St. Peters: a fire in 1724?

St. Peters: a fire in 1738?

Tracadie Ba y.

Co vehead + Brackley Bays.

Rust/co Ba y.

New London Bay.

Courtin Island.

Ma/peque Ba y.

At the extremity of the étang, a long brook, which never dries up discharges its water. The brook contains sufficient water to run flour and saw mills, but as regards the latter they are considered useless as there is no timber suitable for sawing, all the hardwood, growing in the surrounding district being good at the best for the building of boats {ratherz shalops}. [p.129]

Guillaume Patris, aged 38 years, he has been in the country 20 years, married to Francoise Chiasson . The land on which they are settled [in the St Peters Bay area] was granted to them in form by Messieurs Aubert and Dubuisson in 1723, but they cannot produce the deed, it having burnt in the fire of 1724. [pp. 134-35]

Magdelaine Poitevin, widow , aged 50 years. The land on which she is settled is situated at Havre Saint-Pierre [St. Peters Bay] in the north part of this Isle. She holds the said land under deed from Messieurs de Pensens and Dubuisson. She

declares the said deed was burned at the time of the fire fourteen years ago. [p. 138]

The harbour [of Tracadie] is very capacious The inhabitants are settled on the west coast of the said harbour. The lands are covered with all kinds of wood, whilst on the east-south—east and south—south—east the shores of the harbour contain plenty of pasture lands with a good supply of grass. [p. 146]

petit Racica (Rae/cot) [now Covehead and Brack/ey Bays] the lands surrounding the harbour are covered with all kinds of hard wood fit for use in the construction of schooners, bateaux {boats} and boats {ratherz shalops}; whilst the soil is good in quality and fit for cultivation. [p. 149]

This harbour [of Grand Racico] [Rust/co Bay] lies on the north coast eight leagues from Saint-Pierre. Inside the entrance the harbour divides into two arms. One runs inland three leagues to the east-south-east {to meet} Petit Racicot. The other runs half a league to the south-west two rivers empty into this arm Both these rivers take their rise three or four leagues inland to the west-north-west. they are {quite fast and} well fitted for the construction of flour and saw mills, especially as the surroundings of the harbour and of these rivers are full of all kinds of timber suitable for every description of building purpose. [the rivers referred to are described as flowing into the western arm of Grand Rae/co and from the details given, one is the Hunter River, while the other appears to be Mill Brook.] [p. 149]

le petit havre is situated eleven leagues from Saint Pierre and three leagues from the east entrance to the harbour of Macpec [from this description ’le petit havre’ can only be New London Bay]. There are two rivers on the west side of said harbour. They take their rise in the interior to the west—south—west, and they resemble the foregoing rivers {i.e. at Grand Rae/co] in character, fit for the same purposes, and possessed of the same facilities. [p. 149]

The harbour of Macpec [Ma/peque] There is an [island] . which bears the name of He a Monsieur Courtin [Courtin Island]. Its circumference is estimated at one league, with a diameter of eight hundred toises. The lands are high and wooded with

all sorts of hard timber, such as maples, red maples, black birch {i.e. yellow birch}, oak &c. but {little of the last}. [p. 150]

The soils in the neighbourhood of the harbour of Macpec are superior in quality to those of St. Pierre and Rivie‘re du Nord—Est, and even to all those we have visited up

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