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STEWART'S 
 
 H 
 
 j^itcniri) djuavtcdi) ^Jlag.unic, 
 
 1)i:v()ti:d to 
 
 • LIGHT AND ENTEUTAIXING LITEIUTUIIE. 
 
 GEOiiGii SrKWAUT, Jr., ^ Euitok & ruOPUIIvTOK. 
 
 Vol. III. SAINT JOHN, N. 13., JANUAUY, 1870. No. 4. 
 
 THE ISLAND OF CAPE BRETON: 
 
 ITS lUSTOKY, SCENERY AND KESOUJJCES. 
 
 Ey J. G. BouHiNOT, Svdnoy, Cape Breton. 
 
 Intkcjduction. 
 
 A- r -— 
 
 I propose, in tho present skoteli, to take the readers of tlie Quak- 
 TEULY to a section of the Dominion of Canada, far out of the ordi- 
 naiy route of American or Canadian tourists, and give tliem a hiief 
 description of its scenery and resources. I refer to the isUind of Cape 
 Breton, lying to the north-east of the province of Nova Scotia, from 
 which it is separated by a narrow strait, much frequented by Ameri- 
 can fishermen, wlio annnally visit the Gulf of St. Lawrence in search 
 of mackerel. This island was known as Isle Royale, and was the 
 scene of events of great importance during the eighteenth century. 
 On its southern or Atlantic coast, the French had erected a pile of 
 fortifications, as a part of their ambitious design of controlling the 
 two great arteries of this continent — the St. Lawrence and the Miss- 
 issippi — and hemming in the old British Colonies by a cordon of for- 
 tresses. But after the fall of Louisburg in 1758, Cape Breton ceased 
 to be the battle-ground of nations, and consequently passed into obscu- 
 rity. Now and then some adventurous tourist, seeking " fresh woods 
 and pastures new," or some enterprising American, interested in 
 raining speculations, finds his way to this island, as it were a sentinel 
 placed by natnre to guard the approaches to the Laurentiau Gulf and 
 River ; but most of the readers of this periodical probably know very 
 little about Cape Breton. But those Avho, like the Avriter, have often 
 rambled ovc-r the island, must come to the conclusion that it affords 
 not only an extensive field for the employment of capital, but innumer- 
 able attractions to those in search of health or pleasure. Its rivers 
 and lakes teem Avith salmon and trout of a size and quality that must 
 make the eyes of the hn}i-vivavt and sportsman sparkle ; the moose 
 till roams iu the valleys of the northern section of the island. From 
 lofty headlands and mountains, the spectator will see a wide ex- 
 nse of country still covered with the virgin forest, or the foam- 
 ckc^ bosom of the ever-restless Atlantic. Its noble lake — more 
 operly a gulf, separating tho island into two nearly equal parts 
 
34G 
 
 Stewart's literary 
 
 i 
 
 — abomuls with scenery rcscmblinj^ iu many rospcot.s (li;il of llie IIiul- 
 son or Lake Geov;_'C. Liiv;;c nuinbiirs of llic IMicinucs, who played so 
 important a part in tlie wars of ohl times butwoen tlio French and 
 English, still live in wigwams or on small farms in the vicinity of tho 
 lake. Several settlements of that unsophisticated race, the Acadian 
 French, are scattered over the island, principally on the sea-coast, and 
 have changed but little since the days Avhen their Ibrefathers were driven 
 from the fertile farms of the Grand Pre and the Gaspercaux. Then 
 there are the ruins of the " Amcr'aau Dunkirk," where any one of 
 antiquarian propensities can pick up many relics of the days of French 
 dominion in America, and trace the line of tlio formidable fortifica- 
 tious which long menaced the integrity and security of the old Colonies 
 on this continent. 
 
 Sydney. 
 
 The tourist who comes to Sydney in a steamer or sailing-vessel, 
 first finds himself at what is called '• the Lar" — the resort of the ship- 
 ping engaged in the coal trade. A row of wooden shanties, disfigured 
 by huge, glaring signs, on which the names of II. E. II. the Prince 
 of Wales and otlier members of the Koyal Family appear conspicu- 
 ously ; a long dirty street following the course of the harbour ; a num- 
 ber of shops, in which everything, " from a needle to an anchor," is 
 sold ; rude wharves of logs jutting out for many feet ; a long Avooden 
 platform, where the vessels ship their cargoes of coal — such arc the 
 characteristics of Sydney Bar. A steamer of the smallest size, called 
 the Banshee — rather an ominous name — connects with the old town of 
 Sydney, wdiich is five miles higher up. The harbour is justly entitled 
 to its reputation of being one of the finest sheets of water on this 
 continent ; for it is remarkably expansive and free from shoals and 
 rocks. In old times it was known as the Bale des Eqmgnoh ; indeed, 
 it is still frequently called Spanish Bay or River. 
 
 The capital was founded some twenty years after the fall of Louis- 
 l)urg, and is prettily situated on a peninsula ; but notwithstanding its 
 age, it is a very insignificant town, and has a decayed look about it 
 that shows the absence of a large commerce. At the time of which 
 I am writing — the latter part of June — we saw^ two men-of-war 
 anchored in the middle of the river, but when we looked for the Un' i 
 Jack, we saw the Tri-colour gaily floating in the breeze, not only from 
 the ships but from a large white building close to the shore.* We saw 
 a ruined battery at the entrance, and an old flag-staff near by, but 
 noAvhcre was there any evidence of British dominion. From the land 
 came the notes of " Fartant pour la Syrie," and we caught a glimpse 
 of French marines marching on the esplanade. One's memory natu- 
 rally recalled the days Avhen the Fleur-de-Hs floated from the French 
 ports tliroughout Isle liovale by right of ownership. Had Cape Bre- 
 ton been ceded once more to France? A bystander kindly relieved 
 the inquisitive stranger from the dilemma by informing him that the 
 
 lav'-i 
 
 * The residence of the Trench Consul, Hon. J. Bourinot, one of the Senators 
 of the Dominion. 
 
1 
 
 QDARTKULY MAGAZINE. 
 
 547 
 
 lriv;;"''>t iiiiui-of-'.vii!' — one of llic old style nC l)at(lo-.''!ii)) — WiV--^ the Jean 
 /irrl. i\ I !•!! initial- ves.-cl, wliicli niako.-i u trip every ye;u" to the priucipal 
 ports of North ;i:iil South Amei'ic;!, and was at that time on her 
 return to l''ranee. Tlie other vessel heloujred to the Frcncli squadroQ 
 stationed on tlie coa-it ''if Newfoundland for the protection of the 
 twtdvi- or fifieen thousand men wlio ni'e annually engaged in the dceji 
 sea f!siiorii'<. Tlie fleet has Ihmmi in the lial)it. for many years, of 
 inakii)!!' Sydney tludr principal ren.dezvons, us St. Pierre and iliquelou 
 — two liaireu and insi.'iiiilicant i.dands to the southward of Newfound- 
 land — are not the most attracli\e places of resort, even in the summer 
 season. 
 
 Sydney clearly h;i^ seen better days, for it was the seat of goveru- 
 mcut in those times wdien Cape lireton was separate from the jurisdic- 
 tion of Nova Scotia. Then it had a Lieutenant-Governor and other 
 public functionaries all to its(df, l)esides a number of regular troops. 
 Those were the hidcyon days of wliicli tlie old folks love dearly to 
 talk. Then the ladiivs never si'died for beaux ; ambitious mammas had 
 their time well oceupied in manonivriug how best to snare the red- 
 coated gentlemen v.honi jiropitious fortune had bi'ought into that little 
 conimunitv of Inval subjects. Svdnev then was a town of hirire pre- 
 tensions : tlu.'re w;i-'- no end to the squabbling <'\mong the public olR- 
 cials, who made up at lea^ t one lialf of the population ; the (hicUo was 
 of almost weekly o(>currence. The (Tovcrnors wei'c generally military 
 men, choleric and fond of having their own way (well, we all like 
 that), and as there was 'no legislature, nor anybody in particular to 
 control them, and as the General Government ''at home" cared little 
 about what was done in so unimportant a dependency of the Crown, 
 these men did pi-eity much as they chose during their tenure of olRee. 
 Que sad day, liowevcr, the startling news came to Sydney that Capo 
 Breton was no lon'^er to vwww a jrovernment of its own, but that it 
 Avas annexed to the peninsula of Nova Scotia. Much indignation v/as 
 displayed at the intelligence, but the fiat was irrevocable, for fifteea 
 thousand ])eople in Cape Breton could liardly defy the jiower of Great 
 Britain. From lliat hour the glory of Sydney departed, but her peo- 
 ple still fondly cherish the memories of that golden past. The fine 
 harbour opposite the town is too often deserted — its streets are grass- 
 grown — many of its houses are tumbling down, and few of them arc 
 freshly painted — and its total poimlation cannot exceed a thousand 
 souls. Sydney, however, may have a future yet, for the enterprising 
 Americans engaged in developing the coal trade are about building a 
 railway to connect the new mines with the harbour. 
 
 Sydney is in the very centre almost of the carboniferous district of 
 the island, which covers an area of at least two hundred and fifty 
 square miles. Some years ago the mines and minerals were in the 
 hands of a single English Company, who alone had the right to work 
 them. An extravagant English nobleman, the Uuke of York, fifty 
 years ago, obtained a monopoly of the minerals of the province from 
 the Crown, and he subsequently made over all his I'ights to a cele- 
 brated firm of Loudon jewellers, to whom he was largely indebted. 
 The " Blue-noses," however, soon got tired of so monstrous an arrange- 
 
348 
 
 STKWAUT S LITEUAUY 
 
 meut, and succeeded, after inauy years ol' ajiitation, in breakiiij^ it up, 
 and llirowitiL;- the mineral resdiirce.s of tlio province open to tlie com- 
 petition of the \vorM. The lesuU lias been that some of llie weallliiest 
 capitalists of Xew York and IJo.-ion havt; embarked a hirije amoiini of 
 money in the devehis.nient of sevora! wry vahnil)h! coal mines wilhiu 
 a few miles of Sydney. Villaijcs of hii'^e size liave ;i^ro\vn up in I ho 
 course of seven or ei'.;ht years, in the vicinity of these collieries ; luir- 
 bours have Ik-lii ilui^ out, and immense docks constructed at au enor- 
 mous expeuse. 'J'iie same spirit of enterprise that luis connected the 
 old world witli tiie new by the teh',i;raph wire — tiuit is developinir the 
 jjjreat West, biudin/j: the Atlantic t\\u\ I'acilic to;j:ether by an iron bund, 
 and opening uj) new channels of trade in the ri'motest (piarters of the 
 world — is to be seen actively at work in this little island of the Gull". 
 
 LoUISIiL'llU. 
 
 One fine Monday morning we siarted — that is to say, a Boston gen- 
 tleman and the writer — at an early hour, for the ruins of the old 
 French foi'titications, which are .about twenty-five miles from the 
 pieseut capital. The only attraclive feature of the rcjad is the river 
 Mirr, one of the large, i streams on the islatul, at times widening into 
 broad lakes, covered with islets wooded to the water's edge, or con- 
 tracting to such an extent that pcTsons <jn the ojiposite bank can con- 
 verse toirether v.illi ease. The larnis in this part of the country are 
 extremely poor : the houses small and giving lew evidences of com- 
 fort in their l'^t^:rn il ;ind intei-nal aiMangenients. Nowhere did we see 
 either vegetable or llower gai'deiis, lo indicate that the people have 
 any ideas beyond providing the meres' necessaries of life. Oil the 
 road Vve ))assc(l nuuiy women, healthv-lookin<r, and sun-burnt, and it 
 was amusing to see the attempts of some of the younger females lo 
 look fine with \eils and parasols. The great juajority of the inhabi- 
 tanis of Cape lireton, it nuiy here l^e stated, are Highland Scotch, and 
 Gaelic is therefore the language one hears on all sides. A Highlander, 
 of course, is Jusiiiied in considering Gaelic extremely euphonious, but 
 the American or Knglishmau, who hears it for the first time, will 
 hardly agree with him, even Avhen it comes in gentle whispers from 
 the lips of a fair Scotch lassie. 
 
 Now and then, as we ascended the brow of some hill, wc would 
 catch a glim])se of the Atlantic spai'kling in the sunshine, or of (jome 
 charming littlo lake, amid a wilderness of shade. At last wc came 
 suddenly out of the spruce woods and saw the harbour ot Louisbnrg 
 stretched out bolbre uj. No scene could be more desolate than that 
 Avhich met the eye in all directions: a low and barren country, only 
 relieved here and there by sonic stunted trees and a few frame houses, 
 some dirtance from one another. A tall lighthouse on the other side, 
 where the land is f'Vecipitous and rotdvy, looked grim and stern amid 
 the desolation. No sound disturbe<l ihe stillness of the scene except 
 the ciy of the circling'; sea-gull and the monotonous murmur of the 
 surf as it rolled on the di:itant Icdues. 
 
 'i'lic old town was built on a poini of laud formed by the harbour 
 and the ocean, and occupied ;i, considerable area of ground — the walk 
 
QUAUTi:i!LY MAGAZINE. 
 
 349 
 
 aro'iiid ilio rain})!irls IxMiiir over l\vo juitl a qiiaitiM' milos. The streets 
 w rt' ri'iriilar aii(' broad, witli a parade elope to the eitadel, inside of 
 ■\viiicli au'aiii was a square, ncciiiyjed ])y the Governor's house, the 
 Ci!;ludral, and the homh-prool' l)jirraeks. The walls were defended 
 by iihiHit KM irnns oi' tlic lai'irt'st cnlibre then used, susd several Ibrniid- 
 ai ie ^:ltleries wvvv. ercM'ted at 'litleiH-nt ])()ims around the harbour, as 
 %V(1I as on the island at tiie eiiti-.ince. The loriilieations are stated to 
 lifc (' cost tiie French ihirty millions nf livves. and to nave been tweu- 
 1}-Iive years in bnildinii. The ])idilic buildinn;s, as well as the resi- 
 di nees of the weidlhy mi'rchants, were all of stojie — some of them 
 lurin^r been faced with a lieautil'ul tufa-stone brought from France. 
 
 Ai'fer the eai)ture of the town by Amherst and Hoscawen in 175)^, 
 the Brilish j^enerals, fearful that Louisburif nii^dit auain I'all into the 
 lijo; Is of the Freiicli ordered that its fortifications . iiould be razed to 
 t]:i' ear'li, find all the cannon iind valuable material distributed in 
 Halifax iuid el.-ewiiere. Old houses can still be shov/n in Halifax 
 wlio.wc i''>uudations are made of stone brouij^-ht from 'lie Fi'oncdi fortress 
 a ceiii ;ry airo. 
 
 Ii \\:\- very ea>y for us, A\'ith the assistance of a map. to trace the 
 line of the old for! itica! ions, now entirely covered witli jj^rass, atid 
 ati'"r<l[i:o' rich j asture to the cattle ol' the farmers in the vicinity. One 
 of I le old setihirs who accompanied us as ;i;uiile. pointed out several 
 celiMr,-' f..- having belonged to some of tlie princij)al buildings, but they 
 Wi'.ic so covered with t\U'f and {ilh'd with rubbi.-h, that it was impossi- 
 bl" 'o f(i;'m any adequate conce|)lion of ihcir size. *-\'e recognized the 
 old li'i.i.iries by iiK»uuds of sod-covered ro'-ks. and were also shown by 
 the ;;iiide a hiliuck of gravel, sup-po.'ed to be the remains of the 
 br«..i.-twork erected at this particular jioint by the F/ovineials during 
 tla- lij>i .uege. I'he visitor will al.-o notice, wiih some interest, a 
 large stone at the (irand l>!ittery, on which still appears the following 
 in-c:r;])ii;)ii, ver}' roughly done : 
 
 GiUDLEY-MDCCXLV. 
 
 Tiie siiiilent of American hi.-toiy will probably remember this Gridlcy 
 a.'^' ^i'.e ]!(-vsou who. thirty years later, fought on the side of his coun- 
 try :!;( w vj:n\w>t ilie Bi'itish at JJmikei' Hill. 
 
 'i'lie mot^t ))rominenl objects amid llu-. ruiiis were , onic bomb-proof 
 co.-eiiiaies, which are now used as sheeji-f>!ds. As v,-c looked into 
 tht ;r diiiths, we saw the roof eovei'ed wiih stalactites, resembling 
 oy-' .-'leli,-. in colour, but icicles in shape. \\ the termitnition of the 
 Iji.e !;'■ -ho fo)'liiicatioii,-, we ])assed a. (piarry of a dark description of 
 rO'i; — apparently a porphyritie trnj) — which ha.d ])rob!'.i)ly been used iu 
 111. (•>•;;, iruci ion of (ije walls^. ^'> (> lock a dri'.di or.t of the well, said 
 to ii'v.e i/idonged to the Governor's house and very excellent water 
 it -Or. V\'e passed over to the island at the entruiiC' of tht; har- 
 boi;, .r.i.] noticed th.at it ha-' gradually yielded to tlie eucroaehmenlu 
 01 ii,, (,'cean. !'or liie battery ili.'U foi-iued a ^■ery iiiiportant pnrt of the 
 df. is-.es has h/vig since vani-hed beneath the waves. 
 
 • -liist here," said tlie guide, as we returned in the boat to the main 
 la ri, '• a few years ago, you coidd see, on a clear dity, the ribs of 
 
3oO 
 
 STEWAUT S LITERARY 
 
 porno of tlie ships sunk by the Frenoh (hirinj,' (lie .locond siep:o — now 
 all truces ot' \\u'U\ luive ('isiippcfircd.'' 
 
 W'v pcfvod down to the liotloni, Ir.il .-aw nfilhiuc^ I'xcoiit y<'ii-\V(;ed 
 and small shtdls, 
 
 '•Do you ri'UKnuber," lieiH? inU-rrtipti'd my IJo.stoii iVIru.! — • (hose 
 vcrsi's of jMoon-,, in wiiii'li lio I'rcalls a trailitioii wliich lunu' cxi.ited 
 iu Ireland ? " 
 
 " f)a T.ofli Xc;i;iirs l(,'.:ik:' i\s tliu fi: h'Tinon strays, 
 
 ^^■lu'll the cdlil, ch'.a' ^>vi' is ilocliain^', 
 lie SVC - llio I'lainil tuv-.Ts nl' dt' ( i" ilay-i 
 
 In tlic v-;ivts ln'iiciilli liini .-irmiii;,', 
 Tiais will nivniory nfUai, in lircanis ^ultliiac, 
 
 Cut(.'li ii ^;liiii|isf of the iliiy.i tiiat are ovi r, 
 Anil .-i.Lfliiti:;'. look iliiv/ii tin-;)ti;;li the waves of liaio 
 
 For tlio loiiLT fade! ./loriis ll;ry cover. " 
 
 As \vc stood, a few minuies aftm" 'lit; furejioing burst of sentiment 
 on the piirt of my companion, (ai tlie brow of one of the ruined ram- 
 parts, we saw before us a very inii)ressi\e scene. The cojjfovr ot the 
 grass-covered ramparts was boldly niarkiul a;>uinst the sky, and the 
 hutre casemates looked like so many black ovens on the irreen liidds. 
 To the south-west stretched the ocean ; to the north rose tin- cliifs, 
 amid which stood the light-house. The day >Nas exceedinyly hot. the 
 sky was cloudless, and there was no wind to disturl) the bosom of the 
 liarbour. Far out at sea, agiiinst the clear horixun. a sli;i,l,i breeze 
 just stirred the wiiters to a deeper and purer blue ; but below u~ . be- 
 hind the black point, Jutting boldly Iruni the shoiv, lor.g sl"(!s of 
 light, unshadowed by a single ripple traversed the hiiibonr b;;.~king 
 ■warm and still in the sunshine of a July day. The idcii that avsis con- 
 veyed by thu whole, scene w^as one ol' intense solitude. iS\) doubf this 
 feeling was iutensitied by the reeolleelion of the very dilierent spectacle 
 that must have been presented during the midiUe of las! cent my. wlieu 
 a stately ))ile of I'ortilications and buildings stood on tiie poini. tiiid liie 
 harbour was crowded with vessels iroiu Canada, from Loni.^iana, from 
 France, from Martini(pie and Gaudaloupe. Xolwitli-lavidiMg its admi- 
 rable position for the prosecution of the ilsheries and for the purposes 
 of general commerce, Louisburg has Deen. Ibr a hundred \ears, eom- 
 paratively deserted, as if it were under a perpetual curse. 
 
 "The French doubtless believed," obser.ed my friend as we sio^vly 
 moved away from the site of the old town, "that they v/ere about es- 
 tablishing a great empire on this side of the Atlantic, when the) built 
 a series of fortresses — of which this was the strongest — ihroughout 
 their wide domain. Indeed, it must be confessed that during the year 
 poor Braddock fell, they seen^ed in a fair way to realize their ambi- 
 tious projects and conline the old colonies, for some time at all e,e:us, 
 to the Atlantic sea-board. The superior energy of the British, ;(uv- 
 cver, triumphed in the end, and the experiment ot the French to li : id 
 an empire in America failed just like the experiment they tried o; i ite 
 in Mexico. But coming to the present, is it not a great pity l-- .-ee 
 so noble a harbour actually going to Avable — only frec[uenled by a few 
 fishing boats? Cape Breton, indeed, as you will see by the time you 
 
i 
 
 QUARTERLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 851 
 
 mout 
 
 have rnm])l(?to(l your niinblc over it, inakoH very littlo progress com- 
 pared with wliiit if sliould when wo consider tlii'. variety of resources 
 it possi'ssos. Its lartrt'.-t town lias not a po|)ulatiou exceeding a tliDU- 
 saud souls, and on all sides you will sei; the want of enter[)rise and 
 activity. This tiue island has heen in the possession of the British for 
 over a iuuuhvd years, and yet its total population does not eipial that 
 of sfune towns in the far west, which was only the wilderness ye.-ter- 
 day. The development of its coal mines has heen almost entirely lel't 
 to American capital and enterprise — what a ma;j;nificent country wo 
 could make of it, if wt; had it all to ourselvi'S. Well, at all e\-ent-< no 
 one can prevent us turning to ac<'ount those natural res(aux'es which 
 the Provincials do not appear to value as they should." 
 
 The Americans, howevcu', cannot always monopidi/e the coal mines 
 of Cape Breton — the capitalists of the New Dominion must sooner or 
 later appreciate its resoiu-ces and position at the entrance of the gulf, 
 and on the pathway of trallie between the old world aud the new. 
 
 On the Bras D'Oi:. 
 
 There was a .slight mist enveloping the harbour when we started ou a 
 sultry Thiu'sday morning for Whycocomagh, at one of the heads of the 
 lake, but it conuuenced to rise as we passed slowly down the river, and 
 reveal the tine farms of the surrounding country. We soon reached 
 the entrance of the harbour and passed up the little Bras D'Or which 
 winds, like a ])retty river, in most pcrj)lexing fashion, through mea- 
 dow lands, dotted at intervals with clean, comfortable looking cottages. 
 Now aud then a tall white spire rose against the sky. Trees fringed 
 the low^ bank-*, and paths endjowered with foliage wound down to some 
 ^ude Avharf, where fishing boats or "coasters" are moored. Some- 
 times we thought ourselves landlocked, but just as we appeared to be 
 running ashore and wondered at the temerity of the captain, v.-e would 
 dart among the foliage which concealed the inlet from our view. Then 
 we came to an i.sland — long and narrow — so thickly covered with birch 
 and beech trees that they kissed the very water — 
 
 " So womlrous wild the whole niiglit seem, 
 The scenery hi a fairy dream." 
 
 One recalled Scott's descriptions of Highland Scenery, and it would 
 have been quite an agreeable incident had we seen an Indian nuiiden 
 dart from under the foliage, in her bark canoe, but no such thing oc- 
 curred. In all probability hud an Indian damsel presented herself, it 
 Avould have been with some such mercenary request a.s — '• Want to buy 
 'em basket." 
 
 Among the passengers was a neatly-dressed and intelligent-looking 
 squaw, of middle age, who was very communicative, and showed, 
 whenever she spoke and laughed, rows of teeth of perfect whiteness. 
 She belonged to P^scasoui — the principal Indian settlement on the Bras 
 D'Or, where the Micmacs have a chapel and several farms — but was 
 at that time on a visit to some of her tribe at Whycocomagh. What 
 astonishment would her present mode of conveyance have caused to 
 her red-faced ancestors — those great chiefs who formerly paddled oa 
 
 /T 
 
n.vi 
 
 Stewart's litkuauy 
 
 i 
 
 llic (lol(K':i Ann in lli' liircli-b.irk ciui'ios of ihcir Irilio. ll'isalic 
 (Jdu'o, IiMWtn'tT. !M'iir;ii'(il (|(iitc ficciisiomcil to till' iiKiilcrii way "if tra- 
 vi'lliii/, jiri'l I.iM'iliiil aini lalk(!(l, iM'.rfi'ctly at cast'., with the puk'-raccs 
 oil l»i)aril. A-t ,-lii' li.'caiii,' more lamiliar with (In- writi'i', .'-ht! opciuwl 
 ii ciKirjiiiu'i lirl(! (|ii:!l !<ii<. about ihc .-'/ii of a ci rai'-casc and cxhilt- 
 i:»'il, with iiiiich in-idc. a'l ohl pifci' of iian-hnii-n!, well thumbed and 
 ;^i('ii.-y. pi'i't'iM'lly i\'di)Ii'nt of cainp lil'e It Iiad in'cn ul\(!n to her 
 jrnuidlallirr — a faiiio;i.-- Micmae chiel — mnw. than u hnndreil and 
 thirty y^-ai's jiiro liy ihi- I'^rcuch Conunandant a! Lnui.^bnrLr. iJo.-<a!io 
 had tahen iht! treasured lieir-h)oni ti> Syili;ey and .-hown it to iho 
 Frencli Adniii'al and olfieers, whn liad ul^''" '"''' 'i liandl'ul of lonis 
 d'or and fraiics. and olln r ])resents, which woidd make \n'\' ('{imp ilic 
 resort of a!l hi'r tribe for some months, until evcrythin;; ^vas ex- 
 hniisteil in linei-y and feast injr. As some of my I'eailers may liavc 
 son\e eiiriii-ily to read this doctinu'nt oi old times, I ;j:ive it btddw.* 
 
 The steandioal (irst sto|)ped at Ik'deqiie, a sn ill villa^ici in the 
 vicinity of a I'lver (d' the saiiK- name, which waters a vei'y fertile and 
 Ijeantiful district of the island. Ilaviii;^ taken on uoard some empty 
 pmudieons, which ;iavo stronj^ evidence ot having hold something more 
 potent than water, and were evidently ve})lcte with interesting asso- 
 ciations to the ga])iiig \illage idlers assembled on the wharf, tbo 
 steamer again moved swii'tly over the lake. The scenery of this part 
 of tlu^ IJr.'is ])'())•, as we saw it I'rom the de(d<, is wanting in fbosc 
 great heights which are necessai'V to gi\e snblimity to the landscape. 
 In the !)ays and iiilels, Imwever, the scenery is ext.'eediugly harmoui- 
 oiis, and gives an idea of repose and stillness very pleasant to one jnst 
 fresh frjm tlie coaslant ba.stle and exeitem>!iit of city life. The riverrf 
 
 [Copifil from tlie orialiial.] 
 *J(.Ma Luiiis Conite de l{;iyiuornl. The- 
 vjilitr. S<'i,'ineur d' Ove, T.:i Tour, 
 C'( autres lieux, Mnvechal des Camps 
 ot Ariiiei's (111 IJoi. Lieuti'imiit pour 
 Sii Majcstu do Villc's et Cliateau 
 d' Anf^ouleaio, Gouvenieur et (Joni- 
 mandant des Isles Koyale, Saint 
 J*an et amrcs. 
 
 Sur los iions tetnoijfiiases qui nous 
 ontete renitties de hi tidelite et attaehe- 
 
 [T'l-anslution.] 
 
 .lean Ltiuis Count de liayinond, Ciie- 
 valier, Lord of Oye, L'' Tour, and 
 other phiees, Kield Marshal of the 
 Kiiij^'s Army, LieutvJiaiit for Hi$ 
 Majesty ol the Towns and Cliateau 
 of Anyouleaio, Governor and Com- 
 mander of Isle I'oyale, St. John, 
 and otlier islands. 
 On account of tiio many evidences 
 
 of tidelity and attaclimentto the French 
 
 luent aux Franijais ihi nomnie Jannot given l)y .hinuot Poquidoualouet, as 
 
 Pequidoiudouet ot de Son zole pour la well as of ins zeal for the religion and 
 
 religion et le service du roi nou.s I'avons service of the King, we have nomi- 
 
 Uoiniuo et dtai)li ; ot par scs j)resentes, nated and appointed, and do hereby 
 
 noiiirnons ct etat>Hs.-ons Chef des Sau- nominate and appoint liiui by tbese 
 
 vages (le r lie ]{oyalc. 
 
 En foi do cpioi nous nvons signe t'cs 
 presontes et y avons fait apposer le 
 caclict do nos Arnios et conlre-signe 
 par r un de nos Se';retaires. 
 
 Fait a Loui.sbourg, le 17 Sln'C., 
 1751. 
 [seal] Le Cointo de IJaymond. 
 
 Par Monsieur le Conite. 
 Signe : Pichon. 
 
 presents, Chief ot the Savages of Isle 
 Jloyale. 
 
 In proof of which we have signed 
 
 tliese Presents, and have appended 
 
 thereto tbo seal of our Arnijf, and the 
 
 countersign of one of our Secretaries. 
 
 Done at Louisburg, 17 Sept., 
 
 1751. 
 
 Count de Raymond. 
 
I 
 
 QUARir.KLY :\1A(J.\ZINE. 
 
 3r)3 
 
 that (l(i\v ititi) it — tlm 1h'(1(H|ii{', Wii;.riu)uitkn()k .'iinl otliors, are small, 
 rarely (•xci'.iliii;^ ;i liiiii Ircd I't-cf in I rc.ul Ii, hut alxiundiiiH- in |)t.>!vu(it'ijl 
 curves and rich '• iiihTv, lies " 1> v th • ' it t term is meant land with 
 sp.'icf-; hi'lweeii th • tive ; — dmIv i'ninid i'l lnw alhi\ iiil '.'i"<»niid. 
 
 As wo passed tlu; m> iMi of th • W i ; i atkook. or Middle River— 
 wlicr.! tht; niDtiMtains rise, on cith.'i- sjd •- - 1 ri'incniherod the following 
 simple ,si<iry tliat liinl i» 'cn tidd ni". a tew l;iys previously, by a person 
 well versed in the traditions of the i,-!;Mi<l : 
 
 A st()!;y or t;ik wai; vmatkook, 
 
 AinoiiLT the sireitms that How into llui IJras D'Or is one wlii(di is 
 MOW known as Middle liiser, hut in those times when the IMieniacs 
 alone roamed over tiie I'ori'sts ol' ('ape Ilreton it was ciilled Wai^ainat- 
 kook. At the present time it is surround. -d hy line farms helonjjfinr;; to 
 I iiardy and industrious class of Scoteli, wlio commenced to ihn-k into 
 the island in the be;j;innini; of the present century. In the days, how- 
 ever, of which I anj ai)out to speak, there svisre not more than half a 
 dozen settlers or "sipuitters" on llic lands in llie viciinty of the river. 
 The forests of beetdi, birch and ma})U! were -itill untamed ; the salmou 
 leaped and flashed beneath the trees that ii n. ' t!u! river's banks ; the 
 trout darted to and i'ro in its clear water, or hiy imlolently in the cool, 
 dark pools — uiulistnrhed, except by the Indians, w'lo came periodi- 
 cally in tlieir bark canoes and I'islied williout feai' of interniption by 
 the pale-faces. 
 
 Sometime in the summer (if iSifJ. a -luall party of Micmacs, en- 
 camped near tlie mouth of the livci-, v.c re surj)risecl by the unusual 
 a))])earance of two v.hile men hindiii;; i'rom a large sail-boat. The 
 Indians watched them witii nnxdi curiosity i'rom l)ehind tlie trees, and 
 «aw tiiem search the ground close to the shore for some hours. U liat- 
 cver might have been their ohject. tin v p(H'red curiously under every 
 rock, but at last one of tliem seemed to Ii.ivc made some discovery, 
 for he shouted to his comrade, who hurried to the spot. The Indians 
 were too far off to understand the reascMi ior the cxchnn. tion and the 
 joy they both manifested; but, at all events they proceeded to unload 
 the boat and raise a camp, as if tliey intended to mtdie a lengthened 
 stay. The Indians tiien proceeded on llieir iouriiey, and told the 
 settlers, further up in the coiuitrv. lli.'ii iv'owliile men had come to 
 the mouth of the Wagamntkook. obviously with the intention of 
 settling. 8ubse(piently, two Scotchmen, on their way to River St. 
 Denys, by the ford of the \Vhycoeomiigh, stopped at the place in 
 question, and foiitKl that the men, who appeared to be American 
 sailors, had erected a little log-hut, and were commencing to clear the 
 ground around it The new settl(;r.-'., i)owe\(.'r, <lid not appear disposed 
 to be communicative, and so tl;*? visitors soon left, and forgot them in 
 the bustle of life in that iiew c(juuliy, or if ;hey ever meiuioned them 
 at all, it was to si)eak of tliem as American loyalists, who, in those 
 days, were continually coming to the Bedef|tie district. 
 
 In the course of the fidlowing siiinmer. a sculer f'oimd his way to 
 the hut, but the door was locked, and nobody api)eared about the place. 
 This circumstance, however, caused no surprise, for the inmates had 
 
 
! i 
 
 354 
 
 STEWART S LITERARY 
 
 probably .crnnc for snpplii.-i to o'li- of tlio sotllenionts : but tlic sam*,; 
 person also nicntloi.cd to liis iVi'Mnls, on liis ri'tiini lioiiie. that lie liiul 
 seen, on the mar;j;in ol tlic rivi-r, and cln.t' to the clearing;; in (|iiestion, 
 a 1ar;!;e liim'sfonc rock, (Miriouslv marked witli an anehor. No doubt 
 it had been the work of one ol' tlie sailors in an idle Imur. 
 
 A year passed I>y, and some Indians, on their way I'rom Wjiyeoco- 
 •maph to Niganiehe, reported to the settlers on the iijtper part of the | j\r 
 W^mamalkook that the stranLicrs liad returned, and wi-i'e busy di,ir,u;ing 
 about the hut, as usual. Still, the inmates never ascended the river, 
 (U" \i<i;r(i their nearest nei<j;hbours, who were ^nuw t.Mi miles distant, ' 
 but cdnl'uued to show every dir position to li\e as nu;eh as possible by 
 Ihem.'eh es. At llu>, elose of the summer of 1801. a party of new set- 
 tlers, on their \say lo the district liefween the NVaiiamatkook ami llie 
 Bedeijiu", lauded at the (uitrauce of the former river and went lo the 
 hut, witli the lioi)e of findiuii' some of their eountrymen who coulil j 
 give them inforiinUio espectin-j; liie coniitry which was theueelor'h to | 
 be their home. As aey approached the buildin.i;". however, they | 
 noticed that no smoke was ]iroceediiur from tlu; roof, that the door was 
 otl' its hinges, and that there was no appearance of lite about the pre- 
 mises. What surprised the visitors es|)eeially was the fact, that the 
 ground, for a considerable distaufe around ihe hut, was dug up in a , 
 most fantastic manner, just as if the toriner oe<.'upants had been in 
 search of water. Pushing the rude door aside, they entered a room, 
 ■with a rou'ih fire-place at one end and a bunk at another place, and a 
 table, a cou])le (d' chair:-, rou'i'hly maih- from deals. Not a creature, 
 living or <leail, wa.; found inside — to all iippiwrances, the hut had been 
 deserted for some weeks. 
 
 vVs one ot' the visitors turned to go out, be nolieed somelhing white 
 lying on the lloor, (dose lo lln^ bunk, and on pitdiing it up he saw that 
 it was a piece of coarse paper, like what is generally used for keeping 
 a ship's log. Smoothin.: it onl with some dilliculty, he was abh' to 
 decipher the bdlowiug words : 
 
 Henry ^bivtiiie lold William 
 a limestone roek 
 Wa.uamiUkeoke, i-illinir into tlie T>r;is3 d — 
 ALuki il l)y liini, Ileiirv Marthie 
 Treasure, wiili [anchor] 
 Yards, in a 
 From the said roek. 
 
 These are all the words that could be made out, for there was only a 
 very small fragment left of the original document, whicdi had been evi- 
 dently set on i\\'o by the occupants of the hut before (heir departure. 
 The discovery of the paper, taken in connection with the holes and 
 anchor-mark in the vicinity, will be comdusive evidence, of course, to 
 most jiersons that the mysterious strangers had been engaged in 
 searching tor hidden treasure. But here the reader will naturally ask 
 — Did they find any? It would be exceedingly gratifying to the 
 writer if he were able lo satisfy the eiupiirer; but, unforttmately, ho 
 has only been able, after much patient investigation, to asc(>rtain the 
 foregoing details. If there was any treasure really discovered at the 
 
QUARTERLY MAOAZIXE. 
 
 355 
 
 Hit tlio sam>. 
 
 that lie luiil 
 
 :■ ill (|iirstion, 
 
 \o doubt 
 
 111 Wliycoco- 
 r ]>art oi" tln^ 
 hiisy (liu-^iiiu; 
 mI tlu' river, 
 lilcs (lislaut, 
 ^ possibli! by 
 ' oi' now ,set- 
 onk and the 
 '.voiil to tlio 
 II who could 
 u'lu'ri'orili to 
 i\vc\(.'r, tlicy 
 \\\v door was 
 lout the pro- 
 act, lliat the 
 (hii;- lip in a 
 liad been in 
 •red a room, 
 place, and a 
 . a creature, 
 iiut had been 
 
 ethiiiLT white 
 
 he saw that 
 
 I lor keeping 
 
 was able to 
 
 ! w;is oidy a 
 ad been evi- 
 r depart nre. 
 le holes and 
 )f course, to 
 ennaijed in 
 afurally ask 
 yinjjj to the 
 tiiiiately, ho 
 secrtain the 
 ^ered at the 
 
 niarinn of the Wafjamatkook, Avho buried it ? It is, of course, equally 
 iuipo-isiltli^ to j^ratit'y any one's curiosity on this point. Perhajis a. da- 
 t'auhin^' cashier ol' a Louisburir iiank disapjieared one inorninu' and ci '•- 
 ricd away any t|uantity of louis d'or and bullion iVoni the vaults. Or, 
 perliaps, it Wiis ('•i])tain Ividd, or some otiicr of his illnslrions I'ratei*- 
 niiy, recoi;iiizin^ the value of the passages and coves of the (ioldeu 
 j\vm as hidiiii;' ]daces, hid their trea.>ure ou the Wajramatkook some- 
 time in the shadowy past. Others a;j:ain will havi" it — and these form 
 the majority — tlial an American privatt'er. which had been coniniitliu_i>; 
 Siiil havoc on l»riti.-li shi[ipin,!j; bound for Nova Scotia and Canada, liad 
 been chased by a l)riti,sh man-ot'-war in the Oiilf, and at last ehided 
 lier by lindin:'; shidicr in the admirable hilling place afforded by the 
 little bay into \\hicli the VN'a;jraaiatkook and litMletpie rivers fall. Fear- 
 ful, however, of fa.llin.u; intniln- hands of the l)ritish,the captain buried 
 a (piaiitity of valuable articles, chielly specie, with the intention of rc- 
 turniipj,- and reecnerinu- it in peaceful limes. As tlie Spanish would say, 
 Qiiioii Soi'ir .' We know tiiat pirates and privateers have been wout 
 to do such thinirs, and why should they not have done it on the Hra.s 
 D'Or as in otlu'r parts of the world? Is not the very name suggestive 
 of buried treasures?* 
 
 Such stories of the freeboot(M's of old limes are very common 
 Ihrduuhoitt ('a])e lii'don, and from Cape North to Louisburg, hardly 
 n bay or harbo.n' liui can show spots where souie adventurer, git'led 
 with a fertih' imigination has dug for hidden treasure. Only a few 
 weeks i)revions io my writing these words, a party set out at night to 
 .seaieli for a sp;i! on S[)aMisli River, where one of them had dreamed 
 three times running he would lind old doubloons aiui pistareens, as 
 the Scotch t-'av, (/ii' n-i One of the seekers had a *" divining rod," but it 
 perf(n'med so many renuH'kiible antics that im one could tell where was 
 the proper plae<' lor digging, and the party left with the o[iinion that 
 tlu> energetic imps who guard such treasures were too much on the 
 alert. Some credulous people would have it that the spirits in the 
 pockets of the trciisiire-seekers and not ' the disembodied s[)irits of 
 the dead," led to the failure of the expedition. 
 
 The lake, soon after we left l>ede([ne, became ([uite. narrow, and we 
 passed at la-t into one of its piclures(pie bays, named Whycocomagh, 
 and smrounded by eon.-idirable heights, assuming at times the shape 
 of sugar loaves, and alfording a (ine jirospect of water and woodland. 
 Whycocomagh is an irregular collection of some twenty houses, scat- 
 tered up the mai'gin of a l.mdloeked bay. A more dt'lightful resort in 
 summer c()uld not be imagined, foi' the streams in the vicinity alford 
 fiiu! tishing, and there are many natural features of interest, esjiecially 
 Salt ]\rouiitaiii, from whose beds of laminated limestone rise eopiou.s 
 springs perfectly saline, whilst from the top the eye can range over a 
 vista of mountains, valley.s ;uid laki's 
 
 The siirroundinu' count rv is beaut ifnlly undiilatinii: find well wooded, 
 and till! lakes and streams abound in fish Obtaining the .services of 
 
 * Gdkl li.'is aetiiiilly been discovered in tlio vicinity of the river (hiring? the last 
 two or lliree year.s. 
 
•356 
 
 stewai.t's literary 
 
 two Indians and a cauoc — this is the pleasantcst Avuy of enjoying tlie 
 beauties of tlie country — I visite'l diflercnt parts oC tlio hike and 
 amused myself in different ways; hut as tlie description of all T saw 
 would occupy too much space, I mu-^t confine myself to a very few de- 
 tails. The greater part of the land in the vicinity of the Bras D'Or 
 and its hays is settled hy the Scotch, hut at intervals the forest still re- 
 mains in its pristine heauty. The hanks slope for (he most part to 
 the Avater's edge, hut at limes they rise gradually till they reach the 
 dignity of mountains. As the tourist passes — I suppose him to be in 
 a canoe — he will catch glimpses of numy ])V('tty glens and nooks, 
 through which brooks come sparkliuir timid the i'oliage to give their 
 tribute waters to the lake. A numhor of islets — some of them well 
 cultivated — are among the picturesque features of this magnificent 
 sheet of water. 
 
 When I was at IMalagawaachkt harhour, I walked to the top of the 
 hill, for the sake of obtaining a view of the lake and surrounding coun- 
 try. The Indian who accompanied me led the way through tiie trees 
 and rocks that impeded our progress, and at last we reached the sum- 
 mit of the hill. There was no breeze whatever, and the lake resem- 
 bled an immense sheet of glass, assuming varied hues when touched 
 by the sunlight. Away to the southward and south-east, the waters 
 Btretched to the very horizon. A daik mass, rising from the lake to 
 the northward, told us where the waters found an outlet to the ocean. 
 Directly to the east, on the opposite side, wore the heights of Benaca- 
 die and Sunacadie, the headlands of Malagawjiachkt were directly at 
 our feet, and away behind us rose a range of hills. Not a human 
 being was in sight except the Indian by my side ; not a sail flapped 
 nor oar siilashcd — silence brooded over lake and laud. 
 
 We had moved down the hill and i'e;;ched the level once more, whea 
 ■we came to a place in the woods, whu'h seemed at first sight to have 
 been an old clearing. A few birches had grown up in spots, and there 
 were any number of hillocks where the grass was quite high. I 
 noticed some mounds of I'ocks, and presumed them to have been a 
 part of the foundations of a house that had probably stood there in 
 former years. But perceiving John Francis cross himself very de- 
 voutly and look extremely uneasy, I asked him what was the matter. 
 "Old Injin burial ground; more than a hundred years ago, the 
 Micmacs had a large village close by at Malagaw;!ii!chkt, and many 
 Injins were buried here ; some of them were great chiefs. Some 
 Injiiis say that they've seen ghosts sitting round the graves on dark, 
 stormy nights." 
 
 "•Nonsense, John, you've never seen any yourscU." 
 "No; but Injins say they've seen 'em at .Skuda-Kumoochwa-Kadie, 
 where many Micmacs tire buried." 
 
 " Where mtiy be that place, with the unpronouiicetible name, John?" 
 
 "The burying-ground on an island on the Big Lake." 
 
 John said nothing nu)re, but his looks were el()(|!ient as Ave ptisged 
 
 over the old burial-ground of his race, and seemed to say : Stranger, 
 
 tread lightly over the bones of the chiefs of the tribe who once owned 
 
 this island — its rivers, its mountains, its vallevs, and great lakes — 
 
QUAUTERLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 357 
 
 until the whiio miui eamo and took ull to liiinself. So, for John's 
 sake, I passed ([uickly and reverently over the spot ; but snbseqnently 
 I cross-exatnincd him on the subject of jMieniac glio.sts, but, beyond 
 some slirugs of the si\o;ihler, lie would <^nve me no sali.->l'aetion. — 
 Whatever were his ideas and opinions, he recognized the wisdom of 
 the adage — '• Sjeevdi is silver, but silence -old ;" and, consequently, the 
 reader must do v/iihout the ghost-story, which, of course, has becu 
 expected. 
 
 To TiiK Gulf Siioke. 
 
 A week after his departure from Sydney, the writer was on his way 
 to the little viUage of Port Hood, on the Gulf shore, a distance of 
 about thirty miles llii'ough an exceedingly picturcscjue country. Tho 
 first ten miles ran through •• Sky Glen, ' and by the side of mountains 
 ■which stretched far to the northward, and were lost in the purple of 
 the heavens. No-.v and then we would be perched at the very verge 
 of a precipice, and ovei-looking a dark ravine, where a little stream 
 rushed furiously amid the rocks that had tumbled there from above, 
 and tried to impede its course to the valley far beyond. Again the 
 road would take so sudden a decline down the mountain side, that it 
 required no small amount of management on the part of the driver to 
 keep the horses steady on their feet. Fortunately, the driver was so 
 well accustomed to the road that his passenger soon ceased to specu- 
 late as to casualties, and was able to give his undivided attention to 
 the landscape, whei-e nature was still perfectly wild and untamed by 
 cultivation. Just when he was admiring a cluirming little bit of 
 scenery — a lake glimmering at the foot of some deeply-wooded hills — 
 the driver observed : 
 
 ''An ugly place for a tall," pointing to a deep gorge below us; 
 '' only a few days ago, a cart, with a Avoman and child, rolled off the 
 road, and the child was killed and the mother fearfully bruised." 
 
 By and by we left the wild country and came to the open, where 
 there were many large farms lying in deep valleys, through which the 
 river Mabou Avouufl like a silver ribbon. Graceful meadoAV-elms, 
 singly or in dum-is, drooped at intervals, Avhilst the luxuriant gras.s, 
 ready for the scythe, Avaved to the Avestern breeze that came doAvn the 
 hills. Flocks of sheep Avero browsing on the mountain side, and the 
 tinkle of bolls came continually from the meadows below, Avhere herds 
 of fine, clean-lookiug cows Avere croyipiiig the rich pasture. The sides 
 of the road were perfectly crimson Avith ripe strawberries, Avhicli 
 mingled their fragrance Avit'h the tiny bhie-bells and the pyrola, that 
 umbrella-shaped tloAver. 
 
 Suddenly, as Ave Avere sloAvly descending a lofty hill, the notes of a 
 SAveet soprano voice came gently tOAvard us from the level beloAV. At 
 first, the Avords were indistinct, but, by and by, aa'c could recognize 
 the old poem, "The Bridge." Avhich, to the Avriter, Avill be always as 
 fresh as Avhen he heard it iirst, many years ago, beneath the shades of , 
 the elms of Harvard. The fair singer bebnged to a party on a plea- 
 surc-tri]) from Halifax to the lake, and long after they had passed 
 lingered in my ears the words: 
 
358 Stewart's liteuauy 
 
 " Aiul forever and forever, 
 
 As lon;^' iis tlio river Hows, 
 As loui,' ius ilie lieai't lias piisbions, 
 As lonj? ii.s life has woes ; 
 
 " Tlic moon and its broken reflection 
 
 And its shadows ohall ajipear. 
 As the symbol of love in heaven. 
 
 And its waverinij: imago here." 
 
 We soon passed Ihroti^li IMjiboii, ix neat villairo, not far from the 
 .sea-board, and exliibiting .some of the cliaractcristics of New England 
 thrift and cleanline.ss, and, an lionr later, came within sight of the 
 blue waters of the Gidf. To the northward extended the cliffs, in- 
 dented with many a picturesque cove wher; the fishermen dwell. — 
 Landward.s stretched a widt; expanse of green fields. To the lelt, the 
 waters of the Gulf, whitened by many a sail, sparkled in the siuishine, 
 and i'ar away at the verge of the horizon, what seemed a bank of fog 
 indicated some headland of Nova Scotia. 
 
 Port Hood is a very insigniticant plaee, .nnd even its harbour is being 
 rapidly destroyed by the shifting sands. Some days, at the approach 
 and close of tlie mackerel reason, the waters of the (Julf, as far as the 
 eyes can rcucli, are alive with Anicrlcau scliooners — low-lying, clipper- 
 like cral't — on their way to iMuilour, Gaspc, and other parts, where the 
 iish are generaily lound in large quantities. Those vessels come up the 
 Strait ot Canso, which they perfectly ]iaek at times — perhaps as many as 
 seven or eight hundred vessels pass this way in the course of a week. — 
 The mackerel appear to have deserted the shores of New England, and to 
 have found more congenial resorts on the southern coast of Nova Scotia, 
 and especially in the (julf. Probably 70,0 )0 tons of American shipping 
 are annually engaged in the tishery of this beautiful deni/.en of the 
 waters, with its back of cerulean hue, and belly of pearly whiteness. 
 
 When I left Port Hood, I followed the coast line as far as the settle- 
 ment of Margarie,* situated at tlie mouth of the river of that name. The 
 whole coast as fur as Cape North — the extrcne northern point of the 
 island — is exceedingly bold and precipitous — a coast to be avoided in 
 stormy .weather, as the ribs of many a wrecked vessel on the shore pain- 
 fully attest. Some years ago, when there were no settlers wliatcver on 
 the coast, the crews of vessels wrecked in the fall would often perLsh 
 miserably in the thick and sombre forests that cover that rugged part of 
 the island ; but the probability of such occurrences is now diminished by 
 the erection of buildings and the settlement of fishermen at different 
 points. The scene in winter must be grand in the extreme, for vast 
 lields of ice come down the Gulf and choke up the Strait, so that it is some- 
 times impassable for days at a time. The ferrymen at Plaister Cove — 
 where the headquarters of the American Telegraph Company on the island 
 is now situated — have many a perilous escape; but so great is their skill 
 and knowledge of the currents, that accidents have not occurred for many 
 years. The ice will be forced down by the northerly winds and block up 
 the passage, but by watching the currents the ferryman will seize a favour- 
 
 A corruption of Marguerite. 
 
QUA15TEKLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 359 
 
 able moiuciit niul jiilot Lis little SKiff tlirouiiu little |)as.sage3 of the water, 
 amid liiiL^c cliiui|itMs, until at iast,aflri' a hard tu.s.slo and a very circuitous 
 mode of progression, he readies his destination. At the point where the 
 ferry crosses, the .strait is not more than a mile across, and abounds iu 
 noble scenery. Capo Porcupine, with its back bristling with stunted firs, 
 frowns down upon the .strait which Is bounded throughout by tall cliffs, 
 and forms many a pretty landlocked bay and harbour. The ice tlmt 
 crowds into it during the winter is generally of small size; but off Port 
 liood, and the coast toward Cape North, many an icc-berg, with its pin- 
 nacles and turrets, glimmers in the sunlight amid the llo.iting fields, and 
 now and then some nionstrtius pile strands on the shore, whorL! it remains 
 until it slowly dissolves under the influence of the penetrating summer 
 sun. In former times large quantities of seal were caught in the gulf, 
 and the settlements of Margarie and Cheticamp contained many intrepid 
 hunters of this animal; but now-a-days they are rarely caught on the 
 western coast of the island. The grandest scenery of the island — indeed 
 of the whole province of Nova Scoli'i — is to be seen in the northern sec- 
 tion of Cape Jireton, for there the mountains I'ise to the height of a 
 thousand feet and more, forming deep gorges, flanked by almost vertical 
 precipices. In the winter large glaciers are I'ormed, and their debris are 
 to be seen v,'cll i'.ito July. Cape North, '■* the "Watch tower of the Gulf," 
 i.s a lofty promontory rer clung far into the ocean, i'our miles in a north- 
 easterly direction, and having on each side a crescent-shaped bay, i)artly 
 settled by fi.shermcn and farmers. A large dL'^h-iet of this section is still 
 a wilderness, where the moose range in small herds, (iudiiig rich pasture 
 in the moose-wood and young ash that plentituily abound in the valleys 
 and on the mountain side. 
 
 The river Margarie, which has long been famous for its salmon fi.shery, 
 divides into two branches about eight miles from its mouth, one of which 
 flows from the northern hills of the interior, through woodland, glade 
 and intervale, whilst the other descends from Lake Ain.slie, the largest 
 reservoir of fresh water in Nova Scotia, singularly placed at right angles 
 with the course of the Gult shore and the Bras D'Or, between which it 
 lies. Many Acadian French are still living on the banks of the Margue- 
 rite, as well as on the coast as far as Cheticamp, where there are large 
 fishing establishments. We met on the road women with red handker- 
 chiefs bound round their heads and petticoats reaching to the knee, and 
 turning towards us ruddy, smiling faces. The men wore red blouses and 
 short corduroys or homespun, and courteously bid us " Good day, sir," 
 or " Bon jour, M'sien." No doubt, in the course of time, the Acadian 
 tongue and names will vanish. Still, those who remain cling to their cus- 
 toms with all the persistence of a race, slow to adopt improvements. — 
 Wooden ploughs, driven by oxen, still turn up the soil ; the women work 
 hard in the field ; ihey are never so happy as when the Cure is with them, 
 or when they are attending mass in their pretty white Chapels. Simple in 
 their habits, easily amused, fond of finery on holidays, the Acadians of 
 Cape Breton, like the Acadians everywhere, represent the past rather 
 than the present. 
 
 I have not attempted to go into any lengthy details of the resources 
 of the island, for such information is easily obtained from ordinary books 
 
360 
 
 stiwaim'.s lit!;i:ai;y 
 
 of reference. I may mention, liowtvor, t!;at i;i tlio \icinlty of tlio I'nis 
 D'Or tlioro is wlmt is kiiowi: is tln! •• iM;;;i,Ic .Muunl.iiii." Tlii«j v:ilii;,l)Io 
 stone is fuuiitl in r.iaiiv parts of the iioitliciii s:ci,-ti!.)!i of Cupe Bictun, but 
 its value lui.s never yet Ijlhu lliuruiiylily itslcil, luul no quarries have 
 been Avorked. A sliurL tiuu .; ms a stninacr aecidentally discovorcd what 
 he believed to be a very va..ia..le iic».MiiiiiiIalii)U of tliis stoiu', and lias 
 commenced operations for quinry'iiL' anil si'iidini^ it to niarhit in laiLc; 
 quantities. Cape Breton, in I'aet, abounds in minerals of every descrip- 
 tion, which will, no doubt, a;.i\ict the atfi'ntiun ol' capital and enterprise 
 when their value has been mnre fully shown by those geological .■'irve^s 
 which the island has never yt rteeivi'd. lier coal deposits alone have 
 been thorouj^hly examine'^ by uriitlemen of high scientific attainments, 
 like Mr. R. Brown and Mr. I'uoie, who have long been connected uiili 
 mining operations, and have given many valuable eontribution.s to the 
 world relative to the geology of tlu; i.-hmd. Hold has been discovered iu 
 some places, although not as yet, in remunerative quantities. The land of 
 the greater part of the country is also good i'jr agricultural purposes, and 
 one of the counties especially -I uverntss — conq)ares i'avorably with the 
 best farming districts of the Lower Provinces. It is only necessary to 
 look at the natural position of Caj)'^ Breion to sec tliat the tisheries can 
 be conducted on the largest scale. An island so rich in resources must 
 have a noble future before it whin capital has come in to developc its 
 resources, and railways connect it with the larger countries of the conti- 
 nent. Louisburg is, above all others, that port in the New Dominion 
 which seems destined by nature to be the Atlantic terminus of the Brit- 
 ish American system of railways. Perhaps, in the course of time, it will 
 again become as famous as it was more than a century ago, and the argo- 
 sies of commerce will once more anchor off the peninsula where France 
 erected the fortifications which were to control the Gulf and River St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 A II M p: I 
 
 liv Alexaxdku McLaciilax. 
 
 Go seek the shore, and learn the lore 
 
 Of the great old mystic sea. 
 And with list'ning car you'll surely hear 
 
 The great w.aves sigh "Ah me ! " 
 
 There's a Harper good in the great old wood, 
 
 And a mighty ode sings he ; 
 To ins harp he sings with its thousand strings, 
 
 But the burden is "Ah me ! " 
 
 A glorious sigiit are the orbs of light 
 
 In heaven's wide azure sea ; 
 But to our cry they but rejily, 
 
 AVith a long deep sigh, "Ah me !" 
 
 And Death, and Time, on their march sublime, 
 
 Tliey will not questioned '. c : 
 And the hosts tlicy bore to the dreamless shore 
 
 llelurn no more "Ah me I " 
 
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