184 THE LABEADOE PENINSULA. chap. xxxu. 



the sea, so that there are no imposing hills or mountains 

 on a long stretch of coast. 



From Cape Whittle to Natashquan Point, a distance of 

 63 miles, the gneissoid hills seldom rise above 200 feet 

 high, and between that point and the Mingan Islands the 

 coast does not rise above 400 feet. The banks off this 

 are very important, and are frequented by vast numbers 

 of fishermen.* 



Cartwright gives a melancholy description of the 

 Atlantic coast of Labrador. f 



Of all the dreary sights which I ever yet beheld, none ever 

 came up to the appearance of this coast, between Alexis Eiver 

 and Cartwright Harbour, on my late voyage to Sandwich Bay. 



The continent is all of it mountainous, except the peninsula 

 which parts Eocky Bay from Table Bay, the extreme point of 

 which forms one side of Indian Tickle. All the islands — the 

 Isle of Ponds, the Seal Islands, and some of the small ones 

 which are within the bays, excepted- — are high ; the faces of all 

 the hills which front the sea are scarce anything but bare rocks. 

 The spots where any verdm-e was likely to appear were covered 

 with drift banks of snow ; the shore was barricaded with ice, 

 seven feet thick ; most of the best harbours were then not open, 

 and all the rest had so much loose ice driving about with every 

 wind as to render it dangerous to anchor therein; the water 

 which we had to sail through had abundance of scattered ice 

 floating upon it, and all towards the sea was one uniform 

 compact body of rough ice. How far it reached from the shore 

 must be left to conjecture, but I make no doubt it extended 

 fifty leagues at least, perhaps double that distance. There, 

 however, was some advantage from it, since it kept the water as 

 smooth as land would have done at that distance. The badness 

 of the weather also contributed to increase the horror of the 



* Bayfield. 



t Cai-twright's Sixtce)i Years on the Coast of Labrador, vol. ii. p. ^'^, 

 July, 1775. 



