- selves. and to this day they "9

- ulailon of the Island was about

AUGUST 13, 1949

Lord Selkirk A

Skye Pioneers Add Epic Story To PEI History

In the year 1803. three ship; were chartered by the Earl of Selkirk and about 800 passengers embarked from the Western Isl- ands of Scotland to found a home for themselves on Selkirks estate in Prince Edward Island. The "Polly" carried the greatest num- ber, most of whom were from Skye. On her was Dr. Angus MacAulay, the proprietor’: agent. She arrived in Orwell Bay, P.E.f., on Sunday. August 7. and disem- barked her passengers near the present I-Iailidays wharf. The "Dykes" arrived on August 9,snd the "Oughton" with the Uist men on August 27.

Lord Selkirk, who was a pas- rvcnjor on the “Dykefl, had p}..- necl to arrive before the others so that preparation rrlight be made_ for their reccption. But before he appeared on the scone the “Polly“ had dfscmharkcd her compliment.

The settlement.’ afterwards call- ed Bclfast. a corruption of the. French "La Belle Face", was founded on the abandoned site of a French colony whose members were deported to France after the surrender of Loulsbtlrg in i755. It

extended along the coves and creeks from the mouth of Char- lottetown harbor to the Pinette River The clearing had grown

up. but. various evidences of the former occupation—the shallow well, the ditch. and the cemetery with lts pathetic reminders of the

transitory career of man—still existed. Selkirk‘: Description "I Arrived." writes Selkirk in

his journal “late in the evening, and it had then a very striking appearance. Each family had kin- dled a large fire near their wig- wams. and round these were as- sembled groups of figures. whose peculiar national dress added to the singularity of the surround- ing scene. Confused heaps of bag- bage were everywhere piled to- gether beside their wild habitat- ions and by the number of fires the whole woods were illumin- ated.

“At the end oi’ the line of en- campment I pitched my own tent. and was surrounded in the morn- ing by a numerous assemblage of people whose behaviour indicated that they looked to nothing less than s restoration of the happy days of Clanship." _ ‘

To obviate the terrors which the woods were calculated to in- spire. the settlement was concent- rated within s moderate space. The lots were laid out in such a manner that there were generally four or five families. and some- times more. who built theirhouses in a little knot together. The dist- ance between the adjacent ham- lets seldom exceeded a mile.

Generous Terms

‘The settlers." says Selkirk. "had overy inducement to vigorous ex- ertion from the nature of their tenures. They were allowed to purchase in fee simple, and to a certain extent on credit: Fifty to. one hundred and fifty acres were allotted to each family at a very moderate price. bllt none was glvcn gratuitously. To accommo- date those who had no superfluity of capital they were not required tn pay the price in full till the third or fourth year of their pos- sesion.

"I left in September, 1803, and after an etensivs tour of the con- tinent. returned st the end of the same month the following year. It was with the utmost satisfac- tlozl that I then found that m! plans had been followed up with attention and judgment. 1 found the settlers engaged in securing the harvest which their indusiry had produced. Thcy had a small proportion of grain of various kinds. but. potatoes were the prln- clpa‘. crop. These were of excel- lent quality and would have been amply sufficient for-the cntlre suppczt of the settlement."

Different Environment

Aiihough the circumstances un- d:r which Lord Selkirk settled the Red River district in Rupert's Land. and the Belfast- district II Prince Edward Island had much similarity. the peculiar isolation under which the Red River set- tlcrs lived for upwards of sixty or seventy years led to an intense loyalty to the founder of the col- ony, and to the colony itself as a social and political institution. A thousand miles of wilderness, of lakes. forests and rivers. lay tu the cast; the great plains to the south and west. occupied by war- ring tribes of hostile Indians. There was left but one road only to ingress and egress from tllfl colony. This meant a tryinl i011!‘- ney by boat and canoe from the reitlz-lncnt through Lake Winni- peg. and the Hayes or the Nelson River to Hudson's BBL Fmm tile-re, an ocean voyflse l" Slflmly

ice-beset northern latitudes to England. All but the bravest shrank from such a 10H"!!!

From 1812 until 1870 the Selkirk colonists on the banks of the Red River lived largely unto them-

as loyal to the Selkirk settle-

ment and to the Selkirk tradition , n. =1 any Highlander to his clan , chief. l

The Belfast Colony

Not, so the Selkirk colony on Prince Edward Island. Three years hefox- they arrived the total pop-

av: ihuttsand; that 0f Charlotte-

4

THE GUARDIAN,

CHARLOTTETOWN

PAGE

nd His SettlersAt Belfast

IWENYY-NINE

The first "tourist" to discover the charms of Prince Edward Island was Jacques Cartier. intrep- id St. Male navigator, who visit- ed here in July. 1534, on his first voyage to America. It is evident from the record which ho left that ho was greatly impressed with tho Island's climsto and fer- tility.

"All the land." ‘ne wrote, "is low and plllll. and the fairest tilt may be seen. and full of goodly meadows snd trees. We discov- ered that there were cedars, yew trees. pines, white elms, ssh trees. willows and others. many of them unknown iu us . . .

“The soil where there are no trees is also very rich and is cov- ered with peas. white and red gooseberry bushes. strawberries, raspberries and wild oats like rye, which one would say had been sowed and tilled.

"It is the best tempered region one can possibly see and the heat is considerable. There are turtle- doves. wood pigeon and other birds."

UNDER THE ACADIANS

Colonel Franquet, sn officer of the French Government sent out to superlntend the new fortificat- ions at Louisburg. visited here in 1751 and made an extensive tour of the settled parts. He travelled by barge from Port la Joie up the East River, where settlers were already establishing them- selves along both banks.

The crops. seen from the stream. were flourishing ln the new soil. Opposite what is now Scotchfort. the tide felling, Franquet landed and was welcomed at the home of a leading Acadian, the Sieur Gauthier. He and another Acad- ian, the Sieur Bugeau, each occu- pied a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. They had been set- tled there for eighteen months.

Franquet walked round Gauth- ler's cleared lands and new fields bearing wheat. pens, outs and many kinds of vegetables, such as he "had not seen surpassed in the most fertile fields of France."

SPORTSMANS PARADISE

The Island as u sportsman! paradise impressed itself upon Captain Samuel Holland. Surveyor General. who waxed almost lyric- al in his report of his survey of 1765.

“i-fere." he wrote. "are Bears. Otters, Martens, Foxes, Linxes. Minxes, Muskrats. a few Carri- bou. a kind of Deer: Hares ex- tremely goodmOf Birds may be accounted the Eagles. Hawks, Partridges. a kind of Thrush called Robins, in great abundance, who sing very agreeably; of birds of passage, there are a great variety. as Doves, which come 1n July and August, Plover. Snipes. Curlews. Outards. a large and fine sort of Wild Goose: the Brant- Goose, a smaller sort but of ex- cellent flavour; Ducks of many kinds.... p

“Both sea and river llsh are ln great abundance. and extremely good, viz; Cod. Turbot. nollybut. Thomblck. Sturlflm- Plilfis. Flounders. M ‘ =1 and GasPfl" eaux...fn the rivers and lakes are also very tine Trout and Eels: Smelts; also in Morell River arc some Salmon; along the coasts and in the rivers are Lobsters. Oysters and Mussels, extremely good and in great plenty; b!‘ sides shell-fish called clluns. and another named Razor Fish-in short. for beasts. birds and flsh no plsee can wish to be more plentlfully supplied." \

"GARDEN or AMERICA"

1 ,1

Hillsboro. Colonial I771, declared that "both in- hus- bandry and gardening. my expec- tations are fully answered. and in

Secretary, in

many cases surpassed." Indian corn, oats and barley grew here magnificently. He hsd "never met with or beard of" such an in- crease in potatoes, and he had 0v- ery reason to believe that wheat would flourish too.

“As to garden stuffs, there is no country produces better. In short, my Lord." be added, "if only the proprietors will exert themselves. this Island will. In l short time. be the Garden of America.” -

FANNINGS IMPRESSIONS

Lieutenant Governor Fanning, who made a complete tour of the Island following his appoint- ment in I787, reported enthusiast- ically to Lord Nepean. Under Secretary of State:

"Having been absent four weeks, in which time I neither ate. drank or slept in a house. but devoted my whole time to going up and down the different creeks, rivers, bays and harbours. and exploring the C0851. I can. therefore, speak with greater certainty respecting this circuit of the Island than per- haps any man on it.“ he wrote. "And confident I am that. had it been open to be granted by the Crown by patents from the Gov- ernment in the same manner as lands in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were. at the evacuat- ion of New York. It would not. st this date. be equalled by any part of His Majesty's Dominion In America. in proportion to tho same extent of territory."

WONDER-WORKING CLIMATE

A great booster of the Island's healthful climate was John Stew- art. Esq.. who in his “Account of Prince Edward Island," 1806, wrote as follows:

v"I may venture to assert that it will be very difficult to mention another spot on the face of the earth where the inhabitants en- joy more uninterrupted health. The fevers and other diseases of the United States are entirely un- known here; no person ever saw an intermittent fever produced on the Island. nor will that complaint when brought here. ever stand above a few days against the in- fluence of the climate...

“A large proportion of the people live to old age. and then die of no acute disease. but by the general decay of nature.;.. Large families are almost univer- sal. Six or seven children in as many years seems to be the com- mon rule. and few leave off with- out doubling that number. We seldom find a pair without a fam- ily where they have come togeth- er under such circumstances as to give them a reasonable ground of hope on that subject. and instan- ces have sometimes occurred when people who had given up every idea of the kind. by removing to this Island. have had large fam- ilies.

"Many people grow here to s Isrga slse; perhaps in no other country will the proportion of men of six feet high be found greater. The countenance: as well as the stature of the young people whose families came from the highlands of Scotland often ex- hibit a remarkable contrast to the hard features and low stature of their parents: plenty of whole- some lfood. as well as salubrity of air. no doubt contributes to this

difference. Industry will always secure a comfortable existence,

_|whlch encourages early marriage:

e women are grandmothers at

- ih Walter Patierwn- the Island's lforty. and the mother and daugh-

first Governor, writing to Lord 55351.11 two hundred and fifty to three hundred. Only a few miles distant from them to tbs north. a settlement 0f Loysllsts from the American colonies had been founded along Vernon River in I792. They preferred to endure the hardships incident to found- ing a new home in the virgin forest under the rlas they loved. than live under a- government they regarded as alien to the political principles they espoused- Th" Selkirk colonists. after u generat- ion, ceased to look upon them- selves as a separate institution. and merged their lives lIl the larger life of the Ill-LIE‘ Province in which they lived.

Yet they never wholly forgot the land of their forefathers. In song and story, to this day. one finds constant evidences of the strong spiritual bond uniting the two islands, and the intense loy- sliy of the early settlers t0 the Skye tradition burns in the breast of the present generation with s flame ss steady n it did in any that has gone before. All are haunted by the some dream: ~

"From the lone shieiing of the

misty Islsnd

Mountains divide us and the

waste of seas;

Yet still the blood is sironl.

ihe heart ls Highland.

And we In dreams behold the

Hebrides." ‘ nun-om "Skye Pioneers and ‘The Island?‘ Queen. K.C.. 1M8.

ter may frequently be seen with each a child at the breast at the some time."

ISLAND HOSPITALITY

Stewart's statements are cor- robornted by Walter Johnstonean English lay preacher who wrote an account of hi: visit to the Is- land in 1820-21. "The settlers generally." he says, “live long and urs exceedingly healthy.“ He not- ed also another admirable trait.

"The people." he found, "are hospitable In the extreme. Any man may travel from one end of the Island to the other. If he keeps out of taverns. without bo- lng at one half-penny expense. If his entertslnerh portion be sonn- ty. still It my be sold he gives If with s good will."

A HAVEN FOR. SETTLERS

In his “Brief Account of Prince Edward Island," I830. an English visitor, J. L. Llewellyn, notes that “all a farm will produce in Eng- land for the farmers’ table may be produced-here. and of excel- lent quality."

He adds that "there is amongst the settlers a great deal of that. spirit of hospitality. which is pleasing In every country. but more particularly graceful and needful in a young one...

"Here we msy- pause and ex,- clalm. Vsrlln- this ls s good poor men's country. Here a settler may begin farming without a shilling in his pocket. and obtain employ-

by Malcolm A Msc- lment at such wages as will not

only enable him to live, .but also

FLY III-nibbles

,9 ‘- gall-D “out!

to succeed with his farm‘ in s ""111!!! Where the unfortunate but industrious may find a refuge. with a certainty of food and rai- ménli. and save himself from be- l!!! brought to day-labour or forced to seek parochial relief in tho plsco which once witnessed his prosperity."

Llewlllyn wrote. his book for the purpose of acquainting people ln the British Isles with the ad- vantages the Island offered to settlers. Arriving here in 1830, he says there was then scarcely a stack °l Brain to be seen in the Country; but four years later "every farmer had a well filled stack-yard." and the number of coasting vessels and export of farm produce had made corres- ponding advance.

POPULATION FORECAST

Perhaps the most striking trib- ute to the Island. however, was the forecast made in an article published by William Evans, sec- retary of the Montreal Agricult- ural Society, in I836.

"Prince Edward Island," Mr. Evans wrote, "ls very capable o! supporting 000,000 souls. and of producing annually from 12 ta l5 fold the amount which it does at present, or ubouy 210,000,000.

"The soil," he added. “is natur- ally end generally of so good a quality that almost every acre may be rendered productive. There is no part of British Am- erica that is more favorably re- ported of...

“The climate partakes of that of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but in some respects ls superior, being entirely free from fogs to which these Provinces are sub- yect...

"As regards the salubrity of the Island, it ls agreed by all who have lived In It for any time that there are few places where health is enjoyed with less Interruption.“

UNIQUE IN OUTLINE "In figure Prince Edward Island

Centuries Old

(Continued from Page 27)

the manufacture of ice cream. chocolate milk, Kraft cheese, and as a stabilizer for beer as wvi as I for other purposes. Therefore. ‘ great care has to be exercised in keeping other seaweeds and filth out of the Irish Moss. The De- partment has now employed qual- ified inspectors to test the quality of moss and see that it is put up in a highly satisfactory manner. Previous to the outbreak of the war we knew little or nothing about. our Irish Moss possibilities on Prince Edward Island as mostlv all moss used in the United States and Canada was produced along the Mediterranean coast of France and off the coast of Ireland but.

when shipping space became scarce, chemists in the United States and Canada who were

manufacturing the product had to look elsewhere for their supply.

Inquiries were made in Prince Edward Island and our fishermen and people around the shore were of the opinion that very little Irish Moss grew around our coast. But our Department had a man who was acquainted with gathering moss come to Prince Edward Is- land and, with the assistance of our patrol boats, it was dlscovere-i that an abundance of Irish Moss grew on almost every rock ledge around our Province and this new industry is now bringing in a rev- enue of almost a hundred thous- and dollars a year to our fisher- men and families.

The quantity of fish landed. to- gether with the marketed value for 1948 was as follows:

Kind of Qulntlty Mlrkefod m}, handed value‘ Cod. cwf. 61,862 S 318.24” Haddock, cvl-t. 1.191 8527i Hake, cwt. 46.608 249,906 Winter Flounder B02 1.994 Herring .027 W130? Mackerel 16.717 121,231 Salmon 17 580 Alewlves 4.001 13.143 11.690 206.663 Tommd "r22 3,237 Silver-sides 363 1.681 E935 eos 8,731 Lobster-s $6.231 1,579.93’) Crab; 384 1.90’) Clams. bur 2:4 1.140 Clams. soft shell 4.881 281.233 Qushsugs 515 1.514 Oysters 30.736 " 174.730 Scgllops 167 9,185 Irish Moss 29.206 74.393

Tutsi landed quantity 336.031 cwt. Total marketed value szssaua.

Exhibitions Popular

(Continued from Page 1'15

st the Exhibition in Charlottetown was iilnitcd to residents of the Province. In t-hst year it was de- cided to open it to competitors from Nova Bcotis and New Brun- swick. Subsequently when Domin- ion exhibitions were held in the Maritime Provinces. a grant. was obtained from the Department of Agriculture st Ottawa. and the Exhibition in Charlottetown was opened to the breeders and other

Historic Sites Marked

The following list of the historic sites already marked in Prince Ed- ward Island has been supplied for this Issue by Hon. Thane A. Camp- bell, LL.D., Chief Justice, and mem- ber of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

It la expected that tablets will be unveiled during August in memory of Sir Louis Davies, Sir Joseph Pope. and Robert Harris, C.M.G., R.C.A.

The Board has also approved tablets to be unveiled at a later time in memory of James C. Pope and Jacob Gould churman.

Alborfon — Alberton-Eimsdale I-Ilghwaw-Cut-stone monument to commemorate the work of Robert T. Oulton and Charles Dalton. plonee a in breeding and raising silver-black foxes In captivity; and of James Gordon and Robert Tuplin, who, later assisted in de- veloping the industry.

Brudsnell Point — Cut-stone monument to mark the site where Jean Pierre Roma founded a base for control of the Gulf fisheries and for trade with France, Quebec and the West Indies, 1732,

Charlottetown-Provincial Legis-

a

lsturo grouads-Cut-stons monu- ment to commemorate the four- hundredth anniversary of the land- ing of Jacques Cartier on the Is- land, 1534; also a cut-stone monu- ment to commemorate the dis- tinguished service to navigation of Admiral I-Ienery Wolsey Bayfield,

can improve your farm by ENLARGING YOUR FIELDS.

17951885" onnannvo scrum osowm —Provinelsi Bulding-Tsblets t0 commemo nirl (s) the laying of DRAINING LQW LAND

the first submarine telegraph in America, 1852; and (b) outstanding historic events connected with the Island. Also tablets to the memory of the following Fathers of Confed- erntion-George Coles, Colonel John Hamilton Grey, Thomas Heath Havlland, Andrew Archibald MacDonald, Edward Palmer, Wil- liam Henry Pope and Edward Whelan.

Rocky Point-Near South Shore Road-Cairn to commemorate the events connected with the survey of Prince Edward Island by Cup- tain Samuel Holland in 1764-65.

LEVELLING GROUND STUMPIN G

only by the CATERPILLAR TRACTOR.

meats.

Cavendish - Monument to Lucy Maud Montgomery, 0.312.. author of "Anne of Green Gables."

“BATERPILLAR”

is not unlike the form of a cod- fish," wrote C. Birch Bagster in 1861. "In tracing this resemblance, begin at the snout or East Point, and trace its open mouth, the lower jaw dropping to south, which exposes a cavity of half a dozen bays, in the centre of which Georgetown appears like a tongue that shakes its ever open invitations to the fishermens ef- forts and skill. There might be teeth found about here too. to bear out the simile. and a con- siderable swallow of its own; but that would be suggestive of greedmess and ‘taking in’ too much, which must not be said of the King's County capital.