%.. .%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / ^ ^^ '^ o '^'^^ ^W ^ < ^^, ^^ m?-. f/j :A i.O I.I 1.25 136 Jritt IIIM '" Itt IIIII2.2 2.0 1.8 U ill 1.6 /. "5)^ .-iSs w w Photographic Sciences Corporatiori k <^ r|. ^x^ ^^^ % ^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y 14580 (716) 672-4503 ^v ' (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des i \ ir. <;•-> 4 & ^^if^4eton Po inty ico_ ^J__ GEOLOGICAl. SURVEY oi CANADA. Sir W."i; . Lojjan r KS. Direilor |^)I.!;mt-v;iHoii CliFj '{SW i'teti PI^AN (^ OF THE ISLAND OF ANTICOSTI. ) Xiken lit>f n BAYl lELD S I'luirls -Tij dbuMmtf (hfjEifplomlwn/ OF .I.Uiehai'tisiMi. m^jitn'lo WVsl t>r it-»ut (n-wriwich 45 •w r^2' Spirit ot-nK irarttJYnjit tr; r OLOGICM. SURVEY ov CANADA, j ! .?^n>* lJ" - |H f'pperf':iTuuhi Lowtt' (hiHiihi . Jlrtf Bnntt'-yi'ick (iifif Bi-flnn AREA ,in,{ tOt'VL.lTlOy Total (;.,. .S,|.M . I'miuiI.-.i" l«>7.a3<'X3dR»8.) a.\ .7<)i i8«.i>:\.' , lo.fiBo a^.; »>» l.(>;;8 §a.OH. -V ff!# ,1, -v ^^^ ^^r "f: f - THE ISLAND OF ANTIOOSTI: GEOGUPHlCAl fOSITION, EXTENT, RESOBRCES, 4'C. SfC. fcfi ti LONDON : PRINTED BY C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, STRAND. 1867. 'I — 1 . 1 1 ^ •^ '•""* — '"'"' — '' '"^^ ■ ■' — i — '-jJ — ' — ' — ' — ' ^ ■-■ T .Ithtiny i/iEAorul roffl.ATlOy J'n'/uy t'ifu-ttnit /. iH S ' r/'/'fr/iirui,/., |C.7.;J3'' LoH.fC.uui.Ut »U 7 ;V»;t i-na !-.<■>» ^ hz* -• JcirAmw-M-*.* •.» 7J»« iw i>:v* V — ' " • 1 T i.(>:tH 9A.iiiiul .'/.uivl'ob M.V« Mtku/otHif II ■•«i jp .lit ^ THoL -■ ^76 >U7 i*0»-!!.'>» « *>vd«ru-»««'* .f *A.ft*AZ/— -^^^^ . ,^„y.jj. \' V Cthrii^ ^.tnuumnjt '.i^, i^" .»/„ 'i^a" ''iU'r'"- 'W J ' * kiri \ '^I R AWat r.oii^tud» from Gt JTJiiiiiiiiniiiiiHiiniiiiiiiiniiM^^ J.W.dcl. London. JAME S WlXn. Oiatuuf Ooat East . .]l|||lilllllllMlil||||||||M||||||||||i||[;.]iiiM ' ■ ' ! '• ■ 1 I ■ I I I 1 • ■ ' ■ ■ • ■ ■ • • '■ : 1 : : L-_! I '. : i— -1 1 •_. j — j txoinif ^Ve»tXion.o4nide from GcoeiivrioTj. [''IiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiT^iiiiii^^ s=» KtatUerfe. '•.■ft \, r ■-. - "1 »' ^A t I Wl l.n. Ouinitff Ov>tr£:'nvu'49imtmm^jf- 13 The train consisted of 16 freight cars. 1 passenger car. 1 van. Total . . 18 cars. Weight of freight 320,000 lbs. Do. of cars 345,000 „ Total weight of train, cars, and freight 665,000 lbs. Distance run 112 miles. Lost time made up in running between Vaudreuil and Ma- tilda, 75 miles 110 minutes. Total weight of Peat fuel con- sumed 3 1 tons 7450 lbs. Value of fuel at 3 J dolls, per ton 11 dolls. 65c. Fuel consumed per mile run . . 66^ lbs. Cost of fuel 10 cents. Number of car miles run . . . 2016 miles. Fuel consumed per car mile run . 3 '69 lbs. " Cost of drawing a car containing over 10 tons of freight a distance of one mile, a little over half a cent. '' The engine w^s in the same condition as when used for burning wood, with the exception of the blast nozzles, which were enlarged from 2f inches to 2^ inches diameter, or 34 2^er cent. " William Moore, the engine driver, before going this journey, had never seen Peat fuel burnt. " A sample of Peat fuel, taken indiscriminately from the tender, during the trial on the 3rd October, referred to on page 6, was carefully wrapped in paper, weighed, and hung up in a warm room. When placed there, October 8th, it weighed lib. lloz. On the 7th December .... 1 „ 4 „ Loss by evaporation . . lb. 7 oz. Or equal to nearly 26 per cent. "The Grand Trunk Railway experiments have all 14 n 1 proved so satisfactory as to resuU in a contract extend- ing over five years or seasons, during the first of which the company are to take 100 tons per day, and during the four succeeding seasons 300 tons per day. " Arrangements are in active progress for the manu- facture of this lantity, as well as for sufficient to meet the requirements of the Montreal market." According to the best authorities in the United States, an acre of peat, three feet in depth, will contain from three thousand three hundred to three thousand six hundred tons ; six feet in depth, f-om six thousand six hundred to seven thousand two hundred ; ten feet, from e^'iven to twelve thousand tons. Assuming the peat deposits of Anticosti to average six feet in depth, which will be found to be far below the mark, and estimating- the material, in its crude state, to be worth one penny per ton, the result would be six thousand six hundred pence, equal to five hun- dred and fifty shillings, or twenty-seven pounds ten shil- lings per acre ; and computing the extent of the peat- beds at one hundred and twenty -five thousand acres, the value of the peat alone would amount to no less than three millions four hundred and thirty-seven thousand Jive hundred pounds sterling. According to Mr. Hodges, an acre of peat of six feet in depth will produce one thousand tons of prepared fuel ready for use, and estimating this as being worth six- pence per ton on the spot, very nearly the same result as to value will be arrived at. Now, when it is borne in mind that a cord of wood will weigh nearly double as much as a ton of Peat fuel, that it will occupy at least one-third more space, and yet is often transported by water several hundred miles to the markets of Montreal, Quebec, and even Toronto, 15 where at this moment it commands from six to seven dollars per cord, it is obvious that a ton of Peat fuel, which can be manufactured at a cost not exceeding the expense of chopping and sawing a cord of wood, may- be transported to the same or any other markets with far greater profit to the producer ; nor is it unreasonable to anticipate that Peat may yet come to be advanta- geously used by ocean steamers as a substitute for coal. Meanwhile, however, at a c "jmparatively insignificant expenditure, two excellent harbours, capable of accom- modating the largest class of sea-going ships and steamers, can be established upon the island — one at Ellis Bay, near the upper, the other at I'ox Bay, near the lower end. While beside these there are several other places along the coast, affording shelter for schooners and vessels of light draught. The establish- ment of depots of coal at the two harbours above named, close to which they must pass, both going p.nd coming, and at either of which they could stop without going a mile out of their way, would be an advantage to ocean steamers, the importance of which it would be difficult to over-estimate, for it would be within bounds to assume that the quantity of coal required to carry a steamer to Anticosti would be at least two hundred tons less than to taive her to Montreal, thereby leaving space for the stowage of two hundred tons more freight on each ship than she can now carry, and, considering the price paid for freight to Montreal, 3/. per ton, each vessel would thus be able to earn 600/. more on each outward trip than she can uf present, which, at seven trips to Montreal each season, would still add upwards of 4000/. to the earn- ings of each ship within the year ; and to a line such as that of the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, with its nine or ten steamers, the advantages to be derived I (■ i p I 16 from the establishment of safe stopping places at Anti- costi would be something enormous. As to the supply of coal, it could either be taken from this country, or brought from New Brunswick within a smgle day's sail, if, indeed, upon an exploration of the interior, coal is not found to exist upon the island itself Then as to the fisheries surrounding the island, and in its rivers, they are among the richest in the world. Whales of every «ize abound on all sides, as much as eight tons of oil having been obtained Irom a single one of these monsters. Cod, too, of the best quality is so abundant that a single boat, with two fisher- men, has been known to take no lees than eighteen hundred of them in one day. While as co seals, they are so numerous that on one occasion an ordinary schooner, with the usual crew, which rarely exceeds eight in number, actually cleared 14,000/. within one month by this fishery alone. Mackerel are found in such dense shoals close to the shores of Anticosti, that they may be caught in countless numbers. Herrings also are equally plentiful, and the same may be said of lob- sters and other shell-fish ; while salmon in the various rivers are so numerous that a resident of the island declares that, with the ass'stance of a couple of Indians, he has taken as many as one thousand two hundred sahnon-trout and two hundred large salmon out of Observation River in a single day. By the construction of a colonization road from Ellis Bay to Fox Bay, passing through the interior of the island (the distance from one point to the other being about one hundred and twenty miles), an immense tract of valuable agricultural land would, at once, be rendered easily accessible. Townships might be laid out on both sides of this road, and by the exercise of ^^mmmtsui 17 of ordinary judgment and capacity, a flourishing and im^ portant settlement might be established in the course of two or three years. When we remember that the passage from Liverpool to Anticosti may be made in six or seven days, that thousands of emigrants sweep past its shores every year, for places either in the remote interior of Canada or the United States, in many instances fifteen hun- dred and even two thousand miles further from their native land, and with all the most dangerous^ expen- sive^ and tedious part of their pilgrimage still before ihem^ after they have passed Anticosti^ surely it is not unrea- sjonable to assert that it would be no ^ ay difficult undertaking to redeem this most important and exten- sive island from its present condition of primitive wilderness into a populous, productive, and prosperous province, indeed, it is nearly one-third larger than the neighbouring province of Prince Edward's Island, which has its governor (appointed by the Crown), its parlia- ment, and all the machinery of a constitutional govern- ment, with a population of one hundred thousand in- habitants. In the foregoing brief observations, the writer has en- deavoured to condense such statements as he deems sufficient to show the great importance and value of the island ; but for fuller, more detailed, and more in- teresting information he recommends a perusal of the subjoined extracts from a cleverly written and most in- teresting paper, by A. R. Roche, Esq., entitled, " Notes on the Resources and Capabilities of the Island of Anti- costi," which will be found in the " Transactions of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec," for 1853. Mr. Roche, who is now in London, was at that time in the civil service of the Government of Canada. 18 Also extracts from the report of Mr. Richardson, of the Geological Survey of Canada, to Sir William Logan, in 1854. The object of the undersigned is to induce the pur- chase of the island by capitalists in this country, with a view to its settlement and the development of its re- sources. He can give an absolute title, in fee^ for the whole island, but would prefer to retain an interest equal to one-fourth (undivided)^ disposing of the other three-fourths to parties with whom he would be pre- pared to co-operate in the adoption and carrying out of such plans as might, after consultation and careful consideration, be deemed best calculated to secure the attainment of the objects aimed at. Arthur Rankin, Member for the County of Essex, in the Parliament of Canada, London, 18th of February, 1867. 11 Notes on the Resour^ces and Capabilities of the Island of Aniicosti. By A. R. Roche, Esq. [Read before the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, 4th October, 1853.] "The island af Anticosti lies W. N. W. by e"! S. E., between the 49th and 50th parallels of North latitude and the Gist and 65th degrees of West longitude, about four hundred and twenty miles below Quebec, three parts of it being in the gulf, through which it stretches out towards the south-west coast of Newfoundland, and the remaining part in the river, the waters at the en- trance of which it divides into two channels. It con- tains upwards of two millions of acres, being upwards of one-fourth larger than Prince Edward's Island, which is a province of itself, with its Lieut. -Governor, its legis- lature, and a population of eighty thousand souls. It is about one hundred and forty miles long and thirty- five broad in its widest part, which is at the South-west Point, nearly in the centre, whence it gi^adually narrows ) »%««3'.'-'^SMA>~<^*- UH il l il iH IIW g ri;iiiii^>iiiiii|ggiiypjpiiMyw 21 sorted to by the Americans, some of the most valuable of the fisheries being in the vicinity of Anticosti, the presence there of such a force would be very useful. Its influence as a check upon * wreckers' (who swarm in the St. Lawrence more than is generally supposed) might also be enlarged upon. For these objects of commerce, of defence, and of police, the fine harbour of Gasp^ Basin (situated twenty-five miles from the gulf) is too much out of the way, besides which a fair wind for taking a ship out of it, and of its outlet, Gasp^ Bay, becomes a head wind as soon as it becomes necessary to tack to come up the St. Lawrence. For the same objects, the harbours of Mingan and Seven Islands, upon the north shore of the river, are as much out of the way, and are too long closed by the ice. As for the improvements of Ellis Bay, it appears that they need be very slight to make it one of the finest harbours in British America ; merely the erection of piers upon the flat limestone reefs running out from Cape Henry and Cape Eagle, which form the entrance, these reefs being uncovered at low water, and already affording a considerable shelter to the outer anchorage of the bay. In magnitude and coast, these improvements could not be compared to what has been recently accomplished in the harbours of the Bahamas and Bermuda by labour and science com- bined. Besides the advantages which have been glanced at as belonging to Ellis Bay, some of the best soil, and some natural meadows, producing excellent grasses, six feet high, are found upon its shores, where the resi- dent in charge of the provision f^st grows every de- scription of vegetables. It is also stated that, within a few miles of the bay, wild hay could be cut sufficient to feed a thousand head of cattle during the winter. Nor is this spot barren in scenery ; for, upon approaching it, a most pleasing view is obtained of the spacious bay, having in all parts a fine beach, which at each side ii bounded by wooded cliff's, those on the east side showing table-land and other heights beyond, and at the head of the bay the beach gently rises and expands into a slightly rolling country, containing forest and meadow r I iii; i^ 22 land, the whole being relieved in the distance by two hills of moderate height, covered with trees. Near the centre of the bay, a few yards from the beach, stand the buildings, the garden, and fields of the resident, close to a picturesque trout-stream. When Anticosti shall be properly known and occupied, this spot will probably become the resort of many of those who now seek health or recreation at the less bracing and less interesting watering-places upon the main shores of the river ; and of the salubrity of the climate there can be n'^ doubt, for all who have resided there describe i. as being the most healthy place in the world. The first seigneur (to whom it was granted in 1680 for services rendered to the Crown of France) used to reside every summer upon the island ; and it is supposed that he was buried there. At this s[)ot there are many substantial elements for the growing up of a large and flourishing town, some ol which are alluded to in other parts of this com- munication. '* For large schooners there is excellent shelter at Fox Bay, at the north-east end of the island, and also at the South-west Point, where it is quite practicable to make a harbour of refuge for the largest ships, which would be of great use to homeward-bound vessels in the autumn, whenever south-east winds set in, to run into and anchor, instead of being driven back for several hundred miles, and having to encounter again, under the worst circumstances, the most dangerous part of the whole navigation between the Atlantic and Quebec. There are also several good roadsteads, such as Bear Bay, situated on the north side of the island, shel- tered from most winds, with good holding-ground ; and there is shelter for schooners at the entrances of many of the rivers, some of which are navigable for small boats, or canoes, a considerable distance. Observation River, lying five miles west of South-west Point, has sometimes six feet of water at the entrance ; and there is hardly a mile of coast on any part of the island without its stream of fresh and delicious water, many of them proceeding from lakes, one of which, at the head ■^:^mmm::<(M 28 of Observation River, is supposed to be nearly twenty miles long and several broad. Some of the rivers have very high banks, with very beautiful falls, and excellent mill sites, and these falls have a good supply of water during the whole summer. The island on the south side generally rises from about twenty to sixty feet above the beach (but at the entrance of Observation River it is between 200 and 300 feet high), and is nearly level to the centre, where a range of moderate-sized hills appear to run its entire length, and upon the north side to terminate in steep cliffs. It is mostly covered with a thick forest of trees, stunted near the shore (like those upon a great part of the coasts of England and of other countries), but which become gradually larger as they approach the interior, and are less exposed to the influence of the wind and sea. This is very remarkable upon some of the bays, where, at the exposed points, they are very small, and gr-idually increase in size from each side to ^he centre, those nearest the sea being sometimes quite white in appearance, from the salt which is thrown, and crystallises upon them. The trees are spruce, fir, red and white birch, ash, quan- tities of very fine tamarack, and, upon the north side of the island, some good-sized pine. With the tama- rack and pine growing there, and the immense quan- tities of valuable timber drifted upon the island from Quebec and other places after every easterly gale- many shipr might be built every year. Like the valuable meadows for cattle and sheep, which have recently been discovered in Minnesota, in the ' Far West,' there are here many very fine natural meadows, producing rich grasses five and six feet high ; and in some parts there are alternate ranges of wood and open plain. On the south side of the island there are several Peat bogs of some extent, and some salt marshes, caused by the overflowing of the sea at certain periods, which must tend to fertilise rather than to impoverish the land ; and near the South-west Point there are some large salt ponds, which, were labour plentiful there, might be turned to account in the manufacture of salt — 24 a manufacture which would become of some value to a great part of our North American fisheries, which, as well as the whole of Canada, are now supplied with salt from England or the United States ; and, for curing fish and provisions, bay salt, formed from the sea and from salt ponds, is the most valuable. In consequence of there not having been a sufficient sup- ply of salt upon the island, an immense quantity of fish caught at Anticosti last year had to be thrown away; and, during the present season, the fishermen at Arichat, Cape Breton, were forced to sell mackerel at from sixpence to tenpence a hundred, or to see them rot upon the beach, through not having enough salt to cure them with. This latter circumstance oc- curred at a time when mackerel was selling at Boston for nineteen dollars a barrel. Some of the Bahama islands are retained merely on account of the salt ponds which they contain ; and at Ceylon a large revenue is derived from the salt works carried on in that island. The importance of the trade in this useful article may also be understood from the fact that two-thirds of the vessels lately captured by England from Russia were laden with salt. For the manufacture of this article, and for other pursuits, almost any amount of cheap labour could be procured from Metis, and other populous places, situated upon the south shore of the St. Law- rence ; but if industrial pursuits were opened out there, and land offered for sale, settlers would soon be at- tracted to the island. Several persons who have been engaged there for many years in fishing and hunting, or in charge of the lighthouses and provision posts, have already expressed to the writer their desire to purchase land upon it, and to combine agriculture with their present occupations ; but, without any permanent in- terest in the soil, they have little inducement to use much exertion in clearing and cultivating it, or in at- tempting to improve the island in any way. It is from personal inquiry of many of these parties, as well as of others who have resided there for many years at former periods, and irom an exair-naaon of every authority 2& relating to the island, that the writer is enabled to bring forward so many facts in support of the views whicl^ ^'.e has adopted in regard to its resources and capabilitit^. "Rearing of cattle and sheep at Anticosti, for the supply of those engaged in the fisheries, of shipping, and of the dear markets of (Juebec, would, no doubt, pay very handsomely. While the natural grasses are as rich as any upon this continent, it appears that cattle can be left out to graze there longer than they can be at Quebec — a circumstance which has just been communi- cated to the writer by the present lessee of the island, who has at this moment several head of fine cattle of the Ayrshire breed at the South-west Point; But if the natural grasses should not be found sufficient for nu- mcous herds of cattle, the famous tussac grass of the Falkland Islands, which delights in a salt atmosphere, and which has been carried to the Orkney Islands and been found to flourish there, might be introduced. At the former it grows upon Peat similar to that which exists at Anticosti. The seed of this grass has already become an article of profitable export from the Falkland Islands ; and the grass is found upon many parts of the coast of South America, where wild cattle abound. When we consider that remote and inclement Iceland raises her flocks and herds, her sheep numbering 500,000, her horses 60,000, and her horned cattle 40,000, and exports the finest fleeces, also dairy and other produce, we have every reason to hope that Anticosti, situated in the midst of the fisheries, which employ many thousand men, of a vast traffic, carried on by upwards of two thousand ships, and within easy approach of many valuable markets, may be made as profitable a grazing country as any portion of British North America. " Resting upon a substratum of limestone, the soil of Anticosti should be a warm one, and if cleared to any extent, and thereby exposed to the sun, and drained where it may require drainage, it would no doubt be- come a productive one. For the purpose either of drainage or of irrigation, as the one or the other may be desirable, ayery facility is offered by the numerous !1 1! i 26 rivers and rapid streams existing in all parts of the island. The composition of the cliffs alone, some of which, according to Captain Bayfield, R.N., contain sand, clay, and limestone, indicates that there must be good soil of considerable extent in many parts of the island, which only requires clearing and cultivation to yield very fairly ; for, with these substances, and the fine mould of the vegetable deposits, which have been accumulating in the woods for ages, what better farming lands could be desired ? In Prince Edward's Island, where the soil requires to be enriched, immense quan- tities of limestone are imported for that purpose from Nova Scotia. Mr. M'Ewan, who resided upon Anticosti for fourteen months, in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company (which company, however, as well as the late North West Company, had no right to hunt and fish there), mentions that the cllfis rest upon a foundation of limestone, that the second stratum is often composed of the cream-coloured clay, and sometimes of sand and gravel, and that the clay often reaches the top or surface, but at times is covered with a thickness of peat ; the land in the latter case running into extensive plains. This peat, which produces excellent natural grasses, and also the finest vegetables, where they have been tried upon it, may be turned to many useful pur- poses. In Ireland a large ' Peat Company' is in active operation, having a factory at Kilberry, where they supply their furnaces entirely with peat or turf, and also manufacture from it the following articles : tar, oil, paraffin, naphtha, sulphate of anraonia, charcoal, and gas. A substance from which sr nany articles, possess- ing powerful heating properties, can be produced, it is to be hoped will some day be made to supply one great want of the present age — cheap and compact fuel for steam engines. Enough, however, has been shown to prove that, instead of its presence at certain spots at Anticosti being considered as any drawback, the peat, which is found there, may be regarded as a valuable re- source of the island ; for what is now being accom- -.i^^imismmi 27 10 of n )e le plished with it in Ireland may at some future period be attempted with it at the former. " Of vegetables, Mr. Pope could have disposed of any quantity to ships bound to Quebec, whicn are often becalmed off South-west Point after a month or six weeks' voyage, Miih a prospect of being nearly another month in reaching their destination. The supplying ships under these circumstances, especially when con- veying cabin passengers and emigrants, may become a very profitable occupation to the settler. Vegetables, meat, fish, soft-bread, &c., could be easily taken off to vessels in boats, as they are at Portsmouth, Yarmouth, and a number of other ports in England, under circum- stances far less favourable, by bum-boots, the owners of which realise immense profits. " While the accounts of all parties generally agree as to the timber and the nature of the soil, they represent the climate to be milder than that of Quebec. Mr. Wright, a surveyor, who wintered there in 1765, during what he then considered a very severe season, shows, by his observations taken there, that the thermometer only fell as low as 15 degrees below zero, and both Mr. Corbet and Mr. Pope informed the writer, that the winter before last there were only six weeks of sea-ice in the neighbourhood of the island. This mildness of climate, when c6mpared to that of Quebec and of the opposite shores of the St. Lawrence, is easily accounted for by its insular position ; the island being surrounded upon all sides by a wide expanse of salt water, the modi- fying effects of which upon climate in all parts of the world, even where the width of sea mav be less than a mile, is well known to all who have ever considered the many influences which will bear upon climate, irrespec- tive of latitude. " It is now time to notice those resources belonging to Anticosti, which, being wholly independent of soil and climate, may be turned to immediate account. These resources principally consist of its sea and river fisheries, which, although comparatively neglected by 28 Canada, maybe classed among the most valuable fisheries of British North America. " In the recent report, published by the New Bruns- wick Government upon the fisheries of that province, mention is made of the valuable wlurle and cod fisheries existing upon the coasts of Anticosti ; and it is stated that the Jersey houses fit out vessels to carry on the former upon both sides of the island, and up the St. Ijawrence as far as Bic, some of the whdes (' hump backs') being seventy feet long, and yielding eight tons of oil ; while the fishermen of Gaspe frequently resort to the east end of the island, and take cod in great abundance. In his work entitled ' Newfoundland in 1842,' Sir Richard Bonnycastle states, that 'the whale fishery is pursued along the coast of Labrador, in and through the Straits of Bellei^e' [close to Anticosti], * and that whales of all sizes are taken, from the smallest finner to the largest mysticetits, or great commoii oil whale of the Northern Ocean, which occasionally visits these regions.' It thus appears by these authorities, that on every side of Anticosti valuable whales abound ; the pursuit of which, and of seals and cod, it is not improbable, could be carried on in winter as well as in summer, were the attempt to be properly made ; but, without a trial, the undertaking may ever remain unjustly condemned as impossible. Should such an ittempt be successful, it would not be the first instance of that being accomplished upon trial, which theory, timidity, and prejudice had long declared to be imprac- ticable. Here, again, the experience of our northern fishermen, and of the Esquimaux, who fearlessly en- counter all difticulties and dangers of the ice and of the weather, and who fish in winter and summer, might be successfully brought to bear. " Of cod, Mr. Corbet, in his statement made to the writer, remarks, that ' one boat, with two good fisher- men, could take ofi" South-west Point, or at Fox Bay, eighteen hundred of these fish in one day ;' while Mr. Morrison statot^ that cod, halibut, and a variety of other fish could be caught all round the island in incalculable mf » » ss-i 29 quantities, and that no finer cod is caught on any part of the coast of America, or on the banks of Newfound- land, than is to be met with there. To this may be added the testimony of Captain Fair, R.N., of H.M. ship Champion, who states that he met a few shallops from the Magdalen Islands, at the east end of Ancicosti, where they found cod in great abundance and of excel- lent quality. "Of hardly less value than the former is the seal fishery, which could certainly be carried on in winter as well as in sun^mer, many seals being seen on the ice during the former season and in the spring, and thou- sands of them being observed during the summer and autumn, at the entrances of all the bays and rivers, w^ore they remain almost entirely unmolested. To show the value of this fishery in the gulf, the New Brunswick official report, already cited, brings forward an instance of a schooner engaged in it from Sydney, Cape Breton, having ieared 14,000/. within three weeks of her having left that port. Yet at Anticosti, where seals abound more than in most parts of the gulf, this fishery is at present almost entirely neglected ; the Americans and others, who resort to its neighbourhood, being principally engrossed with the still more profitable cod and mackerel fisheries. For the storing and pre- servation of seal, whale, and cod oil the temperate degree of heat at Anticosti during the summer is parti- cularly favourable. " At the present moment the mackerel fishery is the most lucrative one in the St. Lawrence, and is the most extensively pursued ; mackerel now selling at Boston for nineteen dollars a barrel, and at Halifax and Quebec for a few dollars less than that sum. No part of the gulf abounds with this fish more than the neighbourhood of Anticosti. Many schooners visit the coasts of the latter from the United States, the Lower Provinces, and a few from Gaspe, to carry on this fishery, in which they are very successful; and Mr. Corbet states that the mackerel he has seen in July and August come in shoals so thick v aA so close to the shore that as many as M i! 30 one hundred barrels could be taken in one haul of the net. A few hours' work will thus sometimes pay the whole expenses of a schooner during the season. " Herrings, as fine as any in the world, are as plentiful about the island as mackerel; but. from the wretched manner in which they are cured, they obtain a much less price in the market, and are, therefore, compara- tively neglected by the fishermen. To make this fishery i:s valuable as the former, a few of the Dutch North Sea fishermen should be engaged, who would introduce their mode of curing the fish, which has long obtained for * Dutch herrings' the highest price in every market in Europe. By adopting that mode, the Scotch fisher- men are beginning to compete successfully with the former. *' At the entrances of all the rivers and creeks immense quantities of lobsters are thrown up by the sea; the collection of which, and the preserving them on the spot for distant markets, or sending them fresh in vessels containing wells to our home markets, might render this fishery a very profitable one. Eels are also very numerous and very fine, and are often collected by par- ties of Indians, who come over for the purpose from Mingan, and who obtain a high price for them from the Americans. Some of the halibut which are found off the coast attain the weight of three or four hundred pounds. "The caplin, which are now merely used as bait for cod, are so abundant around the island that they are sometimes thrown up by the sea and cover the shore to the depth of two feet. Were they properly cured and exported, they would find good markets in Europe, or oil of an excellent quality could be made from them by the simple process of boiling. "Tiie number of schooners which resort to the shores of Anticosti from the United States, the Lower Pro- vinces, and the Magdalen Islands, in pursuit of the cod and mackerel is so great that there are sometimes as many as one hundred vessels fishing between the East Point and Fox Bay at one time, all of which are gene- em Wil l» H I W.Ii 31 rally very successful. If these fisheries can be so pro- fitable to expensively fitted out schooners (of from 40 to 150 tons), some of which come a distance of fifteen hundred miles, and have to bring every supply, includ- ing provisions and salt, with them, how much more profitable would they become to parties residing upon the island, who would have their supplies upon the spot, and who could carry on their operations in boats ? How important also to the latter would become the trade which might be created with the former — the supplying them with provisions, often with fishing gear, and with every description of marine stores ; and how soon would such a trade lead to more extensive transactions, in regard to the purchase of fish upon the spot, and the disposal of it in the best markets, and to a further trade in West India, South American, and Mediterranean produce, obtained in exchange for fish, and being in great demand in Canada? It might also lead to the gradual rise, at different points of the island, of good- sized villages, and ultimately of towns. Many large towns in various parts of the world, which are now places of great wealth, have risen from elements quite as slight as these. " Shore- whaling has been very successful at New Zealand, and may be made so at Anticosti, around which whales are so numerous that they are sometimes found stranded upon the beach. While the men engaged in the pursuit would be able to devote the whole of their time, from the first opening to the latest period of the season, to the capture of the whale (towing each one ^hore as soon as caught), their families could be em- ployed in cutting up the blubber, extracting and storing the oil, preparing the whalebone, &c. ; so that no useful portion of the animal would be lost, and the capture of the greatest number of whales would be ensured. The parties on shore could likewise be employed in making casks and other articles used in the ' try-houses' for boiling the blubber. Under the usual system many opportunities of a capture are lost, in proceeding to and returning from the fishery, and much time is wasted in 32 the extracting, stowing, and disposal of the oil, while much that wouldbe valuable, were it preserved, is thrown overboard, and a good deal of oil is lost by leakage. In regard to the fisheries generally, the advantage of being able to cure the fish upon shore, in proper houses, in- stead of curing them carelessly on board, must be apparent to every one. What adds to the value of Anticosti as a fishing station are the numerous creeks and rivers, affording perfect shelter for boats and schooners, with a fine beach to land upon, which are found on both sides of the island. " Of the river and lake fisheries of Anticosti Mr. Corbet, who leases them, as well as the right of hunting the whole island, but who keeps up a very small esta- blishment, and con«ni 11 Up the St. Lawrence. The island may then almost be- come such u mart as the ancient Taprobana (the Ceylon of tlie present day) was in regard to the trade between China, India, the rersian (julf, Arabia, and Africa when * she received and dismissed the fleets of the East and of the West ;' her position alone enabling her to extract more wealth from that trade than was derived from it by the countries to which it properly belonged. " Since the fore<>;oing was written, the writer has visited the island which he has endeavoured to repre- sent as it apj)eared to him, after an examination and a comparison of every authority bearing upon it, and an inquiry into its present condition, of nearly every per- son now residing or who has lately resided there. He will now, therefore, add the result of his own observa- tions, made upon the spot. " Having taken passage at Quebec about the middle of July in the steamer Wihiim/ton^ which was sent to Anticosti with the object of assisting a ship, wrecked last November about twelve miles from Ellis Bay (which had remained there ever since, almost uninjured by the ice or storms of an unusually severe winter), he visited that bay as well as the South-west Point three times, and was upon the south side of the inland for about three weeks. Pie also twice visited Gaspe Basin. At Ellis Bay the steamer ran in for shelter upon each occa- sion, and upon the last remained there for three days. She anchored about two miles up the harbour in 3.^ fathoms at low water, about a mile distant from the shore upon either side, and a mile and a half from the head of the bay, which appeared to be, from point to point (Cape Henry to Cape Eagle), from eiglit to nine miles round. Upon looking out from this position towards the sea, every appearance of the most complete security was presented, the limestone reefs from the two points stretching out south-east and south-west towards each other, the one a mile, the other three-quarters of a mile in length, and forming complete breakwaters, quite uncovered at low water, and which, being covered to only a very slight depth at any time, stop t^e force of the sea even at high water, as was indicated by the surf , 41 which they then caused, as the waves broke upon them, and which clearly directs ships to the channel between them, of six hundred fathoms wide. This chaimel, too, is much protected by the water shoaling immediately outside to six fathoms, which, although deep enough to admit the largest vessels, tends to break the fo 'cc of the sea. This was experienced upon one occasion, when, in a heavy southerly gale, the steamer ran in from a tre- mendous sea outside, in which she pitched nearly bow- sprit under, and anchored in water almost as smooth as a mill-pond. To all on board the almost sudden ces- sation of violent motion appeared as extraordinary as it proved agreeable. The same afternoon a large American schooner ran into the bay for shelter, ana anchored nearly a mile outside the Wilmington^ in perfect safety, where she remained till the i^ale abated the following morning. During the several periods the steamer lay in this harbour, heavy winds were experienced from every quarter, yet she rode through all as cabnly as if she had been moored in front > '' (Quebec, and, in the spot where she was anchored, noiaing less than such a hur- ricane as would cast vessels adrift and sink them either in the harbour of Quebec or in the Liverpool docks could affect a vessel there. Mr. Gamache, who has re- sided for twenty -five years at the provision post at this bay, informed the writer that the harbour was perfectly secure in all winds, and at all periods, that, besides other vessels, the Sir Richard Jackson^ of about 600 tons burthen, had twice lain there for several months each time, and that her captain had said it was as safe a har- bour as any he had ever entered. Mr. Gamache has himself buiit two vessels there of considerable size. A gentleman on board the Wilmington^ a member of Lloyds, who had come out from England, and had chartered the steamer to proceed to the wreck at the island, and who had been three times round the world as captain of an East India Company's ship, declared that he considered the harbour ' a most excellent one ;' so much so, that he should on his return to England make it specially known at Lloyds. But, as some per- sons, who have never been in Ellis Bay, or have not been iiljli' tli ■ 42 there when there were heavy seas outside, imagine that it must be exposed to southerly winds, the following ex- tract is given from the log of the Wilmington^ which should convince them of their conclusion in this respect being an erroneous one: 'Monday, 2nd August, 1854. It looking very wild and bleak to south-west, with heavy rjiin and quick flashing liglitning and thunder, proceeded direct to Ellis Bay. It then L- 'wing strong from south-south-east with rain and sea rolling in with a thick fog, kept the lead going, and went along the coast in sight of breakers, seeing them when we could not see the land. Made out Cape Eagle by 9 a.m., rounded its armed (protecting) reef, sounded up the bay, and came to with both anchors by 9.40 a.m. — 8 P.M., wind south, blowing strong and about right up the bay. We ride smoothly and safe. Coming in be- tween the reefs there is a swell, which might make a stranger fear the safety of liis ship, but as you run up the bay, it becomes less, and at anchorage smooth riding and g«^od holding ground.' This, and the fact of a sail- ing vessel having rini in for shelter the same afternoon, when the wind had increased in violence, not only show the safety of the harbour during the worst winds (and as the steamer made for it upon this occasion. Captain Rudolph and his officers exclaimed that ijs security would be well tested in such weather), but they also prove how eas}'- it is of access under the worst circum- stances ; a strong southerly wind blowing directly in, a heavy sea outside, and a thick fog. Though the latter apparently continued out at sea, when once in the bay there was only a slight haze perceived. The thickest fog, however, encountered during the cruize was in coming up the river, from Metis to Green Island. At Anticosti, although there were occasional fogs, it was often clear enough to see across to tlie south shore, a distance of forty miles. Much might be added here in favour of Ellis Bay as a harbour, but the fact of such vessels as the Sir Richard Jackson havirig been re- peatedly there in all weathers, without any of them having been cast ashore, or having dragged iieir anchors, should be sufficient. No instance has ever oc- 43 curred of a craft of any description having dragged her anchors, or been injured there in any way ; and Cap- tain Rudolph stated that the Wihnington wouhl have ridden just as safely with a single anchor as with two. As the underwriter on board, belonging to Lloyds, re- marked, there are many places in England, and other countries, carrying on a large maritime commerce, which have not so spacious, so deep, or so safe a harbour as Ellis Bay. " The appearance of the shores of this bay has been already pretty accurately described. They are generally tluckly wooded with spruce trees, of a better growth than those near the sea upon other parts of the island, and on the liigher ground in the distance a good many hard wood trees were seen of a still larger size. A con- spicuous and picturesque clump of birch trees stood out from the spruce close to the shore, one of which the writer measured at five feet from the ground, where he found it to be live feet in circuuiference, its height ap- pearing to the eye to be almost sixty feet. Tlie five sub- stantial buildings of the resident are very prettily placed near one of the three or four fine trout streams which flow into the bay, where he has several acres cleared and divided by excellent fences, and where he had growing, and looking remarkably healthy, every description of vegetables and some hue timothy gi-ass. The potatoes there were looking more advanced than they were at Quebec when the steamer left the latter place a few days previously. The soil, though not very deep, ap- peared to be very good, consisting of a dark loam, with sand and gravel below ; and there is little doubt that it could easily be mjide to produce some of the hardier grains, to ripen which, or even wheat, there must be quite sufficient heat, the thermometer upon one or two occasions during the WUniingtons stay there being as high as 81° in the shade and 105" in the sun, and at no time going lower than between 50" and 60" during the three weeks the steamer continued in the neighbouriiood of the island. Round the bay many beautiful wild floAvers were seen, also the sarsaparilla plant and the sweet pea ; and on the beach the writer picked up a piece of sponge which had been detached from the bottom by the action 44 ^ } of the sea. Tho salmon-trout in the river, near the re- sident's house, were so numerous that they might almost have been caught by the hand as they moved in shoals from one part to another upon being disturbed by the sailors, who attempted to take them with buekets. Quantities were obtained and found to be delicious eating. A number of very fine salmon were also pur- chased of the resident, whose assistant happened to enter the bay with fifty he had just caught in the Becscie River in the course of about an hour ; and several large lobsters were taken in the bay and sent on board. But what appeared of extraordinary interest to those in the steamer was the sight every day, when the tide was out, of some three or four hundred seals sleeping or playing round the bay, generally entirely out of but near the water, and some of them occasionally swimming close to the vessel, whose round heads looked very much like those of a human being. One of them, the resident mentioned, he had killed, a short time previously, upon the step of his door. The bay must therefore be a fa- vourite resort of theirs. A great many whales, at least fifty, were also seen betwee?* the island and Gaspe, and several between the former and Bic, each of which must have been worth Irom 200/. to 400/. ; yet only one vessel was met with, or heard of, in pursuit of them — a large schooner from Gasp(^. Both the whale and seal fisheries could be carried on much more conveniently from Ellis Bay than from the former, or from any other place within the gulf With this sheltered spot every- body on board the steamer was much pleased, from the excellency of its harbour, the inviting appearance of the country around it, and the objects of interest which were met there ; and even the sailors expressed a desire to take up their abode upon its shores. One sailor, who had belonged to a vessel wrecked upon the island last November, and who had wintered there, became so charmed with the place that he had already become a permanent resident, employing himself in fishing and hvmting; and the captain and the whole crew of a shij) that went ashore in a fog about eight miles from Ellis Bay, when the steamer was in the harbour, informed the .!■ » ' i i iio itywii^B; I u writer that if they could obtain land there they would send to Hull, whence they had sailed, for their fami- lies, and settle on the island in a body. " At the South-west Point, where the steamer could have run close up to the shore, and been moored to the flat limestone rocks, which form complete natural wharves, the five or six buildings, including a very large stage and store-house for fish, were so disposed near the magnificent lighthouse, which towers above all, as to present quite the appearance of a village. Upon landing, this appearance was rather heightened than diminished, as a number of fine fields, neatly di- vided by straight fences, in which were growing very luxuriantly many vegetables and grasses, came in view, and a horse and four fine cows, all in excellent condi- tion, were seen feeding upon a common close by. Added to these indications of civilised life were a number of fowls in all directions among the houses, and several fat pigs venturing further back to rob the bears of the rich berries and wild fruits which abounded there. Near to the landing-place two persons were employed in cutting up a huge shark, which had just been caught, having, no doubt, been enticed out of his usual latitude by the shoals of fish which proceed from tho Atlantic towards the island. The same day immense quantities of mackerel were seen close under the poir upon which the light- house stands. "The captain of the Wilmington, w"' o has a good knowledge of the construction of harbor "s of rc'uge, and who proved himself to be a thorough seaman upon several trying occasions, declared that, at an ex])ense (>i' 2000/., he could build a breakwater upon t^ reefs running out from the point, which would render the bay a secure shelter in all winds for the largest ves?<^ls. A harbour could also, probably, be made at Snl^ ■ ake Bay, about eight miles further to the east. " A specimen of the marble brought from the island obtained the first prize at the recent Provincial Exhibi- tion held at Quebec. " With regard to the capabilities of the island, there might be a colonization company, a fishing company, 46 and a commercial company; the first purchasing the whole island, and selling or leasing to the others those portions of the coast at which the operations of the latter could be most conveniently carried on." Bl'lB ■ m piiy . Extract from the Report of Mr. James Richardson. Character of the Country and Coast. *' The south side of the island, in its general aspect, is low ; the most elevated points close on this coast are at the mouth of Jupiter River, where cliffs rise on the east side to the height of from eighty to a hundred feet; and on the west side to a hundred and fifty feet. On no other part of the south coast were they observed to rise more than from thirty to sixty feet, but the general height above the sea is from ten to twenty feet. " From South-west Point to the west end, the hills inland are more elevated than they are to the eastward ; in general they rise gradually and more continuously from the shore, attaining the height of from a hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty feet, at about the distance of from one to three miles. From this, how- ever, are to be excepted certain localities on the coast, where plains are met with having a superficial area of from a hundred to a thousand acres underlaid by Peat, partly bare of vegetation, but over considerable spaces, supporting a heavy growth of wild grass from four to five feet high. " From a position a few miles east of South-west Point to Wreck Bay, which is at the east end of the island, between Heath Point and East Point, the elevation of the coast above high water is from seven to fifteen feet, with the exception of the neighbourhood of South Point and Cormorant Point, which rise to the height of from twenty to thirty feet on the shore ; but very little rise takes place inland for from one to three miles, and this flat surface is bounded to the north b a gradual slope, rising to the height of from one hun Ired to two hundred feet, probably becoming more elevated still <> 47 further inland. The low country is a succession of Peat plains, occasionally bare, but often covered with wild grass, the whole being varied with strips and clumps of trees, as well as dotted with small lakes, on Avliich ducks, geese, and other wild fowl breed in con- siderable numbers. " The whole of the north side of the island is a succes- sion of ridge-like elevations of from 200 to 500 feet above the sea, separated by depressions. From English Head, three miles east from the west end to "West Cliff, a distance of fifty-eight miles in a straight line, each successive ridge and valley occupies a breadth of from four to six miles ; the ridges form a somewhat rounded end, facing the sea on the north ; their rise is first well marked at from a quarter of a mile to a mile from the shore, and in about a mile more inland they attain their greatest elevation; continuing this elevation to the south and widening, they narrow the intermediate valley, until, as far as known, the country becomes in appearance of a gently undulating character. The run of the valleys with some exceptions is from S. 10^ W. to S. 30° W. " Macastey Ridge or Mountain, eleven miles east from the west end, rises upwards of four hundred feet at about a mile inland. High Cliff, eighteen miles further east, is probably 500 feet, one quarter of a mile from the shore ; these are in some respects the most conspi- cuous ridges. High Cliff is a bold headland, while Macastey Mountain is separated by a broader valley than usual from its neighbour to the east, and is higher than any other to the west. Macastey Mountain is a conspicuous object when viewed even from the south S'de of the island, in the neighbourhood of Ellis or Gamache Bay ; sailing up this natural harbour, it is observed in front a little to the right about five or six miles distant. " The succession of ridge and valley, from English Head all the way to West Cliff, is regular and charac- teristic, and produces a pleasing and beautiful effect. From West Cliff to Observation Bay, a distance of about twenty miles, there is a similar succession, but on 48 i this part the ridges rise to their full elevation nearer to the shore. West Cliff rises immediately over the sea to an elevation of between 200 and 400 feet. Charleton Point has an elevation of 100 feet over the sea, and a quarter of a mile inland rises to between 300 and 400 feet ; from Charleton Point to Observation Bay the coast is somewhat lower, Observation Bay forming an indentation on the coast of a mile and a quarter deep, and five miles across ; from the head of this bay a well marked valley bears S. 10° W. '' From Observation Bay to Gull Cape, a distance of fifty-three miles, the cliffs become more prominent on the coast, rising almost perpendicularly at the points to the height of from 100 to 300 feet ; and the indenta- tions are more numerous, producing more sharply defined valleys. " Between Bear Head and Cape Robert, a distance of five miles and a half, the greatest indentation from a straight line is about a mile and a half; but this is sub- divided into Easton Bay, Tower Bay, and White Bay, the last being the largest. " Salmon River Bay, east from Cape Henry, is five miles wide, and its greatest depth is one mile. Salmon River runs through a well-marked valley, of which the general bearing up stream is S. 65° W. for nearly six miles, where a transverse valley, in the bearing N. 77° W. and S, 77° E. (about parallel with the coast), meets it, and gives it two streams running from opposite directions. From the middle of the valley the land gradually rises on each side to the height of from 400 to 450 feet, and the bed of the valley must rise pretty fast ; for though the current of the stream is without leaps, it is rather rapid. " Prinsta Bay, further east, is an indentation of about one mile in depth, with a width of a mile and a half; perpendicular cliffs surround this bay to the height of from 100 to 150 feet, except at the very head, where two creeks cut through the rock. On the west side of Prinsta Bay is Cape James, 150 feet in height; and on the east is Table Head. Table Head has a face of from 150 to 160 feet perpendicular, and gains almost at once 49 an additional height, from the summit of which there is a gradual descent on the opposite side, the surface forming on that side a rough outline to the valley through wliich Fox River passes to Fox Bay, which affords the second important harbour on the island. The upward course of the valley of the Fox River is N. 72° W. " From Fox Point on the west side of the bay to Gull Cape, upwards of a mile on the east side, there is a distance of six miles in which the coast is low. Fox Point, the highest part of this, not being more than from thirty to forty feet above the sea. " From Gull Cape to Wreck Bay, a distance of eleven miles, the cliffs are in general perpendicular, and from 100 to 130 feet high, gaining but little elevation inland, probably not over 100 feet, while the surface back from them gives, as far as observed, a slightly rolling country. " Excepting the valley of Jupiter River, there are no well-defined valleys on the south side of the island. " In respect of the soil of the island, the plains on the south side, as has been stated, are composed of Peat, but the general vegetation of the country is sup- ported by a drift composed for the most part of a cal- careous clay and a light grey or brown-coloured sand. The elements of the soil would lead to the conclusion of its being a good one. " Pine was observed in the valley of the Salmon River, about four miles inland, where ten or twelve trees that were measured gave from twelve to twenty inches in diameter at the base, with heights varying from sixty to eighty feet. White and yellow birch are common in sizes from a few inches to two feet in dia- meter at the base, and from twenty to fifty feet high. Balsam-fir was seen, but it was small and not abundant. Tamarack was observed, but it was likewise small and scarce. One of our men, however, who is a hunter on the island, informed me he had seen groves of this timber north from Ellis or Gamache Bay, of which some of the trees w^re three feet in diameter, and over a hundred feet in height. Poplar was met with in E '\l 50 groves, close to the beach, on the north side of the island. " Of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, the mountain-ash, or rowan, was the largest ; it was most abundant in the interior, but aj^peared to be of the largest size close on the beach, especially on the north side, where it attains the height of forty feet, with long extending and some- what slender branches, covered with clusters of fruit. The high cranberry (Viburnum opulus) produces a large and juicy fruit, and is abundant. A species of goose- berry-bush of from two to three feet high is met with in tne woods, but appears to thrive best close to the shingle, on the beach, where strips of two or three yards across and half a mile long were occasionally covered with it ; the fruit is very good, and resembles in taste the garden berry ; it is smooth and black coloured, and about the size of a common marble ; the shrub appeared to be very prolific. Red and black currants are likewise abundant; there appear to be two kinds of each, in one of which the berry is smooth, resembling both in taste and appearance that of the garden, the other rough and prickly, with a bitter taste. " Strawberries are found near the beach ; in size and flavour they are but little inferior to the garden fruit ; they are most abundant among the grass in the open- ings, and their season is from the middle of July to the end of August. Five or six other kinds of fruit-bear- ing plants were observed, some of which might be found of value. The low cranberry was seen in one or two places in some abundance, but I was informed that it was less abundant than in many other past seasons. The raspberry was rarely met with. " The most surprising part of the natural vegetation was a species of pea which was found on the beach, and in open spaces in the woods ; on the beach the plant, like the ordinary cultivated field-pea, often covered spaces from a quarter of an acre to an acre in extent ; the stem and the leaf were large, and the pea sufficiently so to be gathered for use ; the straw when required is cut and cured for feed for cattle and horses during the winter. A nm.^mtfj^ ■;i 51 " But little is yet known of the agricultural capabili- ties of the island ; the only attempts at cultivation that have been made are at Gamache Bay, South-west Point, and Heath Point. South-west Point and Heath Point are two of the most exposed places in the island ; and Gamache Bay, though a sheltered position, has a peat soil ; the whole three are thus unfavourable. " On the 22nd of July potatoes were well advanced and in healthy condition at Gamache Bay ; but a field under hay, consisting of timothy, clover, and natural . grass, did not show a heavy crop. At South-west Point, Mr. Pope had about three acres of potatoes planted in rows three feet apart ; he informed me he expected a yield of 600 bushels, and at the time of my arrival on the 5th of August the plants were in full blossom, and covered the ground thoroughly ; judging from the ap- pearance, they seemed the finest patch of potatoes I had ever seen. About half an acre of barley was at the time commencing to ripen ; it stood about four feet high, with strong stalk and well-filled ear. I observed oats in an adjoining patch ) these had been late sown, being intended for winter feed for cattle; their appearance indicated a large yield. "I observed frost only once; it was on the 18th of September, but not sufficiently severe to do injury to growing crops ; and I was informed by Mr. Julyan that the lowest temperature of the previous winter was only SEVEN DEGREES OF FAHRENHEIT bcloW ZCro. On tlie coast, as might be expected, the atmosphere is damper, and the temperature from ten to fifteen degrees below that of the interior during June, July, August, and September, and probably May and October. Harbours. " Gamache o^ Ellis Bay and Fox Bay are the only two harbours on the island that are comparatively safe in all Avinds ; the former is eight and a half miles from West-end Lighthouse, on the south side ; the latter is fifteen miles from Heath Point Lighthouse, on the north side. From Cape Eagle to Cape Henry, across the mouth of Gamache Bay, the distance is two miles, 52 • with a breadth of deep water of three-quarters of a mile, extending up the bay a mile and a half, while the depth of the indentation is two miles and a half. Fox Bay is smaller, and has less depth of water than Gamache Bay. The distance across its mouth is a mile and a half, with half a mile of deep water in the centre, extending up the bay nine-tenths of a mile ; the whole depth of the indentation being one mile and two-tenths. These two harbours occur in the same geological formation, wliile the rock presents a very regular and comparatively level surface, over which a road could be easily con- structed from one harbour to the other, the distance being 120 miles ; by su(;h means the whole island would be brought to within a moderate distance of a road having a natural harbour at each end. Rivers and Lakes. " The streams that are met with along the coast are, considering the breadth of the island, very numerous. There is scarcely a mile that is not supplied with its clear stream of water, and every six or nine miles show one of a size sufficiently large, and with a flow suffi- ciently constant, to keep machinery going. Waterfalls near the coast often present excellent sites for the pur- pose. The water of these streams is always more or less calcareous. On the south side the largest rivers are the Becscie, the Otter, the Jupiter (w^hich is the largest on the island), the Pavilion, and Chaloupe ; on the north, the Fox and Salmon Rivers are the largest. " On the south shore numerous ponds and small lakes were seen just inside the shingle beach ; towards the east end of the island they occur in the low sv anipy flat that there runs along the shore. None were met with farther back, and none were observed on the north side of the island except a few small ponds close to the beach. " Great Salt Lake, Little Salt Lake, Chaloupe Lake, and Lake Lacroix, on the south side, and Fox Lake on the north side are in reality lagoons of salt w^ater, the tide flowing in and out and mingling with the fresh water of the rivcr^j. ■*. mr,:f0»a 53 " Most of the streams and lakes swarm with tlie finest brook trout and salmon trout, and large shoals of mackerel were almost daily observed all around the island. But in my tour I saw no appearance of schooners employed in fishing, with the exception of one at South Point. The only operations I heard of coiniected "with the trade were carried on at the mouth of a few of the larger streams on the south side and at that of Salmon River on the north by men under Mr. CoH»et, the lessee of the island, and they were entirely confined to the taking of salmon and salmon trout. Seals were extremely abundant, and but for a few Indians who came over from Mingan in July and August, and take a few of them on the north side of the island, they would be wholly undisturbed. In the bays and more sheltered places round the island these crea- tures are met with by thousands. It was not uncom- mon to stumble across one asleep on the beach, when generally it was despatched with a blow or two of our hammers. " Several species of whale were observed to be abundant towards the west end of the island. This must be a favourite resort, as they were either seen or heard at irregular intervals day and night. One of them about sixty feet in length, and about fifteen feet above the water's edge, was found grounded on the reef in Prinsta Bay when we passed on the 8rd of September. Wild Animals. " The wild animals met with on the island, as far as I am aware, are the common black bear, the red, the black, and the silver fox, and the marten. Bears are said to be very numerous, and hunters talk of their being met with by dozens at a time ; but on my excursion 1 only observed one at Ellis Bay, two near Cormorant Point, and one in the neighbourhood of Observation Cape. I came upon the last one on a narrow strip of beach at the foot of a high and nearly vertical clilt*. Seen from a distance I took the animal for a burnt log, and it was only when within fifty yards of him that I perceived my mistake. lie aj)peared to be too busily engaged in II 54 making his morning meal, on the remains of a seal, to pay ai.^ attention to me ; for although, with a view of giving him notice to quit, 1 struck my hammer upon a boulder that was near, and made other noises which I conceived might alarm him, he never raised his head to show that he was aware of my presence, but fed on until he had finished the carcase, obliging me, having no rifle, to remain a looker-on for half an hour. When nothing of the seal remained but the bones, the bear climbed in a leisurely way up the face of the naked cliff, which could not be many degrees out of the per- pendicular, throwhig down as he passed considerable blocks of rock, and disappeared over the summit, which was not less than a hundred feet above the sea. " Foxes and martens are very abundant ; the marten was frequently heard during the night in the neighbour- hood of our camp, and foxes were seen on several occa- sions. Of the silver-grey fox, the skin of which frequently sells for from twenty-five to thirty pounds currency, from four to twelve have been obtained by the hunters every winter. Mr. Corbet, the lessee of the island, employs several men during that season to hunt these animals for their fur, and I understand he makes some profit by the trade. " I heard of no ai.iinals of any other description, with the excepaon of wild fowl, and I saw no frogs nor rep- tiles of any description, and I was informed by the hunters that there were none. Economic Ma.^erials. '"''Building Stones. — In the immediate neighbourhood of South-west Point, coarse granular limestone for building purposes is displayed in abundance among the strata belonging to Division F. It occurs in beds of from six to eighteen inches in thickness, is easily dressed, and yields good blocks of a yellowish-white colour. The lighthouse at the point is built of it, and so is that at Heath Point, both of which, notwithstanding the coarse and rather open texture of the stone, have stood for upwards of seventeen years, I believe, without showing signs of decay. > t '» "< I wmmeewt*- 55 " The sandstone of Cape James and Table Head would afford a fine material for building purposes; it has a good warm colour, being a greenish grey, approaching to drab, rather lighter than the sandstone of Craig Leith Quarry, near Edinburgh ; it has a free grain, and would therefore dress easily, while the angular fragments on the beach show that it would retain its sharp edges. Blocks of every required size might be obtained with thicknesses up to five and a half feet. One solid mass of it, which had fallen from Cape James, lay on the beach, measuring forty by sixty feet, with a thickness of five feet, and must have contained upwards of 12,000 cubic feet of good workable store. In the two cliffy which have been mentioned, the bed occupies seven miles of the coast, and its proximity to the sea offers a very easy means of transport to the towns and cities of the St. Lawrence. " Grindstones. — The same sandstone would very pro- bably yield very good grindstones; although slightly calcareous, it is even grained, and there is a sufficient amount of clear sharp grit in it to render it available, while there would be no difficulty in getting any sizes of grindstones that might be required. " Brick Clay. — Clay fit for common red brick exists in some abundance ; it was observed , of a bluish -grey colour, and about ten feet in thickness, half a mile up the Otter River, on the south side ; and I was informed of its existence up the Becscie River. About fiva miles of coast in the vicinity of St. Mary's River consists of clay cliffs of from sixty to seventy feet in height, and no doubt much of it might be made available for bricks ; some of it, however, is of a calcareous character, and contains many pebbles of limestone, fitting it probably for agricultural rather than manufacturing purposes. '■'' Freshwater Shell-marl. — This material appears to exist in considerable abundance on the island ; the bot- toms of all the ponds or small lakes that Avere examined, with the exception of such as were surrounded by Peat, were more or less covered with it. Marl Lake is one of these ; it has a superficies of about ninety acres, and although the depth of the deposit was not carefully I' 7 5G * I I P sounded, its thickness appeared to be considerable. The brook which empties the lake into Indian Cove, at the west end, carries down a large quantity of the marl as a sediment to the sea, where it becomes spread out for a considerable space over the rocks of the vicinity. "About three miles west from South-west Point, marl was observed to occupy a position on the bank of a brook, and to extend for a quarter of a mile inland, presenting a thickiiv^ss of about a foot covered with Peat. s " In a lake half a mile further inland, it covered the bottom over an area of 200 acres ; and on the east side of South Point it was observed reposing on rock close to the shore, covered over by from four to ten feet of Peat. " Feat. — Along the low lands of the south coast of the island, from Heath Point to within eight or nine miles of South-west Point, a continuous Peat plain extends for upwards of eighty miles, with an average breadth of two miles, giving a superficies of upwards of 160 square miles, with a thickness of Peat as observed on the coast of froro three to ten feet. On tho average this plain laay be fifteen feet above high-water mark, and, by channels cut through it, could be easily drained and faced for working. As far as my knowledge goes, this is the largest Peat field in Canada, and the general quality of the material is excellent. - " There are many isolated patches also between South- west Point and th« west end, varying in size from 100 to 1000 acres, which would yield a considerable quan- tity of the material. " It was stated to me that Peat existed also in some abundance in the interior of the island, but this I am disposed to doubt ; for while all the streams flowing from the Peat plain, on the ^outh side, gave, as is usual, a brown-coloured water, those in other parts wer. pure and colourless, leading to the opinion that the interior was peculiarly free from Peat sAvamps. " Among the materials of the island which maj'^ be considered of an economic nature, though not of a mineral character, sea-weed and drift-timber may be enumerated. 57 ■^^ e a e " Sea-iveed. — In all the bays, coves, and sheltered places around the whole island, with the exception of those between the east end and South-west Point, there is a great accumulation of sea-weed along the high- water mark ; in such places patches of it are met with of from a hundred yards to half a mile in length, and from two to six yards in width; the depth usually varied from one to four feet, and in some instances was six feet. The beneficial effect of sea- weed as a manure is too well known to require mentioning ; but to what distance it would bear carriage for such an application is more than I am able to state. On the island, Mr. Pope, of South-west Point, makes use of it as a fertiliser for his fields, mixing it with the Peat which forms the soil. " Drift-timber. — ^The quantity of squared timber and saw-logs which are scattered along the south shore of the island is very surprising ; the abundance appears to be greater towards the east end than the west ; but, accord- ing to the calculation which I have made, if the whole of the logs were placed end to end they would form a line equal to the whole length of the island, or 140 miles ; this would give about one million of cubic feet. Some of the squared timber may have been derived from wrecks, but the great number of saw-logs, which are not shipped as cargo, induces me to suppose that the main source of this timber is drift. " The strata of Anticosti, being nearly horizontal, cannot fail to give to the surface of the country a shape in some degree conforming to them. The surface will be nearly a level plain with only such modification as are derived from the deeper wearing in a longitudinal direction of some of the softer beds, producing escarp- ments of no great elevation, with gentle slopes from their summits in a direction facing the sun that mil scarcely be perceptible to the eye. The easily disinte- grating character of the rocks forming the subsoil can scarcely fail to have permitted a great admixture of their ruins with whatever drift may have been brought to constitute a soil ; and it is reasonable to su^^pose that 58 the mineral character of these argillaceous limestones must have given to those ruins a fertile character. It is precisely on such rocks, in such a condition, and with such an altitude, that the best soils of the western penin- sula of Canada West are placed, as well as of the Gene- see country in the State of New York. I have seen nothing in the actual soil as it exists to induce me to suppose that, in so far as soil is considered, Anticosti will be anything inferior to those regions ; and consi- derations of climate only can induce the opinion that it would in any way be inferior to them in agricultural capabilities. "The three months that I was on the island were altogether too short a time to enable me to form any opinion upon the climate of Anticosti ; but, taking into view the known fact that large bodies of water are more difficult to cool and more difficult to heat than large surfaces of land, I should be inclined to suppose that Anticosti would not be so cold in winter nor so hot in summer as districts that are more inland and more south. " But such is the condition of the island at present that not a yard of the soil has been turned up by a per- manent settler ; and it is the case that about a million of acres of good land, at the very entrance from the ocean to the province, are left to lie waste, while great expenses are incurred to carry settlers to the most dis- tant parts of the w^jst. Taken in connexion with the fisheries and the improvement of the navigation of the St. Lawrence, it appears to me that the establishment of an agricultural population in the island would not only be a profit to the settlers themselves, but a great advantage to the province at large." THE END.