Nova Scotia Archives

Acadian Heartland

Records of the Deportation and Le Grand Dérangement, 1714-1768


40  NOVA SCOTIA DOCUMENTS.



side of the River of St. Lawrence. Out of this large tract, the French had yielded to them at the above Treaty the Islands situated at the mouth of the River St. Lawrence and in the Gulph of the same with the Island of Cape Breton.

      The climate is cold and very variable even in the southermost part of this Country, and is subject to long and severe winters.

      The soil notwithstanding this, may be easily made to produce all the supplies of life for the inhabitants which may more particularly appear when mention is made of each particular settlement. It produces in general, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats, all manner of pulse, garden roots and Herbs, it abounds in Cattle of all kinds, and has plenty of both tame and wild fowl. It is no less rich in its produce for what relates to trade. It's woods are filled with Oak, Fir, Pine of all sorts fit for masts, Pitch and Tar, Beach, Maple, Ash, Birch, Asp &c. There are also undoubtedly several iron and Copper mines, the latter at Cape Dore have been attempted three different times, but the great expense which would attend the digging and thoroughly searching them has discouraged the undertakers, the whole Cape being of a vast heighth and an entire rock, through the crevices of which some bits of Copper are spued. There are good Coal mines and a quarry of soft stone near Chignecto, and at Musquash cove ten leagues from Annapolis Royal, as also in St. Johns River very good and plenty of white marble is found which burns into very good lime, feathers and furs are a considerable part of the trade of this Country, but the most material is the fishing of Cod which all the Coast abounds with, and seems to be inexhaustable. It is easy from hence to infer of how much benefit it is to Great Britain that two such considerable branches of trade as the supplies for Naval Stores, and the Fishery may remain in her possession, and if it should be objected that New England and Newfoundland are able to supply the demands of Great Britain on those two heads it may be easily replied, that the markets will be better, especially in relation to fish when Great Britain is almost the sole mistress of that branch of trade, and her competitors abridged of the large share they bear in it.

      There are four considerable settlements on the south side of the Bay of Fundy, Annapolis Royal, Manis, Chignecto, and Cobequid which shall be treated on separately. Several families are scattered along the Eastern Coast which shall be also mentioned in their turn.



Selections NSHS II ~ Brown NSHS III ~ Winslow NSHS IV ~ Winslow
               

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