count of the imperfect condition of the roads and want of suitable accommodations at the stopping places, a passage by water was generally preferred in summer. But even the proverbial levelling exigencies of a wood-coaster could not overcome her repugnance against mingling with the ignobile vulgus. A daughter of Capt. Malcolm, being the youngest of a deceased mother, and often accompanying her father in his trips to Boston, remembers making the passage when Mrs. Knox, her children, and their nurse were on board, and that the lady remained shut up in her carriage during the whole voyage, neither speaking nor having any intercourse with any but her servants, although one of her daughters, Henrietta, was suffering with the consumption, of which she afterwards died, and the dry nurse was too ill with sea-sickness to give much attention to the other children, who were glad to run about the deck and play with their little fellow passenger. On another occasion, when my informant went with her father, the commander of the vessel, to see the General on business at his residence, she was welcomed with delight by the children, who were sporting on the lawn, till her father returned with the General, when one of them ran up exclaiming, "Oh, pa! here's a little girl!" On this, the General took the little visitor up in his arms, and caressed her with all the tenderness and affection of a fond parent and truehearted gentleman. Indeed, it is said, that he seldom passed children in the street without speaking to them and often tossing them bits of change. Another lady*, still living in town, testifies that the General's wife, also, "was not so much stuck up as our aristocracy are now-a-days," for, being employed, when a small girl, to bring some of her mother's butter at every churning, as better flavored than that of Mrs. Knox's own dairy, the latter used to call her to her room and, with many kind words, pay her with her own hands. Yet, it is also said, that her pride of rank and family was always wounded by any allusion to her husband's early occupation. It is related that, when visiting at the house of a respectable friend in Massachusetts, with her little petted and spoiled son, who busied himself in disarranging every thing about the room, and especially the books, she said to the mistress of the house "Henry must not be restrained; we never think of thwarting him in anything;" and, on the lady's replying, "but I cannot have my books spoiled, as my husband is not a bookbinder," Mrs. Knox was so offended that she immediately and unceremoniously took her departure." * Mrs. Mary Hyler. Among the fine arrangements in and about her magnificent residence, there was one feature which to persons of a true and cultivated taste would have enhanced its charms, but which to Mrs. Knox was only a source of annoyance and a subject of frequent complaint. Near the dwelling and in sight from its windows, was a small cluster of ancient graves and humble memorial stones of early settlers who had taken refuge in the Fort, of soldiers who had fallen in its defence, or of chaplains and missionaries who here closed their labors and were buried beneath its walls. These could not fail at times to interrupt her gayety by the unwelcome thoughts of death; and she proposed to have them removed. Her companion was shocked at the idea, and gave no countenance to such a violation of the last resting-place of humble but brave defenders of this frontier post in the wilderness. Subsequently, however, in his absence, the work was done by her order, and the monuments all broken or levelled and removed, - to the indignation of those whose kindred and ancestrel dust was thus disturbed, and to the regret and mortifiIcation of the General, who on his return is said to have seized his hair with both hands, tearing it and pouring out hearty execrations on such vandalism. Whilst Mrs. Knox was thus by her haughtiness and capricious conduct sinking in public estimation, her husband continued to maintain his own popularity by the frankness, sincerity, and liberality so natural to him. Among other things he gave a piece of land for a burying-ground north of Main street, since the principal cemetery in Thomaston; a large pulpit bible still in use by the Congregational Church there; singing or hymn books, it is believed; and the bell, before mentioned, the first that ever called a Christian assembly to worship in this the landing place of the earliest Anglo-Saxon explorers. Though pressed with his own business and multiform occupations, he was often consulted by his townsmen, and readily gave his counsel and aid in relation to the settling or employing a minister, and other matters of importance; was repeatedly chosen to represent the town in the General Court; was a member of the executive council, and his opinions had great weight with Gov. Strong, then the chief magistrate of the Commonwealth. Though independent and firm in his political sentiments, like Strong he was disposed to conciliate those who differed from him in opinion, and was wholly free from the spirit of intolerance. Having now reached the height of his earthly wishes; beloved and respected by the people to whose prosperity he had so much contributed; courted and admired as the ornament of the highest circles, he was yet, we may add, lest our account should savor of partiality, -not without his defects. He is said to have made too frequent a use of profane language; a habit he had probably contracted in the army. It was not, however, with him that vulgar, senseless, unmeaning use of sacred language so often met with, but consisted rather of solemn asseverations upon too unimportant and frivolous occasions. For instance, on some dispute with a back-woodsman about the number of logs furnished him, which the man offered to make oath to, "well!" he said, "if you are willing to risk your immortal soul for four and six pence, do it, in the name of G-!" This was uttered in so solemn a tone and manner that the man quailed and precipitately fled from his presence. Other faults of the General were, that he attempted more business than he could carry on without loss to himself and dissatisfaction to his employees; and was too easily persuaded to adopt the specious and Utopian schemes of pretentious empirics and adventurers. As specimens of these last, we may mention the substitution of an inclined plane of earth for a lock, at his mills in Warren, for which the Frenchman who constructed it took.care to get his pay and be off before the water was high enough to make trial of it;. as also a marble-mill, the first in the place, which he was persuaded to have built back of the Scotch or Nicholson house, on a brook or stream, so small that after the mill was set agoing and the saw had worked into a block of marble about half its width, it stopped for want of water, and there remained, for years after the General's death, -a monument of easy confidence and misapplied expenditure. The building was subsequently removed and converted into the dwellinghouse now owned and occupied by Peter Williams. The project, probably, seemed at the time less chimerical than now; as, in early times, before the clearing up of the woods, the waters of this as well as of other streams were much more copious. It is moreover said that it was part of the plan to supply the deficiency of water by diverting the Partridge brook, so called, from its course into Mill River and turning it by means of a dam and canal into the brook in question. Knox seems to have been not unaware of this weak point in his character. When in the Legislature, and wishing to get an appropriation made for one of the pages of the House, he requested another to offer the resolution, saying he would do it himself, but "people say already that I would bankrupt the nation." Yet these failings were easily overlooked; and, from aught that tradition has handed down, it does not appear that he was at all undeserving of the poetic eulogy bestowed upon him in his life-time by a cotemporary writer, who thus apostrophized him: "Raised by thy toils the brazen bulwark stands, Thy care creates it, and thy voice commands; CHAPTER XII. EVENTS IN GENERAL FROM 1795 TO CLOSE OF THE CEN TURY. THE Baptist society, under the care of Mr. Snow, continued to prosper; and this season, 1795, something of a revival took place and many were added to the church. Thus encouraged, the society set about providing a house of worship; Wm. Rowell and Ephraim Snow gave land for its site, and in 1796 the present church edifice was erected. This has since, in 1847, been greatly improved by lowering the gallery, removing the entrance from the front side to the west end, adding at that end a belfry and steeple and remodeling the pews and pulpit to correspond, still remaining the only house of worship in South Thomaston, and increasing the interest as well as beauty of its principal village. The original house was built on contract by H. Prince, then residing in that village, was raised June 23, 1796, and the lower part finished by Aug. 20, 1797; three days after which the Baptist Association was held in it. The adjacent burying-ground was used, as occasion offered, from the first settlement of the place; but, though the town voted, April 6, 1818, to allow $50 for fencing, it lay unfenced till 1824 or later, when, at the suggestion of Asa Coombs, Esq., the citizens turned out July 5th, hauled rock, and walled it in. A claim having been made on the town for this service, and a deed procured from Mr. Snow, in accordance with the town's vote to allow the same whenever such deed should be given, some $40 or $50 were received from its treasury. In May, 1795, Perez Tilson from Halifax, Mass., came to the place, and, a year or two after, married and settled on the farm which he long and successfully managed, and which still remains in the hands of his descendants. He was accompanied, or soon followed, by Walter Hatch from the same neighborhood, and the two commenced trading in company; but after a few years Hatch returned to his native place. Tilson was one of the founders of the first Congregational church in 1809, of which he became deacon and remained a worthy member and steady supporter till his death in his 88th year. His elder brother, William, as before noted, came earlier, and for many years kept a public house-the site of which is occupied by the dwelling of Wm. Thompson, in Rockland. About this time, also, Joshua Adams came to |