MR. ROBINSON'S ADDRESS. 211 



favorable circumstances, but an inconsiderable item of compensa- 

 tion. In such localities, thg road seeks freight, and in order to 

 get it must go where it is. This was one of the leading considera- 

 tions governing the location of this road ; another was development 

 — and these two in a great measure determined its location. 



Our population and settlements in this county, you have noticed, 

 follow our river, and extend from east to west. Our breadth of 

 settlement from north to south, which I have already explained, is 

 narrow, crossing but three towns. The city of Bangor is from 

 this place (the centre of the population of the county east and 

 west) nearly south, so that a direct route from tide water would 

 strike our population at a right angle, and in making its objective 

 point here, open up our town only, and put it in competition with 

 all the rest; and so accomplish little toward general development. 

 Our slate deposits run in the same direction with our settlements, 

 and hence if the road had made any one of the quarries its objec- 

 tive point it would have put the favored one in destructive compe- 

 tition with all the others, and such would have been the inevitable 

 result of a direct line ; and the projectors of this enterpi'ise did 

 not deem it just nor prudent to attempt to concentrate to any one 

 point all the fruits of the resources and industries of this county. 

 As the road now runs it follows the line of settlement in this 

 county from the centre to its eastern boundary ; and so instead of 

 one town it penetrates and runs within convenient striking dis- 

 tances of ten towns ; and at the same time and for the same rea- 

 son all our slate quarries skirting upon our settlements, and all 

 the water powers upon our river, are afforded like facilities. At 

 the eastern boundary of our county the road makes its angle due 

 south. By a fortunate circumstance the settlements on the line in 

 Penobscot county extend from north to south, so that the direction 

 of the road, along its whole line, accommodates the whole popula- 

 tion, and consequently all the industries incident to population on 

 which it feeds ; and these considerations were regarded as a suffi- 

 cient inducement and justification for its location on the line it 

 follows. 



Thus much in regard to the railroad, and with a brief glance at 

 the Agricultural College, I will close these rather crude remarks. 

 I am hopeful in regard to the future success of this institution, be- 

 lieving that if we have the pluck and courage to carry out the policy 

 which has been initiated, and keep the institution steadily in the 

 right direction, we are sooner or later to see important results 



