresher soil, where they will thrive better, and give richer and more abundant fruits. God bless the harvest ! God bless your land !
"I am, sir, with the highest esteem,
" Your obedient servant,
"G. A. HEDLUND "
Gov. Chamberlain had taken a deep interest in this en- terprise, and had fostered it with truly parental care. The State erected, in all, twenty-six houses for the immigrants who arrived in the year 1870. Since then the Swedes have erected one hundred and four houses in addition. Thus their settle- ment, early in 1875, numbered a hundred and thirty houses. They have also the same number of barns. Two steam-mills and a water-power saw-mill have been put in operation. There is a very prosperous store in the centre of the village; and it is generally admitted that the Swedes manufacture the best shaved shingles in the county. Their great prosperity may be inferred from the fact, that they owned, at the commencement of the year 1875, twenty-six horses, five colts, forty-one oxen, a hun- dred and twenty-one cows, nine heifers, fifty-one calves, sixty- eight sheep, and a hundred and twenty-five swine. They had good roads. A post-office was established in their village. On the 14th of October last, one hundred and thirty-three men came forward to take the preliminary steps toward becoming citizens of the land of their adoption.
The Swedes are Protestants, and eminently a moral and reli- gious people. They have a day-school, taught by their pastor. There is an average attendance of eighty scholars. The Eng- lish language is the chief study. Most of the children over ten years of age can read, write, and speak English respectably well. There are now more than one hundred native Americans born of these Swedish parents.
About one thousand Swedes have been led to emigrate to this State, who have not taken farms in New Sweden, but who have settled in Maine, and are engaged in various useful employ- ments. The young girls are highly prized as house-servants ; and the men are greatly valued for their industry and their integrity. The population of New Sweden now amounts to about six hundred. There are not less than sixteen hundred
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Swedes in the State of Maine. These have all paid their own passage, have brought with them one hundred thousand dollars in coin; and it is estimated that their value, as a producing force, is worth to the State one million six hundred thousand dollars.
It is now certain that this valuable Swedish immigration will continue to flow into Maine. All special State supervision over the colony has ceased. The settlement is steadily advancing in prosperity. Rapidly the forest is disappearing, and giving place to cultivated fields smiling with rich harvests. The Swedes have won for themselves a very desirable reputation. Kindly feelings arise whenever one is introduced to man or woman as coming from Sweden.
It is believed that this successful enterprise in founding the colony of New Sweden will eventually lead a large emigration of the population of Scandinavia to our vast northern domain. The Northmen, justly called the "sea-kings " of Northern Europe, were the first discoverers of the shores of New Eng- land, centuries before the eyes of Columbus caught a glimpse of the tropical islands of this New World. The inhabitants of Maine will ever present a cordial welcome to all the descend- ants of those bold adventurers.
"Honor to whom honor is due." The State owes a debt of gratitude, which it will be ever happy to acknowledge, to the illustrious citizen whose sagacity planned this great enterprise, and whose energy and humanity have contributed so much to its successful achievement. The Hon. P. P. Burleigh, in a report as land-agent of the State, writes, -
" For this new impulse in the great pioneer work of settlement, the State is principally indebted to the skill and untiring efforts of the commissioner of emigration, Mr. W. W. Thomas, jun., who has, on both sides of the Atlantic, devoted himself to the cause in a manner worthy the thanks of the State. The success which has thus far crowned his efforts is a fitting testimony to his faithfulness and ability in the conduct of the enterprise."
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CHAPTER XXV.
THE PICTURESQUE ATTRACTIONS OF MAINE.
Portland and Casco Bay - Seashore Resorts -Isles of Shoals - The Beaches - Cape Arundel and Old Orchard - Bath to Rockland, and up the Penobscot - Mount Desert - Lake Sebago - Mt. Pleasant and the Saco -The Valley of the Androscoggin - Rangeley Lakes and Sandy River - The Kennebec Valley - Moosehead Lake and the Aroostook.
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[For the chapter which follows, we are indebted to the pen of Rev. Prof., Edward Payson Thwing of Brooklyn, N.Y. It is from personal observation that he has been able to give so graphic a description of scenery which charms every beholder.]
A PARTY of gentlemen at Venice were discussing the relative attractiveness of localities visited by them. It was conceded that Italy abounded in magnificent scenery ; but one of them, not an American, affirmed that the finest prospects he had ever enjoyed were at
PORTLAND AND CASCO BAY.
Latrobe, the English traveller, writes, " Imagine our surprise and delight when we found, in unsung and neglected Portland, scenery that for beauty, variety, and extent, far exceeds any views of the class in the States." He adds that the panorama on which the eye feasts at the Observatory on Munjoy Hill is equalled by nothing in America, except at the citadel of Quebec.
The Forest City still keeps the bulk of her beautiful trees ; and the palatial edifices that have risen from the ashes of the fire of 1866 attract admiration, not only as architectural embel- lishments, but as evidences of the enterprise of her people. The Custom House, Post-Office, City Hall, and Hospital, the cathedrals, churches, school edifices, and many of the elegant private residences that adorn the slopes of either hill, present
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an imposing appearance to the stranger entering the harbor. Nor is the view less picturesque from the bay in the rear of Portland, or from the grand promenades of Bramhall's Hill and Munjoy, looking seaward, or in the direction of the White Mountains.
The location of the city, its healthfulness, and the beauty of its surroundings, with its matchless harbor and bay gemmed
PORTLAND OBSERVATORY.
with three hundred and sixty-five islands, and its abundant railroad facilities, make its future growth and prosperity certain.
Two lines of railway have long connected it with Boston; but the new extension of the Boston and Maine Railroad along the seashore opens a delightful route for the summer tourist, while the short line from New York, vid Worcester, Nashua, und Rochester, reduces time and trouble, besides conducting
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him through the diversified scenery of Southern New Hamp- shire, and so along the valley of the Presumpscot to Portland. The excellent facilities for steamboat travel between New York or Boston and the Forest City are all that can be desired by
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CITY HALL, PORTLAND.
those who believe that the summer resorts of Maine are equal to those of more pretentious claims.
In Longfellow's poem, "My Lost Youth," the poet tells in. verse of the charms of his native place,-
" The beautiful town that is seated by the sea."
In the recently published volume "Portland Illustrated," by John Neal, the tourist will find every thing necessary to guide his steps in the city, or the charming environs. A brief sketch
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will now be given of the seashore resorts. Drake's "Nooks and Corners " is the completest manual for the New England coast, and is indispensable to a full outfit.
SEASHORE RESORTS.
The Isles of Shoals are eight in number, and part of them belong in Maine. The cairn on the summit of Appledore is said to have been erected by Capt. John Smith in 1614 ; and tales of
CUSTOM HOUSE, PORTLAND.
Capt. Kidd and his treasure, Black Dinah and her divining rod, Philip Babb with his ghostly knife, besides more recent trage- dies, invest these wild, rocky islets with peculiar interest. The distance from main land is but nine miles, and steamboats con- nect with the Eastern Railroad at Portsmouth. Pullman cars run on all through trains on this road. Invalids to whom a sea- voyage has been recommended, especially those suffering from hay-fever, find in the salubrious climate of these islands entire
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relief, and enjoy the benefits of a sea-voyage without its dis- comforts.
Appledore and Star Islands have each a large and elegant hotel, with every facility for bathing, fishing, and sailing. The florist and naturalist only need Celia Thaxter's dainty little vol- ume to tell them where to find the haunts of the sea-anemones, the scarlet pimpernel, the crimson sorrel, the purple pea, and
POST OFFICE, PORTLAND.
the varied finny tribes, bonito and blue-fish, the slender pollock, the thrasher, and porpoise. Her exquisite pictures of scenery, and her tragic tales of storm and shipwreck, are full of interest to the tourist.
Kittery, one of the oldest towns, has many attractions ; among them the U. S. Navy Yard, Fort McClary, and the mansion ard tomb of the Pepperells, the old church and parsonage. There is a new hotel at the Point.
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From Kittery, along the shore northward, there are delightful views of ocean, mountain, and river. Near the site of the ancient city of York, Mount Agamenticus towers ; and but a short ride from the cars is York Beach, two miles long and five hundred feet wide. The views from " The Pulpit," the topmost point of Bald Head Cliff, rising a hundred feet abruptly above the sea, from Cape Neddock, " The Nubble," and Boone Island, attract many visitors.
Wells Beach, six miles long, is much frequented, being so near the new railroad from Boston, and in the neighborhood of trout-
THE CLIFFS. CAPE ARUNDEL, ME.
streams and woods, where the sportsman finds the snipe, the curlew, the woodcock, the partridge, and other game. Ample private and public accommodations are had for guests. Passing northward, and crossing Mousam River, Kennebunk is reached. Twenty-five minutes ride in easy coaches brings one to the Port, and Cape Arundel, where is one of the finest summer resorts on the Atlantic coast.
Unlike Newport in elaborate beauty or tiresome convention- alities, it offers a peculiar charm for those who prefer the grander primitive attractions of forest and shore, the beauty of
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BOSTON & MAINE RAILROAD BRIDGE, SACO, MI,
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native wildness, and the restful quiet of simpler living, with unfettered communion with Nature herself. Unlike almost all watering-places, it has neither the hot land-breeze nor the bitter east winds direct, but, facing the south-west, a uniform, equable and invigorating air, night and day. There are three beaches in crescent curves, suited for riding or bathing, bold headlands with rifts and chasms, volcanic beds, " The Blowing Cave," - a huge watery cannon sending out explosions, - spouting rocks, a ruined fort, " Hermit's Retreat," and other localities that will be appreciated by the naturalist, the artist, or idler in search of healthful repose. Cape Porpoise, the Goose Rocks, and the White Mountains fill up a picture of enchanting loveliness when evening comes, -
" With sunset purple, soothing all the waste."
A number of literary and business men from Boston have en- joyed cottage life here the past three years; but recently the name of Cape Arundel has so widely spread, that the veteran hotel-keeper of New England has opened a spacious and com- fortable hostelry, in connection with which ample provision is made for fishing, riding, bathing, or sailing.
Keeping along the coast a few miles farther, the cars stop at Biddeford and Saco, from either of which cities the " Pool " and Wood Island may be reached, -delightful retreats, with groves where picnics gather, and quiet nooks that look out over the blue Atlantic. There is also a waterfall on Foxwell's stream, sixty feet in height, with varied and wild scenery.
Old Orchard is quite a populous village, which has sprung up by magic, as it were, since the new route of travel passes this favorite watering-place. A hard, smooth beach extends nine miles, and so wide that a dozen or more carriages may drive abreast. Several hotels and a score of smaller houses are open during the season. Pine Point, Prout's Neck, Blue Point, are easily accessible.
Old Orchard has been a place of summer resort for two hun- dred years. The orchard that gave the name, long ago disap- peared ; and but three gravestones remain over the dust of the ancient colonists that once found there a home. The scenic
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and historic mingle their charms in this romantic spot. The sequestered loveliness of Fern Park, near the site of the Old Orchard House, has hardly a parallel in the country. To the natural beauty of a hillside forest, are added graceful arbors, rustic retreats wrought by cunning art, and embellished with quaint conceits ; while the trees along the avenues bear on wooden tablets elegant extracts from English and American poets. The Oratory, the Astronomer's Seat, the Parson's Lodge, and the monument to Mr. Bull the projector, are among the most interesting objects.
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME.
The Methodists have wisely chosen Old Orchard for camp- meetings, both local and national. They own about fifty acres of land, pleasantly diversified and shaded ; also a fine auditorium formed by natural circular slopes, and capable of seating twenty thousand people. A large number of permanent cottages have been erected, and streets laid out. It bids fair to be a successful rival of Martha's Vineyard.
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Short excursions from Portland to the islands of Casco Bay, White Head, Cape Elizabeth, Harpswell, and Freeport, will de- lightfully employ the leisure of one's summer days. Eastman's " Eastern Coast Guide," Mr. Kellogg's "Elm Island Stories," and Mrs. Stowe's " Pearl of Orr's Island," will make the trips more enjoyable. An excursion by rail through Westbrook, Gorham, Alfred, and Rochester to Alton Bay, with sixty miles
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WHITEHEAD CLIFFS.
sail on Lake Winnepiseogee, can be made, and the tourist return the same evening to Portland.
The route to Brunswick and Bath, by the Maine Central Rail- road, thence along the line of the Knox and Lincoln Railroad to Rockland, and the steamboat excursions daily made from Bath to Boothbay, present charming attractions. From Owl's Head up the Penobscot to Bangor, unfolds a panorama of beauty
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which an eminent Harvard professor declared surpassed the storied Rhine.
Camden is a popular resort, and the drives about the lake and mountain are justly admired. Our missionaries from the East have remarked that the Syrian hills seemed pictured in the western shores of the Penobscot at this point. The view from Mount Megunticook, fourteen hundred feet high, is pronounced by a well-known author one of "indescribable grandeur." The appearance of Belfast from the river is imposing. Passing Searsport, Stockton, and Fort Pownal, the stranger is impressed with the scenery at Bucksport Narrows, where the Penobscot makes a sharp bend, and the high, bold headland is guarded by Fort Knox. Its powerful batteries effectually close the river to a hostile fleet. Chains, too, have been stretched across the Narrows in bygone days, as an additional protection. From this point to Bangor there are constant surprises at each turn of the winding stream. Frankfort and Winterport and Hampden in turn appear. The latter is the home of the late Vice-Presi- dent Hamlin. Here the frigate " John Adams " was run ashore and burned in 1779.
Bangor is a beautiful city, diversified with valley and hill and river. It has handsome streets, with fine drives, particularly on the Hampden road and to Mount Hope cemetery. The outlook from the seminary tower is a commanding one, as is that from the opposite heights beyond the Kenduskeag. The tourist will gladly linger here many days. A few hours' excursion brings him to Castine, rich in historical interest, beautiful in situation, and peopled by families of high culture. It was settled two and a half centuries ago ; and many valuable relics remain of the significant epochs of its religious and military history.
Sedgwick and Deer Isle and Isle au Haut present charming views, and are well worthy a visit by those who love fine scenery, or would grow ruddy on healthful fare and by invigorating air. Constant communication is had by steamers with Portland.
Mount Desert is too well known as a summer resort to need description in detail. The Maine Central Railroad now runs a branch to a point opposite the island; but the stranger ought not to fail of going one way, at least, by Portland steamer. He will find
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it a pleasant trip to stop at South-West Harbor, and cross the island leisurely on foot or in the saddle to Bar Harbor ; not omitting the ascent of Green Mountain, from which Katahdin is seen, one hundred and twenty miles distant as the bird flies, while seaward the prospect is enchanting. The writer has feasted his eyes on some of the fairest scenes on either side the Atlantic, but never saw the equal, in all respects, to this " bright mosaic of island and bay," as Clara Barnes Martin has felicitously described this landscape.
In his legend of " Mogg Megone," Whittier tells of the objects that meet the gaze of the traveller looking from the summit of this mountain.
" Beneath the westward turning eye A thousand wooded islands lie ; Their thousand tints of beauty glow Down in the restless waves below. There sleep Placentia's group; There gloomily against the sky The Dark Isles rear their summits high ; And Desert Rock, abrupt and bare, Lifts its gray turret in the air, Seen from afar, like some stronghold Built by the ocean kings of old; And faint as smoke wreath, white and thin, Swells, in the north, vast Katahdin ; And, wandering from its marshy feet, The broad Penobscot comes to meet And mingle with its own bright bay."
This is but one of the attractions of this island. There are thirteen mountains and thirteen lakes, few of them bereft of story, all interesting alike to the student of geology, the sports- man, the florist, and the artist. Blue-bells, morning-glories, white and yellow water-lilies, the twin-flower, the mountain- cranberry, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and huckle- berries, with other fruits and flowers in their season, abound to an extent which leads the delighted visitor to regard the name of the island a strange misnomer. The memory of a month at Mount Desert, at the noontide of the year, is itself a summer idyl, and will combine the elements of choicest interest and most enduring pleasure.
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The views in and about Machias, Eastport, Quoddy Head, the dark palisades of Grand Menan, and the Old Friar, a tall columnar rock of striking profile, with distant views of the Chamcook Hills and the valley of the St. Croix, seen from the ramparts of Fort Sullivan, are among the last of the number- less picturesque attractions that clothe the seashore of Maine. As this coast line measures three thousand miles, followed throughout its manifold irregularities, it is obvious that this brief monograph can record but a small portion of what could be said of this feature of the attractiveness of Maine as a summer resort.
MAINE LAKES AND MOUNTAINS.
"Two voices are there: one is of the sea, One of the mountains; each a mighty voice."
Lake Sebago and the beauties that skirt our " American Switzerland " in that neighborhood first demand attention. During the season of travel, one can leave Boston in the morn- ing, dine in Portland, and reach the summit of Mount Pleasant before tea, having enjoyed thirty miles' sail in the midst of scenes of incomparable beauty. The visitor who has made Portland his summer home can take the mountain and lake excursion in a day, and return at evening. The line of the Ogdensburg Railroad passes along the suburbs of Stroudwater, Deering, and Westbrook, near the birthplace of the lamented Gov. Andrew at Windham, up the beautiful Presumpscot, till suddenly Lake Sebago bursts in view, - a broad, blue expanse of water, fourteen miles long, with the Rattlesnake Range, Mount Pleasant, and Mount Washington, in the dim distance.
Two stanch steamers connect with the trains. An hour is consumed in passing over the lake. Indian Island, the " Notch," Frye's Island, the Cave, - a favorite haunt of Nathaniel Haw- thorne in his boyhood, - and the " Images," a curious mass of rocks rising some seventy feet above the lake, are a few of the noteworthy objects. But the famous passage of the Songo is the great delight. Here you must sail six miles and make twenty-seven turns to advance about two miles in a direct line. The passage of the Lock, the novelty of the zigzag progress up
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the narrow river, the sylvan beauty of the overshadowing trees and swallow-haunted banks, all make this part of the trip a vivid pleasure. Two miles across the Bay of Naples, and you reach Chute's River, which opens into Long Lake. Nine miles' sail in view of the Harrison Hills, farms, and woodlands, brings
LAKE SEBAGO.
the tourist to Bridgeton wharf. A short ride to the village, and thence a few miles farther to the base of Mount Pleasant, intro- duces him to some of the most attractive views of valley, lake, and hillside. The summit is 2,018 feet high, and commands a circuit of three hundred miles. Fifty lakes may be seen ; and the view of villages, rivers, and mountains is much preferred to
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that of Mount Washington. A new and spacious hotel affords every comfort to those who tarry over night to behold the sunset and sunrise glories. Coaches to Brownfield accommo- date those bound to North Conway and the West by the new railroad through the Notch. Between the mountains and Lake Sebago are many pleasant villages, where, along the banks of the winding Saco, in full view of the White Hills, families from the city have made their summer home. Baldwin
BONNY EAGLE FALLS, BUXTON, HOLLIS AND STANDISII, ME.
and Cornish and Brownfield are thriving towns ; and the easy access to them by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad has now given them a new importance.
The view from Mt. Cutler and other elevations in Hiram, the summer residence of the writer, is admired by artists, em- bracing, as it does, the grand amphitheatre of mountains from Chocorua to Mount Washington, with Kearsarge in the fore- ground, a bold pyramid 3,367 feet in height. The " Great
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