CHA P. VII.

DISTRICT OF MAIN.

BELONGING TO MASSACHUSETTS.

Situation, Extent and Boundaries.
Miles.

Greateft length 240

Mean breadth } between 4° and 9° E. Longitude.

43° and 47° N. Latitude. Containing 21,600 fquare Miles.

It is bounded on the north, by the Lower Canada, from which it is

parated by the high-lands; on the east by the river St. Croix, and a line rawn due north from its fource to the faid high-lands, which divides this ritory from the province of New-Brunfwick, Nova Scotia; on the southby the Atlantic ocean; and on the weft by New-Hampshire; from Ich it is feparated for about 40 miles by the river Pifcataqua.

The whofe province of Main and the territory to the eall of it, as far as e western boundary of Nova Scotia, were formerly in one county, named Thfhire; but in 1761, this extenfive county was fubdivided into three, d fince the revolution, thefe have again been partitioned off into five, viz.

This eflimate is agreeably to the cenfus taken by act of congrefs, in the 2790, but as upwards of eight years have elapfed fince that period, we , perhaps, come pretty near to the prefent population of this diftrict. if add one third to the number of inhabitants in 1790, which would make now amount to 128,720.

Bays, Capes and Mountains.

ST. CROIX is a fhort and inconfiderable river, forming the eaf

boundary of the United States*. It falls into Paffamaquody bay. Peot river rifes in fome ponds in the heart of the country, and palling

Governor Pownall fuppofes that Paffamaquody river, which is fifteen or twenles east of St. Croix, is the real caftefn boundary of New-England. For, fald The French according to their mode of taxing poffeffion, always fixed a croís v river they came to. Almost every river on the coaft of Sagadahok has, in , been deemed by them La Riviele de St. Croix. Under equivocation of neral appellative, they have amuled our negociators on every occalion.

through feveral fmall lakes it tumbles for near two miles over falls, which ef fectually prevent any further marine navigation. To thefe falls, which are about fifty miles from the fea, this river is navigable for vessels of an hundred tons. It empties into Penobscot bay.

Kennebek river rifes from a little pond in the height of land, in north latitude 45° 20′ and about 5° 10′ eaft longitude. Its general courfe is from north to fouth. It is navigable for veffels of an hundred tous to Hallowell, fifty miles from Small point, at the mouth of the river.

Sagadahok, or Amerafcoggin river, which, properly fpeaking, is but the main vettern branch of the Kennebek, rifes in latitude 44° 50′ north-exftward of the White-Hills, in lake Umbagoog. Peabody river, and another branch, fall into this main ftream from the eaft fide of the White Hills. Its courfe is fouth about twenty fix miles, then caft north-east fixty, when it meets a fecond main flream from the north-east, thirty-four miles from its fource. Hence the river runs fouth forty miles. In this courfe it paffes within two miles of the fea coal, then turns north, and running over Pejetfkaeg, falls into Merry Meeting bay; from thence, with the waters of Kennetek. which likewife fall into this bay, with feveral other small fireams, it paffes off to the fea, fixteen miles, by the name of Kennebek, or Sagadahok river.

The Dutch formerly had a fettlement at the place that is now called NewCafle, which was under the jurifdiction of the then governor of New York, then called Manhadoes. The town was built on a beautiful neck of land, where rows of old cellars, near each other, are now to be feen.

Saco river has two fources, one in Offipee pond, near Offipee mountain; the other, which is its principal branch, fails from the fouth fide of the White Hills. The former is called Offpee, and the later Pigwaket river. (Of pee pond and Offpee mountain are In New-Hampfire, as are the White Hills.) Thele foon unite, and the river, keeping a general fouth-eaftern course for fixty or feventy miles, palles between Pepperhillhorough and Biddeford townfhips, into Saco bay, near Il inter harbour. Marine navigation is topped by Saco fails, feven or eight miles from the fea. At thefe falls, which are about Twenty feet in height, are the grea eft board works in this part of the country. The river here is broken by fmail iflands in fuch a manner as to afford a number of fine faw-mill feats. Before the war, 4.000 oo feet of pine boards were at nually fawed by the mills at this place. Logs are floated down the river from fixty or feventy miles above the mills; and veffels can come up quite to the mills to take in their lading.

Befides these are a number of fmaller rivers. Stevens's, a falt water river. Profumfcut, and Royel rivers, run into Cafco bay. Kennebunk and Monfo rivers extend fome difiance into the country, and empty into Wells bay. Webhannet river is the principal entrance by water into the town of Wills, and has a barred harbour. York river runs up feven or eight miles, and has a tolerable harbour for vcffels under 200 tons. Its rocks render it fomewhat bez udous for flangers. Spurwing river runs through Scarborough to the wellward of Cape Elizabeth, and is navigable a few miles for veffels of an hundred tons. Sheepfout is navigable twenty or thirty miles, and empties into the ocean at the fame mouth with Kennelck. On this river is an excellent ort called Wifcaffet, in the township of Ponallorough. At the head of navigation on this river is Newcastle, which extends from Sheepfrut to Damarifcolta river. Pemaquid and Damarifcotta are fmall rivers; the former has a beautiful harbour, but is not navigable above its mouth.

The fea coaft is indented with innumerable bays. Thofe worth noticing are Penobscot bay, at the mouth of Penobfcot river, which is long and capacious. Its eaft fide is lined with a cluiter of fimal! iflands. On a fine peninfula in this bay, the British, in the late war, built a fort, and made a feudement, which is now a townfh P of Maffihufeits, and a commodious fituation for the lumber trade it has been called therto by its old Indian name Majabazaduje, or, for the fake of brevity. Bagadufe. At the dittance of about four leagues weftwardly is Broad Bay, on the western fhore of which Pemaquid point or cape projects into the La. Cafco bay is between Cape Elizate had Cape Small Point. It is twenty-five miles wide, and about fourteen in length. It is a molt beautiful bay, interfperfed with imali iflands, and forms the entrance into Sagadakok. It has a fufficient depth of water for veff's of any burden. Wells bay lies between Cape Neddik and Cape Porpoife.

Sabago pond is about twenty miles north west of Falmouth. Cobefciconti ponds are between Amarafcoggin and Kennebek rivers. Betides there there are Monfom and Lovel's ponds, and leveral others.

Gamenticus, a roted land mark for failors, is about eight miles from the fea, in latitude 43° 15'; and lies in the townthip of York, a few miles weftward of Wells.

PORTLAN

Chief Towns.

ORTLAND is a peninfula, that was formerly part of Falmouth, and is now the capital of the district of Maine. In July 1786, the compact part of the town and the port were incorporated by the name of Portland. It has an excellent, fafe, and capacious harbour, but incapable of defence, except by a navy, and carries on a foreign trade, and the fifhery, and builds fome thips. The old town of Falmouth, which included Portland, comained more than 700 families, in orthing circumitances, when the Brijk troops burnt it in 1775. It has, however, fince that time been entirely reburit and contains about 2.500 inhabitants. Among its public buildings are two for congregationa!ifts and one for epifcopalians, and a handfome court houfe. Kittery is a pretty little town on the eaft fide of the mouth of Pifcataqua river, and is famous for hip-building. One of its prefent bahants* is one of the first genioufes in that line in America. York, Wells, Berwick Arundel; Biddeford, and Scarborough, are all confiderable towns.

Climate.

THE heat in fummer is very great, and the cold in winter equally

extreme. All fresh-water lakes, ponds, and rivers, are ufually paffable on ice, from Chriflmas, unul the Middle of March. The longell day is f teen hours and fixteen minutes, and the fhorteft eight hours and fortyfour minutes. The climate is very healthful. Many of the inhabitants live ninety years.

* Mr. Peck

Face of the Country, Soil and Productions.

THE face of the country, in regard to evennefs or roughness, is

fimilar to the rest of the New-England tates. About Cafco bay it is level and fandy, and the foil thin and poor. Throughout this country there is a greater proportion of dead fwamps than in any other part of New England. The tratt lying between Paffamaquady and Penobscot rivers is white pine land, of a strong moist foil, with fome mixture of oaks, white afh, birch, and other trees, and the interior parts are interfperfed with beech ridges. The fea-coaft is generally barren. In many towns the land is good for grazing. Wells and Scarborough have large tracts of falt marfh. The inland parts of Main are fertile, but newly and thinly fettled. The low fwamps are useless.

The grain raifed here is principally Indian corn, little or no wheat, fome rye, barley, oats, and peas. The inhabitants raife excellent potatoes in large quantities, which are frequently ufed inflead of bread. Their butter has the preference to any in New England, owing to the goodnes of the grafs, which is very fweet and juicy. Apples, pears, plumbs, peaches, and cherries, grow here very well. Plenty of cyder, and fome perry, is made in the fouthern and western parts of Main. The perry is made from choak pears, and is an agreeable liquor, having fomething of the harshness of claret wine, joined with the fweetness of metheglin.

On the high lands are oak in fome places, but not plenty, maple, beech and white birch. The white birch, in this part of the country, is unlike that which grows in other parts. It is a large fightly tree, fit for many ufes. Its bark, which is compofed of a great number of thickeneffes, is, when feparated, fimoother and fofter than any paper. The clay-lands produce fir. The timber of this tree is unfit for ufe, but it yields the balfam which is fo much admired. This balfam is contained in fmall protuberances, like blifters, under the smooth bark of the tree. The fir tree is an ever green, refembling the fpruce, but very tapering, and not very large or tall.

Trade, Manufactures, Exports, &c.

FROM the first fettlement of Main, until the year 1774 or 1775,

the inhabitants generally followed the lumber trade to the neglect of agriculture. This afforded an immediate profit. Large quantities of corn and other grain were annually imported from Bofton and other places, without which it was fuppofed the inhabitants could not have fubfifled. But the late war, by rendering thefe refources precarious, put the inhabitants upon their true intereft, i. e. the cultivation of their lands, which, at a little diftance from the fea, are well adapted for railing grain. The inhabitants now raife a fufficient quantity for their own confumption, though too many are ftill more fond of the axe than of the plough. Their wool and flax are very good hemp has not been fufficiently tried. Almolt every family manufacture wool and flax into cloth, and make hufbandry utenfils of every kind for their own ufe.

This country abounds with lumber of various kinds, fuch as mafls, white pine boards, fhip timber, and every fpecies of fplit timber, manufactured from pine and oak; thefe are exported from Quamphegon No. 25.