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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 8 6 <> v; : - COASTING VOYAGES 4 IN TIIK GULF OF MAINE, Made in the yeaks KKM, 5 and 6, by SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN: A E'APER READ AT THE WINTER MEETING OF THE MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN PORTLAND. FEB. 1«, 1«75. BY GEN. JOHN MARSHALL BROWN, OP FAXiiOUTH. BATH: PKIlrt'ED BY E. UPTON A SON. 1875. '.XT', ^AC Si ^ . '/ TJ^ --', ..' "". P,,.;'-"^.',-' Wj!^'-'- I^*^.':^-^^.] ' "''' .r^-v?- toS^.V^:^' >.'^v'^.. ■"-i-V^ :,.<:.»£• 5- V, - .■'..■■;;, . '.l^:.. <„.;, .^Jj", ..'■ 7--??. 1 i COASTING VOYA IN THE GULF OF MAINE, MaJ>£ m THE YEABS 1604, 5 AND G, BY SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN: A PAPER READ AT THE WINTER MEETING OF THE MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN PORTLAND, FEB. 18, 1875. BY GEN. JOHN MARSHALL BROWN, OP FAIiMOUTH. BATH: PRINTED BY E. UPTON 4 SON. 1875. » PREFATORY NOTE. i The paper which follows was preparcMl, uiulor many disadvan- tagos, in great haste. It was my purpose to call attention to the extremely interesting narrative of Champlain, which, as found in the original edition of KJl.S, is comparatively unknown to students of American History, and not attempt either a translation, or even an extended corajnlation. The accounts of De Monts' expedition, and his o])erations and discoveries on our coast, seem to have been chi(>tiy taken l)y onr historians from Lescarbot, who was not pai'ticiibirly friendly to Champlain, nnd had little interest in the events which iireccded his own arrival in the country. Champlain's own journal published in Ifil.S, and now accessible through the admirable reprint of the Abbe Laverdiere, is very complete and detailed in its statements, and the source to which we must go for orif/inaf information. A subsequent edition publishcnl in 10:^2 is a summary of the work done during Champlain's residence here, and must have been prepared by other hands. In this editicm the events of the three years are massed together, and tlie voyages of IfiOt and .5 appear as one. The erriu-s which have become incorpcn-attnl in our published histories are traceable to this coniusion. At the time this paper was prepared I knew of no attempt, in English, to give a narrative of these events in their proper order, or to call attention to their singular bearing upon the early history and cartography of our State. I have since learned that the Prince Society is soon to publish a translation of the edition of 1613. I 4 CHAMPL AIN'S EXPLORATIONS OF THE COAST OF MAINE. The results of the Plantation at Plyiuoutli and Massa- chusetts Ba}' have been so extended and i)ornianent, that the earlier attempts at colonization on the coast of New England have, until recently, met with Kttle attention or favor from the historian. Tt has very j^roperly Ix^come the si)ecial care of our own Society to throw light into this partial darkness, and give due prominence to efforts no less honorable or heroic, and antedating by nniny years the settlements which, under God, have been so fniitful of good to our country and the world. I have felt, however, that even Ave, in our zeal to achl to the lustre of the great deeds of adventure performed by men of our own hneage and tongue, may have slighted that hardy and chivalrous race, who from across the English Channel held up a constant defiance to our forefathers, and in the \ery A\aters which bathe the headlands and beaches of our State, kept up a sturdy and honorable rivalry in adventure, discovery and trade. The north-eastern portion of North America was called New France more than fifty years before it was called New England. In 1605, fifteen years before the Mayflower came to anchor in Plymouth harbor, its waters had been sounded, and its shores exj^lored by an organized colony of French seeking for a permanent home; and eight years later there was published at the httle shop of Jean Berjon, in the Rue J r^ 6 CHAMPLAIN S EXPLOIUTIONS St. Jean dv ])C'jinvais at Paris, a clmrt attesting by its surprisiiii;- act-uracy tlie fidelity and skill with which the work had Ix'cn ])rri'()niK'd. At that time the larger part of the })res('nt State of Maine had been under the dominion of France for nearly a ccmtury, nt)r were these pretensions abandoned for nearly a century and a half lattn', when, by the fail of (Quebec in 1751) the eastern ])ortion of our State ])as.sed forev(>r from tlie possessicm of France. This long o;-cu})ation having its beginning in days so shadowy and remote that fable and tradition liav(> supi)lanted history, has from tlu^ beginning been fi'uitful of stirring adventures by sea and land, lofty ambition, heroic endurance, patient sullering, the ])rowess of gentlemen and men of arms, and great numbers of "toilers of the sea," the sacrifices of pious women, and martyred missicmaries of the church. It is the ()])je('t of this ])a})er to make brief mention of some adventures which mark a most impcu'tant era in the history of Maine, and stand as it were; on the border line whicli st'[)ar,ites the fanciful from the real : adventures, in which there were many men of heroic build, but chief among th(>m all, the man whose modest pen has preserved the story. Samut'l Ch.implain was b(n'n in 15()7, at the little town (^f Bi'ouage in Saintonge, now the Department of Charente Li/eriatrr. For years the people of his neighborhood must have been familiar with the great ced fisheries of the countri(»s beyond the sea. His father was a fisherman and may himself have made the voyage to the nc-w found land. The son had the Basijue eagerm>ss f(n" adventure ; naturally a sailor hv l)ecame an oflicer in lloyal nmrine ; he served also with honor in tin; wars, active everywhere, soldier or sailor as the emei'gency might arise. He early attracted the notice of the King and received many marks of his confidence and favor, and Avas ennobled for his worth. After a slujrt service with tlu^ army in Brittany he spent three years in the West Indies and Mexico, tliere and OF THE COAST OF MAINE, by its cli the jr part iiinion nsions leii, by I- State is long ,vy and listory, mtures patient QS, and [ices of roll, itiou of I in the ler hne ures, in it chief eserved le town Jliarente od must of the Qiin and lid land, aturally e served )ldier or ittracted :s of his s worth, he spent lere and everywhere givinjj; free scope to his wonderful i)owers of observation iind fiicility of descri})tioii, making notes and m;ips, and sketcliing in his way men and things, whether man or beast or fruit or Hower, S.-ifely at hoiiu^ again liis restless nature urged him to another (juarter of the globe, and in li'm he sjiiled with l)u Pont-CJrave and ex])lor(Hl the St. Lawrence. Tlie following year Le j(uned tlie company of Do Monts, not, as some hisbn-ijins assert, the pilot of the expedition, Imt esi)eeially commissioned, it Avould ai)pear, by the King himself, a Eoyal Geographer, ordered to make discoveries and prepare mai)s and charts, and report directly to the Crown. Three years he remained h(>i'e, faithfully carrying out, under circumstances of f^reat hardship and peril, tlii' instructions he had recf^ved, and the record he has left is a marvtsl of accuracy, patience and indomitable courage. The entire coast hne of the Gulf of Maine was reconnoit(»r(Ml and described, and charts made of the principal harbors, which were in lOl;} pub- lisheil at Paris under his own su])ervisi(m. The ]mr])os(\ of this paper rendcsrs unnecessary any particular allusion to his subsecpient career. It is enougli tliat America chdmed him as her own, and his tond) is in th(! city he founded, in tln^ Xew France, to whose welfare he devot(>d the best energies of his life. The expedition of Bo Monts was pn-pared with great dehl)erati(m, and its composition arranged Avith thonghtful reference to the needs and possibilities of the futurt> cok)nv. The Company nund)ered (m its rolls, soldiers imu'ed to foreign service, sailors who Avere familiar with American waters, skilled mechanics, and gt ntlemen of raidv. I)e Monts was the first to leave France, sailing from Hiivrt^ de Grace (m the 7th of Ainilin a vessel commanded by (Captain Timotliee; Avith him Avere the Sieurs de Poutrincourt and Champlain, and other g(>ntlem(>n. Three da\s later, on the 10th, thi^ other vessel, comman(h'd bv Captain Morel of Hontleur, Avith the Sieur de Pont-GraAe II I 8 CHAMPLAIN's EXl'LOl'iA ions jiiul the rest of the Coiupfiiiv, sailetl Avith stoves to join De Moiits tit CiUK'eau, Avliicli had been selected as the rendez- vous. AN'hen at sea, liowever, De Monts changed liis ])lans and directed his course to a ])ort further to the westward. On the 1st of May he siohtcd Sable Island, on tlie 8th the main land at Cape la Ht've, and on the lOth made a harl)or, at the ])resr]it lJver])ool, called by him "Port " riossi]ain, accomi)anied by the Sieur llalleau, secretary- of De Monts, and ten men, left "Port au Mouton" for the pur])oso of making a reconnoisance of the coast. H(^ rounded Cape Sal)le, passed along the west coast of Nova Scotia and penetrated the Bay of Fundy to nearly the site of Anna])olis, and then rc>turned to "Port au Mouton" about the middle of June. On the following day tli(» C-ompany, now increasinl by the andval of the other vessel, .abandoned tlu^ir temporary shelters. Following the ccmrse which C'hami)lain had prenously taken they diligently explored the south and ncn-th slun'es of the J>ay of Fundy, but without determining upon the ])lace for their settlement. Leaving the mouth of of the St. John Iviver and })roceediiig westward, they landed first upon an island Avhich, from the great iuind)er of birds rescMubling mag])ies {niciyos,) tliey named "L'Tsle "auv margos;" the litth' cluster is now- known as "The "Wolves." Further to the westward could be seen other islands, nays (Miam])lain, one of large extent, called by the natives " Manthane," a name Avhich, und(;r the disguise of "Menan," it still bears. After leaving "Isl(>s aux Margos" they came to a river in the main land, and passing by the present site of ^ OF THE COAST OF MAINE. 9 Eastport tlicy entered the broad expanse of Passaniacinoddy liav. Ascending;' tlie river thev came to a point Avliere were two islands, on tlie hir^ev of Avliioli tlie little colony disend)arked and be^an at once the necessary preparations for their winter's residence. The narrative of OhaiiiiJain gives a simple hnt vivid i)icture of this diminntive settle- ment of the "Holy C'ross," so short lived tliat its very site was for more than a centnry unknown. It is now called NeuJsral or De Monts Island, and the river is fitly called by the name Avhicli the ill starred adventurers i)iously gave to the first organized attenii)t to plant a colony on our shores. It is well known that the vexed question of the i)recise north-eastern boundary of the United States was only determined by the identification of this island, so that in more senses than one the little spot on our frontier has acquired a national importance. But the Sieur de Monts had other and higher objects in view; his and)ition reached beyond the narrow limits of the httle island of "St. Croix." His busy brahi found full scope during the bustle of })rei)aration, and while cari)enters and other artisans were at their Avork, and the various laborers filled out the long summer days with their allotted tasks, I can fancy there Avas great talk of Avliat others had done and they might do, among the gentlemen of the suite. The dayhght Hngers long in these northern latitudes in the sunnner tim(% and there was much opjiortunity for counsel and httle need of lanq)s at St. Croix at the time of which the narrative now treats. On the last day of August I)(i Poutrincourt was sent back to France with Secretary Ilalleau, the fornu^r to make aiTangements for his own adventure at Port Iloval, the latter to put in order some of the athiirs of tli(> Ccunpany. What folio w(h1 I give, as nearly as space will allow, in Cliaiiq)lain's own words. "After the departure of the "vessels," he says, "the Sieur de Monts determined to send "an exi)editi(m, without loss of time, along the coast of 10 ciLurrLiUx's explorations ^^ Xui-i/iti/ic'/iti., iuul this li(^ (H)iLiniitt(Ml to my clinif^owlnoli "Avas nnu-]i to my liking. To tliis oiid I li^ft St. ('roix the ":hi(l of S(^])t foi;" canu^ u]> so "thick that Ave soon lost tlu^ir V(>ssels from si^ht. C'ontinii- "in<;j our course alonp; the coast w<' mad<> this day some "twenty-five h\'if^ues and passed hy a ^-eat <]uantity of "islands, shallows and rcH'fs, Avliich exti^nd seawards in '*})laces more than four leapies. "Wo have named the "islands ' Ics i.slc.-i raix/t'cN.' .... This same day we passed "(juite near an island which is some four or five leagues "long and wer(» nearly lost on a little rock just under ■'water Avhich maih' a small hole in our hark near the "keel Tlie island is very high, and so eleft in "])laces that at son it app(>ars as if seven or (Mght moun- " tains were ranged si(h' by side I have named "this ishind, ' ///v/r r/r.s JA>y,/.sw/c.sc/7.s' its latitude is 44.^^. "The next morning, Gth of September, Ave made tAVO leagues "and perceived a smoke in a creek Avhich Avas at the foot "of the mountains and saAv tAvo canoes propelled by "savages aa'Iio came Avithin nuisket shot to reccmnoitre "us." At this jM)int, Avhich Avould appear to be on the soutlun/n or soutli-Avest(>rn shore of Mount Desert, Cham- plain a])pears to liaAC ancli(n-ed for the night, for he says that on th(> folloAving day, Avhich was the 7th of S(>ptemT)er, the natives returned, and after rec(nving j)r(^S(>nts in exchange for lish and game, consented to guide the adventurin's to their oAvn home at PcitNfiyoKiJf Avhere they said their chief liissdljvz Avas. I (piote again from Champlain : "T think that this river "is the same called by seA'eral pilots and historians i 1)F THE COAST OF MA1?JE. 11 ivhicli ix the 'Cll ov ui(l*'S. iitriii- ^■(■r on could I then up so aitiim- ,• some tity of I'ds in eel the passed iongues under 'ar the l(^ft in n\oun- naniod is44i". l(>a, 1 liave "never read or heard anyone speak of it. They say also, "thei'e is a great city well peoj)]ed with savagt^s, adroit "and skillful, and used to the manufacture of cotton. I a am sure that most of thosi^ who speak of these things "have n«n'er seen them and di-rive their authority from mt n "avIio know no more than thems(4veM. I am ready to "l)(4ieve that ther(> tiro some who have seen the mouth of "the river, (i. e. tlu^ l)<\v, ) because there are u great many "islands there and it is in 44 . But there is no api)<\'irance "of anyonc^'s having entered there, for tlu'V would have "describtnl it in (piite another fn.sliion in order to rid many "of the doubt. I shall, therefore, narratt^ truly all that I "have discovered and seen from the beginning a.s fjvr as I "have b(H'n." Ohamplain then describes in great d(4ail the physical features of that wonderful ]K)rtion of our coast called Penobscot Bay, which he makes extend from ]\fount Desert in the east, to the ]n"oniontovv of Jicdnlx (}<■<■ on the west, (the lu'esent Owl's Head.) Midway, and out at sea, h»^ describes that singularly pictures(|U(> island named by him, " /'.vA' //r////«'," a name it still beai-s. I'ish of all kinds abound, and game which make the numerous islands a frequent resoii for the natives during th(^ season. On the western shore xwo ihv nKuintains of /irdn/aih-c, the Camden hills of the ])resent Cv\\, and everywlu>re are wooded islands, low lying rocks, and dangerous reefs. With the scrupulous care which characterizes him (nerywhere, he gives tlu^ necessary directions for entering the head waters of the bay. "Coming to the South," he says, "of the ' isJc hd'/fc,' and "ranging along the shore for a quarter of a ieagu(> where are " some rocks just out of water, and then heading to the west 12 CHAMrLUNS EXI'LOIJATIONS "until you open all tlio islfinds -wliicli lie to the north of "tliis island and you may be sure that when 3'ou see the "ei^ht or nine suniaiits of [sir t'cs Mo)if.s-(/<'S(ils and tlie "heijflits of li('lain proeeeded under the guidance of the savaj^es he had taken at Mount Desert to the narrows at the mouth of the river and ascended the river to the point Avhere the Kenduskeafj; stream enters it at Bangor, he speaks with entliusiasm of the scenery, the river banks covered w ith vertlure, and here and there lovely stretelies of nu^adow. At this point his })rogress was arrested by the falls. So he remained here and landed ; the gn;at oaks on the shore seemed to form a sort of park, to have been ])lanted, he says, "for pleasure," but no city, no })o})ulation skilled in the domestic arts, neither there nor anywhere on shore or on island was, as he says, "any "town or villag<; or any appearance of there having bc(>n "any," only one or two s(|ualid huts covered with bark after the fashion which tliey had seen jmictised at the St. Croix and on the shores of tlic great bay. Here tlicy met lUssahc:^ the chief or captain of the tribe, and ('n Christians." On the 17th ol' Se])tend)(M', the day after all these festivities, C'liam])lain took the altitude and found 45 25' north latitude and l)egiin the descent of the river, and so continued coasting to the westward. At what I judge to OF THE COAST OF MAINE. 13 . .. be tho Goorj^es River tlioii native {guides left tlieiii because , the savages (jf the (Jnini/)C(/iii/ were their eueiuies. I qriote ' , ^ Hi^aiu: "We ranged along the coast some eight h>agnes to f "the westward as far as an island distant some ten leagues , "from the (Jtiiin'/)(''//n/. where we were obliged to stop on .,, "account of bad weather and contrarv winds; in one i)art • ill ^A^i^ • ^ , ' ,, "of our nmte we passed a (luantitv of islands and bn.'akers, 'ntv oi . ' "very dangerous, and slndving out into the sea some "leagues." At this pcnnt the weather and ht>ad Minds, and the scarcity of proWsions comp(>lled our hardy advejitur- ers to retrace their steps. On the 'iHd of September, three weeks after leaving St. Croix they set about on tlunr retui'n, and in nine days after were greeted, by their er the > sert to ] U'd the iters it 'ly, the ^ ■^ A few remarks may be permitted upon this voyage. It resulted in giving to two of our most prominent and beau- tiful islands the nain(>s they still bear, "]\]onnt Desert" and "Isle Haute." It was the lirst ascent of the Penobscot of comi)anions.* ss was landed ; (f park, no city, ere nor hc j^ ^^ almost incredible! tlmt in the histories <>£ tlic United S '^'0 States, New E!iages to Goswold, one to Prinj^, one to \v si'ing lines. Emphasizinc: the fact of their having r(\ached Cape (\)d !! nsuni])- . . . but giving uu account oi tht- detailed uperaticms on the coast of "1" t'^^' Maine!! \v says, Parkman's allusion to the voyage of lGO-1 is singularly brief and incomidete. ^^|j^^>j^Q The result which has been reached by this method of Avritiug I- i)rj history has been, Avhether intentional or not, to magnify the English at the expense of the French, and Massachusetts at the expense of Maine. and so udge to 14 chami'lain'.s ExrLoi{ATiuxs ijl which any trustwortliy iccoiil has hccn in'csoNcd, It carried tht; tlajj; of Fraure ami the banut'i- (»' the church to a r(!iiiot(' point in the interior. Two othca- noteworthy tacts ar*' that Chani[>lain rec(UVOtl no inteih^ence of any Euro[)eans on the coast, and found no fixed settlenu'uts of natives. The savages liveil on the heatl-waters of tlie rivers and alon^' tlie ixreat carrying- places wiiich constitutinl a thoroughfare from one end of the Acadian Peninsula, to another, so that, as Chainplain was intoriued, one could go from tlie St, Croix to the St, John and so to Quebec, or to the I'enoljscot and Kennebec, and so by the CHiaudiere to tla^ St. Lawrence. Tlu; vast iietw(n'k of livers and lakes made communication easy and rapid. That no tidings were rei-eived of any Europeans on the coast is doubtless satisfactory evidenci; that at this time, in 1<)()4, and indeed within the memory of the g(>neration then living, there had been no attempt at colonization, or even any exploration of the country within the limits traversed bv C'hami)lain. It would seem also to confirm the theory that AVeymouth could not have entered the Penobscot in the foUowing year, for so impor- tant an event as the Aoyage now under consid< -ration certainly would havc^ been re})orted to him. During the month of ('liamj)lain's absence the little band had busied themselves to make ])re])arations for the winter, and the accession to their iiund)er of the retunuul adven- turers only gave new vigor to tlicii' etlorts. Shelter Avas provided, but it was st-anty (iiorgh for the inclement seascni, and disease of irresistible vii'ulence, clutched at these poor waifs from the shores of sunny France, and closed their tyes to all earthly things. ^Vhen the spring open<'d the litth^ cemetery liad in it thirty-tive graves, nearly as many dead as living lolt tc) mourn their loss. Dispirited at such gieat misfortunes, De M If; of the aiTival of t^v() vcss«.']s l)iiiigiiid for lialiitatioii than onrs, and on the ciplitccntli lit' "left the island of St. Cioix with soiuf ^('ntlcn.ciL, lAvcntv "sailors and two savages, Piiiioiiniits and his wift', wlioni "he did not wish to leave behind, and Avhoni wt' took with "us as a j^iiide to the country of the ^■lliiiit''i/i!ii>'n(.s, hopinnthward of the ' /.v/r.v nnio'/rs' and anchored at one "when! there wvvv so many cnnvs that Me named it ' A/f "S//,," conicilhs,' from thence we made'/y'/W^' <'riniihv(jii<\ "as I have said hefore; thence W(> went som«> fiv(M^r six "leagues among s(»veral islands." These were doubtless the Fox Islands, and here they f(mnd a good harhoi'. On the 1st of July tluy set sail to the w<'stward and made some twenty-live leaguers, passing the islands and rei'fs Champlain had notictnl in tlu' previ(ms voyage, and reach- ing tlu^ mouth of the (Jiiii'i/ir(/i/i/, as Cham])lain saj's, they |,jjjjj anchored some three hundred yards from the entrance in „.• ,j.,,,. five or six fathoms. 1 Tho narrative says: "At the entrance there is an island , " (juite high which we have namtnl 'A/ forfiic,' and between ,., ,,,i. "this and the main land ar(^ some scattered islands and enu'Ut 1 .|^ "rocks, covered at high watca', but the sea breaks over ^ ^^1 "them. The 'Me dc la /mine' and the river are SSE. and ^-])rlng .^.^^^. , Thev were delaved luM'e bv the f(\g, but on the 5th of 1 , , Julv thev b(^gan the exploration of the river. Thev Avere )• loss. ' .' . 1 1 noAV obviouslv in the Sheepscot River, which seems to have T , been called also (}uinib(>(|uy by the natives. At some distance up the river they narroAvly esciiped being lost on 3 UMI le news 16 CllA.Ml'IAlN S KXrJ.OllATIONS a rock wliicli tlicv ^vji/cd in passinji;; fiiitlicr on tln-y met sonui savii}.';«'s in two canoes; \t\ llic aid of the wife of tlicii' f^uiile they accosted tlicsc linntcrs Jind st'cnrcd tluir services as ffuidcs to tlicir cliicf }I was at first some timidity on the part of the natives, Imt the conference resulted amicably, presents were exchanged, .ind a species of otVcmsive and defensive alliance concluded between the two parties. On the followinj^' mornin«j;, umh-r the {i;uidance of the savages, the party descended the river by another passaf^c; than that of the })revious ascent, with the int(>nticm of reachinjjj a lake, so called, which appeared to be a well known resort of neighboring tribes. "What follows I give i]i Champlain's words: "Passing In some islands e;ich of the savages left an "arrow near a cape by which all nmst ]>ass; they believe "that unless they do this the devil will bj-ing about some "misfortune ; they live in this sup«'rstition as well as many "others. Near this cnpe we ])assed a fall of water, but it "was not done without gi'eat difHculty, for although we had "a fair and fresh wind and carried all th(i sail we possibly "could, we were obliged to take a hawser ashore and "fasten it to the trees and then pull with all our strength, and "thus l)y main force and the favoring wind Ave got through. "The savages who Avere Avith us carric^l their canoes along "the shore, being unable to nndie headAvay Avith their "paddles. Xiivv liaving pass(>d the fall av(^ saAV beautiful "nu-adoAv lands. I was nmcli astonished at this fall "because Ave descended easily Avith tlu^ tide, but at th.e fall "it Avas against us, but above the fall it ebbed as before " much to our satisfaction. Pursuing our route Ave came to ! I 1^ 3. i^ OF TMK (OAST or MAINK. 17 *^ ' ";i I;il<(' wliicli is tlir('<> or I'oiir Irii^ut's loiijjj, wWh islaiuls in ^^^ '' , "it. H(>vt' (Icscciid hv(» ii\crs, t1i<> O- ////Vry/// wliicli coiiirs " "from tlic iiortlii'Mst, ninl iniollicr wliicli coiih^s tVoiii tli(> '**"* "nortliwcst, l»y \\]ii('li l/'r//'////*/ iiinl >'":.///"" wrrc to coiiir, '"^"'^^■^' "l)ut liaviii<,' waiN'.l tlic wliolr of tliis day witlioiit seeing' P^*'^^* * "tlicin MC r^'solvrd to keep oiir iiliie eiii|il(>ye(l, iilid so ''"^^ "\vei<>;1i(>d aiu'lior aiu] eaiiic to tile liioiltll of tlie river." ioassoi. Time will not ])ei'mit a full translation of tl'e A-erv iitA-me interestinj' des{'rii)tion wlneli follows. It is evident tliat 4-1 •^'^ Clianiplain ascended the Sliee]>sc'ot to the noitlierii iicani}, extremity of Westiiort, (h-seended the river on the wtst ive aiHi j^j,|j, jj£ ^]i,, ish-md, passed close to what is now called '^* ^^ Hockaniock point, prilled the vessel through u])]»er Hellj^ate "^^'^^*'^' and so entered the Kennehec i)roi)er, and ])assed on to 111 III nvii tiiiii Merrvmeetin};' l>ay. The descent \\;is made hy the tnio cluiif^ a channel to the site of Fort Popliam, wlun-e they prohably u resort anchored, unless thev made a harhoi- a little fnrth(M' to the nplain h westward. From the Indians Champlain I'eceived an accni'atci desi-ription of this noble rivt'r; th(\v told him it 1 left an ^y.^^ ^]j^, ^i.(.;||; i-outi; to the St. Lawrence, and explained to believe \nn\ the connection between it and th(^ ('handiere, describ- nt some [j^^^ [^ iact, the very route by Avhich, one hundred and IS many seventy years lat(>r, tlu^ intre])id Arnold carried his brave r, but it little army to the very w;dls of (}u(>bee. They furtlnn- told i^veliad liJiij {;ij;it there were no Indians on the coast, but that in )ossibly the int(n'ior, ]>robably meaning Norridgewock, they lived )re and and cultivated th(> soil. gtli, and On the eighth of the month the party, previ(msly :lir(mgli. detained by tlu^ fog, set sail to the Avestward, ])robal)ly es along t.aking a diriH't course^ for the h(\'ulland of Cape Elizabeth, til their £()!• they ])assed without entering Casco Bay, ivhicli )(\iutifiil Cliani])lain dc^scribes as full of islands, and beyond tliein this fall to the west great mountains Avliere dwells a savage chit>f : the fall named "./.t'//." Tiie next day coasting along they saw s bef(n'e signs of habitations, smokes in the main land Avliicli seemed canu^ to to invite them, and many of the natives, more than eighty CliAMJ'L.MN H KXri.OltATlONS lulxT, (liiiiciii"^ !iik1 {^«'sti('iil;itin;j; on tlu> sliorc. Tlio \>''\'e.ss('l Diiiic to otl \sli:it is now Old Orcli.ird IJciU'h, untl juicliorcd inside of what is now Htratton's Island. Hcrt) thcrt' was a tVicndh' ».ronl'ia>'nc'e with the natives, and Ironi this point thin' niado a visit to an island, "which," in Clianiplain's laiij^uai^c, "is vcrv hcantil'ul, having thic oaks "and wahuits; tiio soil is t-nltivated and hi^ais vines with "good grapes iu thi'ir season. Tiiey were the tir^t wo iiad ".seen sinee k'aving C'a])e ^hi 11' re' This we called ' L'i-sic "W/r Ii, "in gardens, sowing three or four giains "in one spot, and then with tla^ shell of the '.s/;///or' tliey "gatlier a little earth around it: three feet from that they "sow again, and so on." We can scarcely improve, even now, on this method of i. It£l \)r riir. < oast ov .viaink. ID Th." 1, iunl llciv . from I, 111 3 OllkH s with r'O llilll ' /;isii' iimlor it I lay. ■i have c'lhaps )tii)n of f trade nvitiug r uiuler vt'ighed lich we I tit low t at the i(Ui two a very ireiit to filters arai'ter rnev of led the ! Monts lilnut," rains >r' they lat they 'thod of ir phiiitiii^ that ^\nll(h•rful grain whicli ('haiiiplaiii ralhs "wliciit of Imha," Mild we I iidiaii col ii. A word liny he in ]>la(T witii i« IViciicr to th»' sinj^nlar agvicuhiual iniii'"- iiit'iit used hy the liatiNcs. ( 'haiiij>laili .sa_\ s it \\as the shell of the s'kjuo'-, a reniarkal>le lisli to which, later on, he pves sonu' pajjics of descriiilioii, Jt was siiin»ly the cuiiouH .shell of the hoiscshor era!), and tlio*^*' who ari' familiar with it can readilv understand how servici'ahle it inav have « « been ill their siinj)ler of the Hay of Fundy and Novft Scotia, I'hese Aver«! all studies fo' iiie maps, which, as Royal (Geographer, it was his sjiecial mission to ])repaie. On the tAvelfth of the month, or prol.ahly on the t'leveiith, because \\v says it was on Sunday and Sunday was on the eleventh, the little band left " ('/,oi,d it had been since they left i\*v Kennelsec. The head wind continuing, they retraced their loute some six miles, and anchored at the harbor at Cajie Poi poise, which C'hanij)lain calls " /'o/7 (ni.r /.v/fN," on account of the three islands which famish shelter tli(n'(>. But his ol strv- ing eye had noticed the (^trance of the luniiebunk l\i\er, and he giv(>s also a very correct (h>scri])tioii of tliis h.-abor, with such sailing dir(>ctions as would make the jtassage easy to any navigator who might follow him. His computation of the latitude of this pohit is correct to 20 (■|[A:\ilM..VIN S KXI'LOIIATIONS ? 1 within iivc oiic-lmiidnnltlis of n (Ic^icc. 11" av;is not until the tit'tcontli of the month thnt tlicv wcic iiltlc to ])1'o('(>(h1 upon t]i(>ir jouTnry. V>\ the lonji,- sea lu-aclics of Wells tuul York and Hani})toi! tlicy roasted. l)nt with no induce- ment to seek a harbor, and so as the sun was settin<>' thev Bteered to the soutln\ard, passed tiie Merrimack and its surrouudi!imed like a threat hay, cau sandv i)r( niontory of Caj)e Cod, and terminatcnl theii southward journey at what is now Nanset. Evich'utly no knowledseri])tion we judj^e them to he "English, and named the island whcnv they were ' I.< AV/',' "heeanse at a distance it had that a])]»paranee." (That is, it looked like the hnll of a ship.) This was Monhe^an, and in these few lines nvv. the onlv allnsions by (Jhami)lain to ct)ntt!njj)orai'v rhi}j;lish discoveries on onr coast. The vess(d was the Archaiijj;el, nnder (ieor;^e Weymonth. F mi tlu^ Kennehee ])li;'S from France. With rt>f(M'ence to this second voyajj;e of (Mianiplain, a fcAV points arc; to he noticed. Tlu^ ])revious discoveries wore passed hv without further investigations; tlu^ P'H'ty did not (ncn enter P had some knowled^(^ of l''uro])eans, it was not of such a character as to warrant an o])inion that, within thiMr memory, there had been any white s(>itlements on the coast. rAov/'v^/ Avas the most ini])ortant point discov])ears to have been the only settlement of the aborigines which had a ]iernianent char- tu'tov. Dissatisfied, both with his settlimients at St. (^'oix, and his discoveries to the south and W(>st alonp; the coast, De I\Ionts now (l(U(>rmiiied to transplant his c(>Jony to Port Tloyal. H(^ himself returned to France'. Ihit (^hanqilain could not leave his work unfinished; he decided to r(>main, and his siin])le, modest narrativ(> ^ives us a vivid pictui'e of the preparations made for the ensuiiiii; winter. ITis ho])e, as lu> says, was to make new discoveries in the direction of Florida. a.j CHAMP1.AL\ S L^Pl.onATIONS' Ou the 1st of Miivfli, l()Of), till' Sieiir du Pout-Grave fittt'tl out ii vi'sscl of alxmt t'i^liteeii tons. On tlie sixte(>ntli, all being n-adv, they set sail, but were obljffcd to seek a harl)or on an island to tlu^ soiitli of Cilrand Menan. On the follo\vinssioiis under the comnumd of Poutrincourt, to the colony, among others the versatile advocate Lescarbot, the future liistoi-ian of New France. So tiiey glaw comers set to work with commendable vigor, and the stoiy of their daily avocaticms, as narrated by Lescarbot, is exceedingly (^ntcn'taining; l)ut with this our limits will not ])ermit us to dwell. Du Pont decided to return to France and tak(i with him all the company who passed with him the ]irevious winter, with a few exee])tions. Among these Champlain, who says: "I remained also, "with the Sieur de Poutrhicourt, intcmding by the gi'aco of "(rod, to finish and p(>rfect the chart which I had com- "menced of the ccmntry and tlu^ coast." OF THE COAST OF MAINE. 23 After one iiioft'ectual attempt, the jiarty left Port Eoyal on the 5th of Scptenilx^r, 1()(1(). On the seventh they anchored in the St. Croix, on th*^ eighth they visited, in a small boat, the island Avhere l)v ]\[onts had spent the dreary winter of IfJO-l-o. They fonnd some traces of the gardens, still be.iring some of the })()t herbs planted so long before, and some grain self-sown, and in excellent condition. Returning to their vessel they coasted to the Avestward, to proceed directly to the extreme limit of the discoveries of the preceding year, so to lose no time on the twelfth they turned towards Chouacoet, and reached the river on the twenty-lirst. Lescarbot gives some details of tliis nine days voyage. They Avere four dajs in reaching Penobscot ]3ay, having stopped en route to re})air their little craft. Passing through the Fox Islands thev reached the mouth of the Kennebec, Avhere they were again in pi'ril on account of the "gi-eat " currents Avliich are peculiar to the place." It Avould aitpear also, fi-om Lescarbot, that the party landed at Cape Eliza- beth before reaching Haco, but upon this point there is some doubt. Champlain adds that the Indians at Chouacoet had finisli(>d their harvest, and that he did not fail to taste the grain's on the island of Bacchus, which Avere ripe and quite good. From this point they made Cape Ann, and so to the soutlnvard ; l)ut the voyage Avas Avithout findt. In a conflict Avitli the natives they lost several of their company. On the 28tli of October they set sail from Malabarre for the Isle Haute. On the thirty-first, betAveen Mount Des(a't and the Mouth of the Machias, they lost tlunr rudder and Avere in imminent peril. AVith much ingenuity they succeeded in reaching a harbor, but not until the l-4th of NoA'end)er, after many (hmgers and disastt^rs did they reach Port Eoyal. Of their I'uthusi- astic reception, the feasting and mas(|uerading Avhich followed, the long Avinter enlivened by Lescarbot's Avit, and the bonhommie of their versatile and vivacious nation, our 24 c;h\mi'l.vin's explouations limit, will not pennit us to give any description For the purpose of this hasty investigation we have notlang to (U. with the future of the colony. , • • , I fancy that few who have rea.l the simple narrative m Champlain's wcmls, or who have followed this very imperfect ahridgoment of it, can fail to see its important bearing on the history of our State. So far as I know the three voyages are the first thoroughly hitelligible contribu- tion to the cartography of Maine. That the work was done by a gentleman of such energy patience, and accuracy, must be to us a matter of constant satisfaction. His monument is here, as well as on the banks of the majestic St. Lawrence, and his memory wiU be preserved in the gi-eat landmarks on our coast which bear the names he gave them two hundred and seventy years ago, as weU as in the great lake he discovered, and Vhich bears his name, or the quahit town which he founded on the heights of Quebec, and which to this day has the sight and sound and savor of that older time, a gift, as it were, of one of its family jewels from the Old France to the New.