Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/592

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portation from place to place of intoxicating liquors with intent to sell; (4) prohibiting any sale of intox- icating liquors by self, clerk, servant, or agent; (5) to punish the offence of being a conunon seller; (6) to punish the keeping of a drinicing house and tippling shop; (7) against keeping intoxicating liquors in one's possession mtended for unlawful sale; (8) a law pro- viding for a search and seizure of intoxicating lic^uors intended for unlawful sale, and for their forfeiture; (9) against advertising sale or keeping for sale of in- toxicating liquors in newspapers. The penalties range, according to the gravity of the offence, from a fine of fifty doUiars and costs to a fine of $1000 and costs, and imprisonment from thirty days to six months. For a second or subsequent offence the pen- alties are to be increased. Formerly the duty of en- forcing the prohibitory law rested upon certain county officers, such as the sheriff and his deputies and the county attorney, and upon certain municipal officers. In addition to these, by act approved on 18 March, 1905, the governor was authorized to appoint a com- mission of three persons, who in turn may appoint such number of deputies as in their judgment may be necessary to enforce the laws against the manu- facture and sale of intoxicating liquors.

State and Town Agencies. — A ^te agency exists "to furnish municipal officers of towns and cities with pure, unadulterated mtoxicating liquors to be kept and sold for medicinal, mechanical and manufacturing pur- poses'*. The municipal officers are authorized U> ap- point some suitable person, agent of said town or city", who is authorized to purchase liquors from the state agent and " to sell the same^ at some convenient place therein, to be used for medicmal, mechanical and manufacturing purposes and no other." "No such agent shall have any interest in such liquors or in the profits of the sale thereof."

Prisons and Reformatories. — ^Thcre is a state prison located at Thomaston, the Reform School be- ing situated at Cape Elizabeth. There is a county iail in each county except Piscataquis, which uses the Pe- nobscot jail at Bangor, and every citv and large town has its police station or lock-up. There is also the Industrial School for Girls at Hallowell.

Wills and Testaments. — ^The statutes provide that " a person of sound mind and of the age of twenty- one years, may dispose of his real and personal estate by will m writing signed hy him, or by some person for him at his request and m his presence, and subscribed in his presence by three credible attesting witnesses not beneficially interested under said will.

Charitable Bequests, — ^There is no statute on this subject, but a bequest, for any purpose not against public policy, will be sustained, provided there be a person or persons or corporation empowered to accept and receive the same.

Cemeteries. — ^The statutes provide as follows: "Section 1. Towns may raise and assess money, nec- essary for purchasing and suitably fencing land for a burying ground. Section 2. Persons of lawful age may incorporate themselves for the purpose of pur- chasing land for a burying ground." Another section requires that ancient cemeteries belonging to anv town, parish, or religious society shall be fenced; still another exempts lots in pubuc or private ceme- teries from attachments and levy on execution.

HisTORY.-j-So conspicuous were the islands and the coast of Maine, that it is beyond question that they were known to nearly all of the early explorers. In 990 Biame sailed from Iceland for Greenland and, driven by storms from his course, discovered an un- known land to the south, covered with forests. The account of his voyage leads one to believe that he passed in sight of the Maine coast. After him came other Northmen; the sons of Eric the Red sucoe^ sively made voyages to the coast of New England, Leif in 1000, Thorwald in 1002, <SDd Thomstein in IX.— 35


1004. The last named came in search of the body of hb brother Thorwald, slain in battle by the natives in the vicinity of what is now Boston Harbour; he remained through the winter, returning in 1005. After these atmc Thorfinn Karlsefne in 1006; Thor- hall the hunter in 1008, who beyond question was actually upon the coast of Maine, and Thorfinn Karl- sefne, who came again in 1009 in search of Thorhall the hunter, but probably did not quite reach the coast of Maine. Durmg the period which elapsed until the time of Columbus (1492), while many voyages were made from Denmark and Iceland to "vineland", which comprised the coast of Maine and New Hampshire, and to Markland, which was identical with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick of to-day, there is no cer- tainty that any of the vessels of the Northmen landed on the coast of Maine proper. The prevailing opinion was that this region formed a part of Europe, and it is so set down in the maps of that period. Later it was believed to be a part of Asia. Columbus in voy- aging westward was in search of a passage to India.

The first voyage of John Cabot and his son Sebas- tian in 1497, in which the land of North America was observed, left them under the impression that it was the coast of Eastern Asia. In 1498 Sebastian Cabot passed along the entire length of the coast of Maine going and returning. Then for the first time and to his disappointment, Sebastian Cabot discovered that this land stood as an apparently impassable barrier between him and "far-off Cathay". In 1624 the Italian, Verrazano, for the French Government, ex- plored the coast bordering "on the gulf of Maine", and describes it very minutely. In 1525 Estevan Gomez, in behalf of the Spanish Government, made a voyage to the New World, and entered many of the ports and bays of New England. For a long time afterwards, the territory of which Maine forms a part was known on Spanish maps as the "Country of Gomez". In 1527 John Rut, on an English vessel, visited the coast, being the first Englishman to set foot upon American soil. It was at this time that the territory of Maine became known as Norupa- be^, called after an imaginary city located in the in- tenor on the banks of the Penobscot. All of these ex- peditions were sent out in the hope of discovering a north-west passage to India. In 1541 Diego Maldo- nado visited the coast of Maine. He was in charge of a Spanish expedition sent out in search of Ferdinand De Soto, who had explored the southern coast of North America to take possession of it for the Span- ish Government.

In 1556 Andr^ Thevet, a passenger on board a French vessel, landed with others on the banks of the Penobscot. This traveller has ^yen a very complete and interesting account of his visit. In 1565 Sir John Hawkins explored the coast, and Sir Humphrey Gil- bert perished on the way to establish an English colony at Norumbega on the Penobscot. In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnoid appears to have landed in the vicinity of the city of Portland, and in 1603 Martin Pring entered Pi nobscot Bay, the mouth of the Ken- nebec, and Casco Bay.

The first attempt at founding a colony within the territory of Bifaine was made by Pierre du Guast, Sieur de Monte, who, having received authority from Henrv IV of France in 1603 to colonize "Acadia"-, by wnich was meant all of the territory between the fortieth and fifty-sixth degrees of north latitude, sailed from Havre in company with the still more famous Samuel de Champlain m the spring of 1604, with two vessels carrying one hundred and twenty persons. After stopping at several places, among others at the mouth of the river which he named and which is still known as the St. John, he sailed into Passamaquoddy Bay, as it is now called, up the 9t. Croix River, as he named it, and landed on an island to which he gave the same name. This is now known