historical subject published after the separation, was Greenleaf's Ecclesiastical Sketches in 1821; and the same year Judge Freeman issued his extracts from the journals of the Rev. Thomas Smith, with statistics of the town and county, both in duodecimo form. These were followed in 1827 by Mr. White's History of Belfast, one hundred and twenty pages, Moses Greenleaf's map of Maine, with an octavo volume of valuable statistics in 1829, and by Mr. Folsom's History of Saco and Biddeford in 1830. In 1831, the first volume of the Maine Historical Collections was published, which contained the first part of my History of Portland, and in 1832, appeared my second part in a separate form, bringing the history of the town to that period. The same year Mr. Williamson published his elaborate History of Maine in two octavo volumes, which has been followed by five volumes of the Transactions of the Maine Historical Society, and numerous and very valuable histories of towns and communities in our State, and in 1863 the Popham Memorial Volume, a compilation of rare value, which several works have ably and clearly illustrated our early and later annals.

Location and Meteorological Statistics of Portland. The New City Hall, near the center of Portland, is in north latitude 43°, 39', 27". West longitude from Greenwich 70°, 15', 40". Longitude in time from Greenwich four hours, forty-one minutes, and three seconds. It is five hundred

and sixty miles from Washington, three hundred and thirty from New York, one hundred and five from Boston, two hundred and ninety-four by the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal, two hundred and seventeen to Quebec, five hundred and fifty-seven to Toronto, and eight hundred and fifty-nine to Detroit. The magnetic variation in January, 1863, was twelve four-tenths, having increased from eight degrees in 1765.

By tables kept at the Observatory, on Munjoy's Hill in Portland, one hundred and sixty feet above the level of high water, for thirty-two years from 1825 to 1857 inclusive, it appears that the annual average temperature for that period was 43°, 23', of Farenheit. The highest point it attained was 100°, 5'; the lowest was January 24, 1857, 25° below zero. The highest mean temperature in any month of that period was 71° in July, 1825; the lowest mean temperature for any month was 13° above zero in January, 1844. The average temperature of the seasons for the thirty-two years was as follows: March, April, May, 39°, 98'; June, July, August, 63°, 71'; September, October, November, 46°, 73'; Decem

ber, January, February, 21°, 93'. The mean temperature for 1856 was 44°, 13'; for 1857, 44°, 68'; for 1858, 44°, 4'; for 1859, 43°, 47'.

The amount of rain, and snow reduced to water, in 1857, was 47.66 inches; in 1858, 43.42 inches; in 1859, 48.55 inches.

The prevailing winds may be set down in the following proportions of 100. North and east 25, east and south 14, south and west 25, west and north 36-100.

Mean barometric pressure at a station eighty-five and a half feet above the sea, 29.9.

The sewerage and sanitary condition of Portland are of a high order; and nothing in this respect is especially needed, but a supply of pure water. For this purpose, there are ample sources of an excellent character within eighteen miles of the city. I need only refer to the Sebago Lake, a sheet of very pure water, containing about sixty-five thousand square acres, and of great depth, which is fed by other lakes and several streams of water.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

FALMOUTH originally contained within its limits the present towns of FALMOUTH, CAPE ELIZABETII, PORTLAND, and WESTBROOK; and embraced a number of large and valuable islands lying in CASCO BAY. It is proposed in the introductory chapter of the following work, to present a cursory view of the settlements made, and attempted to be made, on the coast of Maine, previous to that of Falmouth. After which my attention will be principally confined to that town, until PORTLAND was separately incorporated; this latter town will then receive more exclusive notice. The various changes in the government of the country, especially during the early period of its history, will be briefly alluded to, as they had an immediate influence upon the happiness and prosperity of the inhabitants.

The entire loss of the records in the destruction of the town by the Indians in 1690, has deprived me of many valuable materials for the present work, and rendered my task at the same time more difficult and more unsatisfactory. But this consolation has accompanied me, that whatever facts I could glean from the State and county records, and other scattered sources of information, become more valuable and more interesting, by the unfortunato events which have destroyed the more ready and minute aids to historical accuracy.

It is known to most readers, that previous to 1752, the year commenced on the 25th day of March; consequently the time between the first day of January and that day, was reckoned with the former year, and it was usually expressed by a double dato; an instrument for instance, bearing date January 15, 1640, according to our calendar, would be expressed January 15, 1639–40. Sometimes only 1639. In such cases I have invariably adapted the date to the present modo of computation, so far as regards the year. The day of the month by the new style, may be ascercertained by omiting ten days in the seventeenth century, eleven in the eighteenth, and twelve in the nineteenth. The alteration was made in England by a statute passed in 1751, to take effect January 1, 1752, and which authorized the omission of the eleven intermediate days of the calendar, from the 2d to the 14th day of September of that year.