COUNTRY AND HISTORY 153 



the Micmac Indians, who came irom Nova Scotia. In 1760, 

 Governor PalHser is said to have made attempts to re-establish 

 kindly relations with the rapidly-diminishing native Indians, 

 but without satisfactory results. 



It is pathetic to read of an institution having been formed, 

 in 1827, for the purpose of "civilising of the Beothics," 

 when the last one seen alive was in 1823, four years earlier ! 



So much for the history of Newfoundland. It is but 

 a brief sketch, but more would certainly not be justified 

 in a book supposed to be only on Caribou. I may even be 

 criticised for having gone into the subject at all. The 

 natural conditions of the island may, however, be said to 

 have more direct bearing on the animals, so I shall tax the 

 reader's patience by giving a rough outline of the principal 

 features. A glance at the map will give an idea of the shape 

 of the island, which is about the tenth largest in the world, 

 being rather over 300 miles in width and length, with an 

 approximate area of 46,000 square miles. Its coast is 

 deeply indented with excellent harbours, some of which are 

 of immense size, and account for the proportionately long 

 coast-line of over 6,000 miles. There are innumerable 

 lakes, many as yet unnamed and practically unknown, the 

 largest and best known being Grand Lake, which is nearly 

 sixty miles long and contains some 200 square miles. 

 Many of the other large lakes are shown on the map, the 

 largest having an area of about seventy square miles. A 

 great many are not shown at all. 



The rivers are both numerous and large ; the Exploits being 

 about 200 miles long and navigable for over thirty miles. 

 The Gander is half as long, the Humber eighty miles in 

 length, and the Terra Nova but little smaller. The more 

 important of the smaller rivers, though too numerous to 

 mention, are mostly indicated on the map. Most of these 



