USA > Maine > The history of the state of Maine; from its first discovery, A. D. 1602, to the separation, A. D. 1820, inclusive, Vol. I > Part 2
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1697. Maj. Frost killed. A skirmish at Damariscotta. Treaty of Rys- wick negotiated.
1698-9. Indians sue for peace. Treaty of Mare-point. Losses.
APPENDIX.
No. 1 .- Patent of Acadia to De Monts: Nov. 8, 1603. Page 651 2 .- Patent of Nova Scotia to Sir W. Alexander. Sept. 10, 1621. 655
3 .- Narrative of Mrs. Hannah Swarton's Captivity, 1690-5. 657
INTRODUCTION.
GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF MAINE.
IN perusing the History of a country, it is desirable to have a previous acquaintance with its geography and natural productions. A view, therefore, is now to be taken of this State under the fol- lowing arrangement of particulars :-
SEC. I. The situation, extent and boundaries of Maine.
II. The face of the country, seacoast, rivers, mountains and soils.
III. The air, climate and seasons.
IV. The natural growths-trees, shrubs, plants, roots and vines.
V. The native animals-beasts, birds, fishes, vermes, rep- tiles, and insects.
VI. Minerals.
Our remarks upon these several subjects are intended to relate exclusively to this State ; and in exploring such difficult and un- trodden grounds, facts and fidelity, without perfect descriptions, are all which ought reasonably to be expected.
SECTION I.
Situation, extent and boundaries.
The state of Maine is situated between 43º 4' and 48° 6' north latitude ; and 66 50 and 70° 53 west longitude from London ; Latitude and or between 6° 15', and 10" 18', east longitude from the capitol Longitude. at Washington .*
* Maine was called Mavoshen or Mavooshen, by ancient voyagers and writers. In Purchas' Pilgrims, Mr. Hakluyt describes it to be " a country lying to the north and east of Virginia, between the degrees of 43 and 45. It is 40 leagues broad and 50 in length, lying in breadth east and west and in length north and south. It is bordered on the east side with a country, the people whereof they call Tarrantines; on the west with Ephistoma ; on the north with a great wood, called Senaglecouna ; and on the south with the main ocean, sea, and many islands. In Mavooshen it seemeth there are nine rivers-the westernmost of which is Shawacotoc [Saco]. VOL. I. 2
10
BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT
[INTRODUC.
Extent.
The southwesterly extremity of the State is Kittery point, on the eastern bank of Piscataqua river at its mouth, in latitude 43º 4' and in longitude 78' 34' west from London. Its western line from that point, which separates it from New-Hampshire, is 148 miles in length ; its northern line, which divides it from Canada, is about 290 miles long, in a direct course ; its eastern line, be- ginning at West-Quoddy-head, the southeastwardly corner of the State, in latitude 44° 43' north, and in longitude 66° 50' east from London, and extending thence to the northeast corner of the State, is about 234 miles long, and divides Maine from New- Brunswick. Its southerly line from Kittery point to West-Quod- dy-head, in a direction of N. E. by E. and in a straight course, is about 220 miles.
Area.
Its area has been variously estimated : Some have supposed it embraced a territory equal to 200 miles square, and consequently to contain a surface of 40,000 square miles, or 25,600,000 acres in land and water ; but by investigation, the State includes a ter- raqueous surface of about 35,000 square miles .* Of this it has been said one sixth part may be deducted, being covered with water.
Boundaries.
But in giving an exact description of the extent and boundaries of Maine, it is necessary to go into particulars.
Western line or bounds.
As we find its western line laid down in Gorges' charter, A. D. 1639, and in that of William and Mary, A. D. 1691, it runs, " from the entrance of Piscataqua harbour up through the same into the river Newichawannock and through the same into the farthest head thereof, and from thence northwestwards, till one hundred and twenty miles be finished."
Massachusetts and New-Hampshire had a long controversy about this line ;- to settle which, a commission was issued, April 9, 1737, under the great seal of England, to twenty colony coun- cilors, selected from New-York, New-Jersey, Rhode-Island and
At the head of this river-to the northwest, there is a small province which they call Crokemago, wherein is one town"-probably the Indian Pegwaket. 10 Purchas' Pil. chap. 1. A Description of the Country of Mavooshen, discovered by the English in the years 1602, 3, 5, 6, 7, S and 9.
* Geographers have estimated the residue of New-England at 32,232 square miles, thus, Vermont 10,237; New-Hampshire 9,491; Massachu- setts 6,250 ; Rhode-Island 1,580, and Connecticut 4,674 square miles. Mr. Greenleaf, in his survey, states the contents of Maine to be 33,223 square miles, or 21,263,000 acres, as estimated " under the head of grants and sales of lands."
11
OF MAINE.
SECT. I.]
Nova-Scotia ; of whom any five were to constitute a quorum Westerly " for settling, adjusting and determining the respective boundaries line. of Massachusetts and New-Hampshire in dispute."
Seven of them after holding a session in Hampton, New-Hamp- shire, and hearing the parties, made their determination, Septem- ber 2, 1737,-" that the dividing line shall pass up through the mouth of Piscataqua harbour and up the middle of the river into the river Newichawannock, part of which is now called Salmon Falls, and through the middle of the farthest head thereof, and from thence north 2° westerly, until 120 miles be finished from the mouth of Piscataqua harbour aforesaid, or until it meets with his Majesty's other governments ; that the same dividing line shall part the Isles of Shoals and run through the middle of the harbour between the Islands, to the sea on the southerly side ; and that the southwesterly part of the said Islands shall lie in and be accounted part of the Province of New-Hampshire and the northeasterly part belong to Maine." But the parties, not being satisfied, had a hearing before the king in council; and on the 5th of March, 1740, he settled and established the line, " north 2º west, true course, or north 8' east by the needle."*
Still the contending Colonies could not agree on a surveyor to run and mark the line ; and therefore New-Hampshire in 1741, exparte , employed Walter Bryant to perform that service. Ac- cordingly, he began in that year at the mouth of the harbour, and run up the river in a north-northwest course through the river Newichawannock and Salmon Fall river, to its most northerly head, which is a pond partly in New-Hampshire and partly in Maine, about forty miles as the river runs, from the mouth of Piscataqua harbour. It is now called Lovell's pond, and is fed by two streams, viz. the easterly and westerly branches ; " the former of which was found to be the largest and to vent the most water."
Bryant thence proceeded north, 2° west, in conformity to the royal determination, 30 miles, and marked the line as he survey- ed it; but it being in March, and the snows melting, he was obliged to stop there, leaving 50 miles of the line unsurveyed.
Massachusetts objected, that Bryant had taken the wrong
* See table of variation of the compass at Boston, Portland, and Penob- scot, from A. D. 1672 to 1800, by Professor John Winthrop. 16 Silliman's travels. p. 63.
A survey.
12
BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT
[INTRODUC.
branch ; and in 1767, applied to New-Hampshire upon the sub- ject. But it had no effect, for the latter, regardless of the objec- tion, appointed one Isaac Rindge, the next year, to complete the survey .- He began where Bryant left off, and ran and marked a line on the same course, by the compass, 35 miles farther, to a point about sixteen miles northward of Androscoggin river, and six below lake Umbagog. But, because the needle then in fact traversed westerly less than it did when Bryant surveyed, Rindge's line had a westerly inclination, still more than that of his predecessor.
Westerly line.
The next survey was undertaken after the definitive treaty of 1783, by Messrs. Cramm and Eames, whom New-Hampshire, in 1789, appointed surveyors, to complete the line. They pursued the same course by the needle as Bryant and Rindge had done, without regard to its perpetual traverse eastwardly, and thus gave their line a still further inclination westerly. They made their report in January, 1790. It seems they began below where Rindge left the line, at a point 16 miles and 240 rods south of Um- bagog lake ; thence to it and across a branch of it 54 rods wide ; thence a mile and 3-4ths on the east side of the lake ; thence 4 miles and 3-4ths, over the lake to its northerly edge ; thence 2 miles and 226 rods to Magallaway river, ten rods wide, a branch of Androscoggin ; and thence to the high lands, 54 miles from the N. E. corner of Shelburne, where they began ; that is, 37 miles and 1-4th north of the southerly edge of Umbagog lake, and 148 from the mouth of Piscataqua harbour.
At that place they marked a large birch tree, which stands on those highlands, thus, " N. E. 54 m. New-Hampshire, 1789 ;" and consequently this is reputed to be the northwest corner of Maine. Its west line is thus 28 miles longer than that express- ed in the charters either to Gorges or to the Massachusetts Province.
From this monument the northerly line of Maine is nearly a N. E. general course, passing along the highlands (where are found the sources of the streams which run northwardly into the Chaudiere and southwardly into the Kennebec) 50 miles to a noted monument called " MILE TREE," on the height of land. It is a large birch marked with marking irons ; and 20 other trees there- abouts are marked in a similar way, with the names of persons, or with the initials of their names. This conspicuous place, in lat. 45° 48', is on the road from Kennebec to Canada, distant about 44
Northwest corner.
13
SECT. I.] OF MAINE.
miles from the crotch, or mouth of Dead River, as the road runs. South of east from Mile Tree is Bald mountain, a lofty height near a league in length.
The residue of the northerly line of Maine being unsettled, and in controversy, it is proper to consider the other boundaries which are established, before we proceed with this.
The southerly boundary of the State begins at a point in a line Southerly S. S. E. from " the entrance into Piscataqua harbour," 60 line. miles distant, and thence extends northeastwardly along the Atlantic waters of the coast, enclosing all the Islands within twenty leagues of the main land, to Passamaquoddy bay .*
All the country east of the State, till the year 1785 was called Nova-Scotia : and the partition or boundary line which divides it from Maine or New-England has been the subject of repeated controversy. The English and French long contended about it ; nor did the treaty of Utrecht, 1713, by which the latter ceded the country to the former, settle the dispute. Commissioners, of whom Gov. Shirley was one, attempted in 1751 to settle it, but in vain :- it only ended in the conquest of Canada, to be revived by the English and Americans after the treaty of 1783.
By the Charter to Sir William Alexander, Sept. 10, 1621, Nova-Scotia extended westward " to the river St. Croix, and to " the farthest source or spring which first comes from the west to " mingle its waters with those of that river ; from thence by a " straight imaginary line crossing the lands or running towards " the north as far as the first bay, river, or spring which runs into " the great river of Canada, and from thence continuing eastward " to the sea, along the shores of the river of Canada, to the river, " bay, or latitude of Gaspe.+
On the 7th of Oct. 1763, the new Province of Quebec, was erected, and its southern boundary was a line " passing along the
* Gorges' Charter says " within five leagues ;"-and the Charter of William and Mary says within ten leagues, directly opposite to the main land ; but in the Treaty of Sept. 3, 1783 " all Islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores" are einbraced. Art. II.
t In the Commissions of Montague Wilmot, dated October, 1763, and Francis Legge, dated 1766, the Governors of Nova-Scotia, we find that Colony and their jurisdiction to be limited, and-" bounded on the west- " ward by a line drawn from Cape Sable, across the entrance of the bay of " Fundy, to the mouth of the river St. Croix ; by the said river to its source, " and by a line drawn due north ; from thence to the southern Boundary " of our Province [Colony] of Quebec."
Easterly line.
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BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT
[INTRODUC.
Eastern line.
" highlands which divide the rivers that empty themselves into the "river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the sea :"-And the Act of Parliament, Oct. 7, 1774, for governing that Pro- vince, draws the line " from the bay of Chaleur, along the high- " lands which divide the rivers that empty into the St. Lawrence, " from those that fall into the sea, to a point in 45' of N. latitude." With these data and Mellish's map before the American and British Commissioners, who negociated the treaty of peace, signed Sept. 3, 1783, they in the 2d article, described the boundary to be "from the northwest angle of Nova-Scotia, viz. that angle " which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of " St. Croix river to the highlands ; along the said highlands which " divide those rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Law- " rence, from those which fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the " northwesternmost head of Connecticut river."
Afterwards doubts arose what was the river intended by the St. Croix, name " St. Croix," mentioned ; and hence, pursuant to the 5th article of the treaty, signed Nov. 19, 1794, Commissioners were appointed, by each government, to determine that question. They first met at Halifax, and ultimately made their report Oct. 25, 1798, by which it was settled, that the intended river, "St. Croix," had its source in the head of a stream called Che- putnetecook, [Schoodic,] at a stake near a certain yellow birch tree, about 5 miles and 3-4ths of a mile north of the point where that stream empties into the Schoodic lake ; and there they estab- lished a Monument, in lat 45° 48, which is a yellow birch tree, hooped with iron and marked " S. T. and I. H. 1797, called the "EASTERN MONUMENT.""
Eastern monument.
3 Islands, Moose, Dudley, Frederic.
Yet, there were three islands in the Passamaquoddy bay, at the mouth of the Schoodic, near the western shore, viz. Moose Island, Dudley Island and Frederic Island, which being occupied and claimed by the Americans, were seised upon in the late war by the British, and not surrendered till John Holmes and Thomas Barclay, Commissioners appointed under the 4th article of the treaty of Ghent, decided, Nov. 24, 1817, that they belonged to the
* Samuel Titcomb and John Harris were the surveyors,-Thomas Barc- lay, David Howell, and Egbert Benson, were the Commissioners,-In 1817 the surveyors under the treaty of Ghent erected a new monument, a few fect north of the former, consisting of a large cedar post with large rocks about it, marked July 31, 1817. Jos, Bouchette and John Johnson, surveyors .- Greenleaf.
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OF MAINE.
SECT. I.]
United States; and that all other Islands in Passamaquoddy bay, including Grand-Manan, belong to his Britanic Majesty, accord- ing to " the true intent of article 2d in the treaty of 1783."
The eastern boundary line therefore of Maine, which divides Eastern it from New-Brunswick, passes from West-Quoddy-head, up the line. channel on the east side of these Islands, through the middle of Schoodic river, and Schoodic lake, to the mouth of Cheputnete- cook stream, and thence to its source at the Eastern Monument ; which is distant from West-Quoddy-head, in a direct northwest- erly course, about 90 miles. The line however if followed as the lakes lie and river runs, would considerably exceed 100 miles in length.
But neither the boundary divisional line running north from that Northerly monument and separating Maine from New-Brunswick ; nor the and east- wardly line.
north line of the State extending northeastwardly from " Mile Tree" along the highlands, dividing Canada from Maine, and inter- secting or crossing the other at the northeast corner of the State, has as yet been fully established.
Under the 5th article of the treaty of Ghent, 1814, Thomas Barclay and Cornelius Van Ness were appointed Commissioners by the British and American governments to survey and deter- Ness, ap- mine these lines and boundaries. The Commissioners and Agents pointed. had no less than eleven meetings ; the first was at St. Andrews on the 23d of Sept. 1816, and the last at New-York, April 13, 1822.
They caused two surveying parties to be appointed, one Amer- ican and the other English, and gave them instructions to begin at the Eastern Monument and run a line due north to some stream that empties into the St. Lawrence. Each party was to mark all elevations and rivers, compare notes and reconcile variations every morning ; and on an agreed boundary to cut away the trees eight feet on each side of the line, and to mark every mile. Also Survey they appointed an exploring party to survey the highlands towards ordered. the head of Connecticut river ; to examine the sources of the streams, which empty themselves into the St. Lawrence and into the Atlantic ; and to return a plan of 80 chains to an inch.
In 1817 and 1818, the line running north of the eastern Mon- ument was surveyed; and afterwards, plans of the surveys were reported. Also an exploring view was taken of the highlands, northerly and southerly of the St. John river to its sources, and to those of Penobscot ; and the American surveyor made a general
Commis- sioners, Bar- clay, & Van
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BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT
[INTRODUC.
Eastern line.
plan ; but the Commissioners could not agree, where to establish the boundary lines.
144 mile corner.
Mr. Van Ness insisted that the line on the east side of the State ought to be thus established :- to begin at the Eastern Monument and run due north across Bull's branch to Meduxnekeag south branch 19 miles, to the north branch 22 and z miles, to Presque Isle 35, to Goosequill 43, to Des Chutes 45, to Aroostic 59, to Limestone 63, and to the main St. John 77, the others emptying into the latter ; thence continuing due north, across the Resti- gouche 101 miles, the Mempticook 114, and the Memkeeswee or Katwamkisway, in all 131 miles from the Monument, also over a branch of the Metepediac, a tributary to the Restigouche which falls into the Bay Chaleur, reaching the highlands 144 miles* north of the Monument, these highlands being found to divide the waters last mentioned from those of Beaver Stream and the Metis, which fall into the St. Lawrence ; the end of the line to be the angle or " the 144 Mile Corner ;" and by estimation 234 miles from West-Quoddy-head.
N. E. corner of Maine.
Tuladi river.
The same Commissioner drew the northern boundary line, which divides Maine from Canada, thus :- To commence at the 144 Mile Corner, t viz. at the northwest angle of Nova-Scotia, and thence passing the sources of Memkeeswee or grand Fourche and second fork of the lakes, emptying into the St. John, to the head or spring of Tuladi river, į which empties into Temiscouata lake, 50 miles from the corner ; thence by the head waters of that lake to the source of the eastern branch of the St. Francois, around the sources of the Grand and Petit du Trois Pistoles, which latter two empty into the St. Lawrence, to the source of the main St. Francois ; thence between the western source of the St. Francois and of Green River, which run into the St Lawrence, to the source of the Petit St. John, about 80 miles, W. S. W. direct course, § from " the 144 Mile Corner ;" thence passing the head of Black river, and the sources of the northwest and west branches of the St. John nearest the waters of the river La
Northern line.
* Lat. 48° 8.
¿ The Charter to the Plymouth Council, Nov. 3, 162C, extended to the 48th deg. north latitude. Vide post. Chap. III.
Į Tuladi mouth is in lat. 47deg. 40' and lon. 68deg. 48'; and 15 miles above its mouth it receives the waters of Squattack lake.
§ But the distance, as the line runs, is about 120 miles.
17
OF MAINE.
SECT. I.]
Famine, and the source of the Penobscot, nearest to Metgarmette, Northern which empties into the river du Loup about 160 miles, direct line. course S. S. W to " Mile Tree ;"-about 240 miles, from the " 144 Mile Corner." Proceeding from Mile Tree it runs south- westerly between the sources of du Loup and Moose rivers, and by the sources of Dead and Magalloway rivers to Sunday moun- tain ; and thence to the northwest corner of Maine, where it angles on New-Hampshire, as before described, 50 miles from Mile Tree, making the northern line 290 miles in length. *
The Government of Canada has caused nearly all the country between the St. Lawrence and the northern line of Maine from the Chaudiere, toward the river Pistoles, to be surveyed into town- ships, and in many places these surveys have run over the true divisional boundary.f
In several places the streams run from their sources in opposite directions northerly and southerly, and of course render the line zigzag and illshapen, and multiply the difficulties of establishing it with satisfactory correctness and precision.
The American Commissioner and Agent, in proving the eastern N. and E. lines just described to be the true divisional bounds intended by line. the treaty of 1783, say, 1, that the phraseology, in the Charter The dispute. to Sir William Alexander-in the royal order for erecting Canada into a Province-in the Parliamentary Act for governing it, and especially in the treaty itself, forms a connected argument in favour of the position. 2. The Geography of the country gives it great strength ; for the rivers Chaudiere, Ouelle, Hamourasky, du Loup, Verte, Trois Pistoles, Rimousky and Metis or Beaver river, are the only rivers opposite Maine which empty themselves into the St. Lawrence on its southerly side ; all which have been vis- ited by the surveyors. On the other hand, the rivers running into the Atlantic are the Restigouche, the Meramichi, the St. John, the St. Croix, the Penobscot, the Kennebec and their tributaries ; and these with the exceptions of Meramichi and St. Croix, have their sources near to the sources of the streams which run into the St. Lawrence. The lands between the Restigouche and Metis, about the 144 Mile Corner, are so elevated, that they may be called the heights of land. 3. There is proof also in the
* The above descriptive lines are drawn from the papers of the Commis- sioners and Surveyor, in the secretary of State's office, Washington. ¿ Greenleaf.
Its length.
18
BOUNDARIES AND EXTENT
[INTRODUC.
N. and E. line. The dispute.
case, not only by what was done in the Massachusetts Legislature in 1760, and by Governors Shirley, Pownal, and Bernard, at other times relating to the boundaries in this quarter : but in what has been attested by the Plenipotentiaries of 1783, as appears by Doct. Franklin's letter, 1790, and the affidavits of Mr. Adams and Mr. Jay, Aug. 1797 and May 1798, who say that they had Mellish's Map before them, and marked the eastern boundary of Massachusetts Province, [Maine,] as expressed in her second charter, that being the intended boundary of the United States. 4. In the commission appointed to determine what was the true St. Croix, the British made it a matter of great interest to have the river Cheputnetecook adopted, because their Plenipotentiary said " it would give a greater extent of navigation on the St. John to his Majesty's subjects :"-Yet how, if the line was in no wise to cross the St. John ?- is the question.
But the British Commissioner and Agent, insisted that the di- visional or boundary line ought to commence at Mars Hill,* 40 miles north of the Eastern Monument, and extend thence south- westwardly, over and along the highlands between the waters of the St. John and of the Penobscot, to Mile Tree. They argue that these are the highest lands between the Atlantic and the St. Lawrence : that in this direction, 60 miles distant from Mars Hill, are Spencer Mountains, which have a chain of high hills to the northward; and to the southward is the great Katahdin ; and not far from " Mile Tree" is Bald mountain, and between the two latter, northward, are many miles of connected, high and broken ridges interspersed with ponds and streams : that the lands be- tween the heads of Beaver stream, the Metapediac and Grand Fourche, t about the pretended " 144 Mile Corner," have only one high point ; and then, especially at the north, there is a wide spread meadow, occasioned by a Beaver dam; and farther west is a swamp, and then a valley from which low grounds the water merely moves northerly or southerly from sources only 20 rods apart : that the Plenipotentiaries could not in the treaty of peace ever have intended to go over the mountains and high lands above mentioned, to these meadows, vallies, and swamps, to fix or find a national boundary : that they moreover must have intended to
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