Average length of life taking the medium of the decimat

ed periods-2713 years.

Most respectfully yours,

JOSHUA ALLEN.

ARTICLE XII.

LETTER FROM REV. JACOB BAILEY

IN 1775,

DESCRIBING THE

DESTRUCTION OF FALMOUTH, ME.

BURNING OF FALMOUTH.

The following letter of that eccentric character, the Rev. Jacob Bailey, has been furnished to the Society for publication, by his biographer, Rev. Wm. S. Bartlett of Chelsea. Mr. Bailey was sent by the "Society for propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts" as a missionary to the eastern settlements in Massachusetts, and established himself in Dresden, then a part of Pownalboro', in 1760. He had been a Congregationalist minister,

but became a convert to the Church of England, and went to that country for Episcopal ordination. He was a man of great simplicity of character his journals and correspondence are written in so plain, honest, and artless a manner, and are so full of details, that they possess great interest for the present times. Mr. Bartlett's memoir of Mr. Bailey, with extracts from his journals and letters, and containing biographical notices of many other Episcopal clergymen and loyalists, is exceedingly interesting, and deserves more extensive patronage than it has received.

Mr. Bailey made frequent journeys from Dresden to Boston and other places west, sometimes on horseback, at others by water. He often passed through Falmouth, and noticed it in his journal. In June, 1775, he received an invitation from the warden of the Episcopal church in that part of Falmouth which is now Portland, to officiate there, during the absence of Mr. Wiswall, their Rector. It appears by the letter which we publish, that he was here at the destruction of the town by the British, Oct. 18th, 1775. He writes in his journal, under 1775, as follows,-"Oct. 13th Set off for Falmouth. 14th, arrived at Falmouth. 15th, Sunday, Baptized Charles Hemmingway and Thurlo. 16th, A fleet of Six Sail came into the harbor. Capt. Mowatt declares the destruction of Falmouth. 18th, Falmouth laid in ashes.” This is all the journal preserves of Mr. Bailey's movements at that time. Mr. Bartlett in communicating the letter says:

"I would remark that the letter of Mr. Bailey sent, was copied from a small book of his, and that this book appears to have been copied from much rougher memoranda, which have every appearance of having been written at the time the events noticed occurred.