obteyned from the Indians by way of trade; good store of sarsaparilla gathered, and the new pynnace all finished. But by reason that Capt. Gilbert received letters that his brother was newly dead, and a faire portion of land fallen unto his share, which required his repaier home, and noe mynes discovered, nor hope thereof, being the mayne intended benefit expected to uphold the charge of this plantacion, and the feare that all other wynters would prove like the first, the company by no means would stay any longer in the country, especyally Capt. Gilbert being to leave them, and Mr. Popham, as aforesaid, dead; wherefore they all ymbarqued in this new arrived shipp, and in the new pynnace, the Virginia, and sett saile for England. And this was the end of that northerne colony uppon the river Sachadehoc.

ARTICLE V.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE EARLY

SETTLEMENTS AT SAGADA HOCK

AND ON THE ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER;

WITH A SUGGESTION THAT THE EXPLORATION BY POPHAM'S COLONY WAS

UP THE ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER, AND NOT THE KENNEBEC.

BY JOHN MCKEEN, ESQ., OF BRUNSWICK.

Ir appears from the Collections of William Strachey, publish ed by the Hakluyt Society in London in 1849, that Capt. George Weymouth visited the Sagadahock in the spring of 1605. He wended his way in his barge some sixty miles up the river which "trended westward into the maine". The next year, in the month of August, Capt. George Popham arrived at Sagadahock, designing to establish a colony there. He went up the river forty leagues, and finally concluded to settle his colony at the mouth of the river. It is doubtful which course these adventurers took after leaving the ancient Sagadahock-whether they went up the Kennebec or the Pejepscot. But whichever way they went it will be difficult to reconcile it with their narration. It will be attempted to show, that the river they ascended on leaving the Sagadahock, was, to a certain extent the Pejepscot river, and farther and continuous was the Androscoggin.In the remarks and suggestions to be made in our progress up the river we shall give some historical facts, present some considerations in their connection, and correct some statements

which have crept into several accounts relating to our early history.

The exact whereabouts of Popham's settlement has not been fully determined; and as inquiry is being made, and as the subject of the Sagadahock, its settlements and its description would require a chapter of some considerable length, we leave it to be prepared by another hand, at some future day.*

Of the names given by the Indians to the rivers and the several localities upon them, and their signification, we can say but little. Many of their names, were, no doubt, generally indicative of some property in the subject of them, but the peculiarity in the pronunciation of the language has involved in obscurity their orthography to such a degree, that it is very difficult to arrive at a knowledge of the signification of their names. Thus the name of Sagadahock has lost every original characteristic, which to those acquainted with the language might lead to its original import; yet its meaning is the mouth of a river. We are indebted to the Indians themselves for the explanation. † In leaving the Sagadahock we pass on in a northerly course through a narrow strait called the Chop's, into Merrymeeting Bay, originally called by the Indians, Quabacook. ‡ It presents from this position, a long, broad expanse of water, three or four miles in length, and a mile or more in breadth, and extends westerly at about right angles with the Sagadahock. The shores appear to be considerably indented, exhibiting several coves, inlets, points of land, and headlands. And at this point there is no decided appearance of the ingress of any river, so that an entire stranger in those early times, would be likely to wend his way, and follow this long and broad expanse of water before

It is understood that Bishop Burgess and some other members of our Society have this matter in hand.-[ED.]

See Dep. of Wm. Lithgow among Pejepscot papers in Me. His. Society. Dep. of Pierpole an Indian.

him, taking the same for the principal river. This bay receives the waters of five rivers, of which the two principal are the Kennebec and Pejepscot-the former trending north-easterly, the latter a little north of west. The other rivers are comparatively inconsiderable, viz: the Abbacadusset, which flows into the bay a little northerly of the Kennebec-the point of junc tion of the two rivers is called Abbacadusset point. Further west the Cathance river enters, and both are navigable some three or four miles. The point of land at the mouth of the Cathance is called Somerset point. Muddy river is very small, and comes in near the Pejepscot, and the point made with it, is called Pleasant point. On the south of the bay lies what is now called Butler's cove and the headland on the east side of the cove, makes the point coming into the bay from the Pejepscot. This bay was called Merrymeeting Bay by the English, on account of its being the place of rendezvous of the several tribes, whose locations were on these rivers having their confluence in this collection of waters. Here about this bay, on its points, headlands, and coves, they assembled, deliberated and concerted their plans; mutually receiving and imparting information, feasting, drinking and revelling. The principal places of meeting for these purposes were on the northerly side of the bay, where they were less exposed to attack from the English, at Abbacadusset, Somerset, and Pleasant points. It was at Somerset point that Col. Harmon and Major Moody met those Indians, who were returning from the burning of Brunswick and the massacre of its inhabitants, the last of June or first of July

* This destruction of Brunswick was in retaliation for the attack made on Norridgewock the year proceeding, by Col. Westbrook. Following this event, the next season, Capt's. Harmon, Moulton and others surprised Norridgewock, and effectually subdued the Indians It was Richard Jacques, who killed Ralle; he was son in law of Capt. Harmon, having married his daughter Sarah. Both Harmon and Jacques moved to Harpswell in 1727. The former died there. Jacques received a mortal wound in a skirmish with