258 J. G. BOUEmOT 



the attention of the early Spanish navigators ; ' but this appears to be a mere ingenious 

 effort of the same fancy which has given a Spanish origin to Canada, — aca nada — instead 

 of the generally accepted Iroquois deriviation, •' kannata " or collection of cabins. It has 

 also been urged that a French sailor by the name of Cause first gave his name to the 

 Strait, but this theory has been easily disposed of by the fact that the author who is men- 

 tioned as the authority for this supposition was actually writing of the West Indies, and 

 referred to one Cause.' As a matter of fact the name fisrt appears at the port of Canseau, 

 on the southeast coast of Nova Scotia — a great resort of Breton and Basque fishermen 

 from early times, and was subsequently extended to the arm of the sea between thepeniu- 

 su.la of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. L'Escarbot is no doubt correct in stating that it is 

 an Indian word ; and indeed on reference to the best work on the Micmac tongue we find 

 that it still exists in the old form of kamsok which means " a steep bluff rising on the oppo- 

 site side." The Indians, in accord with their custom of naming places from certain natural 

 characteristics, probably so called the Strait from the steep bluffs on the Nova Scotia side 

 — one of which, Cape Porcupine, is especially conspicuous from its curious resemblance to 

 the back of the little animal from which it is named. The French who frequented the 

 port of Canseau at a very early date must have given it the Indian name applied to the 

 whole Strait. 



St. Peter's — the French Port Toulouse — is the first place of importance after leaving 

 the Nova Scotia side of the Strait where we find ourselves on historic ground in Cape 

 Breton. This well-known place, w^hich still retains its importance as a geographical and 

 commercial point, appears to have been named after the Count de Toulouse, who was an 

 illegitimate sou of Louis Quatorze and Madame Montespan, and won high distinction 

 as a naval commander. The establishment formed at St. Peter's by Denys was situated, 

 as far as can be ascertained, on a rocky neck of laud in a little cove to the right of the 

 entrance of the canal ; and in this same neighbourhood, from the days of the French, 

 there has been always a small settlement of fishermen and traders. The new village 

 which has grown up since the construction of the canal can be seen to the left of the 

 canal and is a collection of painted or whitewashed wooden houses, almost bare of trees. 

 In old times when Pichon wrote of this locality, it was a centre of communication for the 

 whole island, and the most important post after Louisbourg. Here one "could observe 

 the least motion of the English at Causo or in the passage of Fronsac, and advice could 

 be sent to the commandant of Louisbourg in less than eighteen hours." In 1755 there 

 were in this place two hundred and thirty inhabitants exclusive of officers and troops, and 

 the people who were very industrious foiiud constant employment in building boats and 

 vessels, in the cutting of timber, and in the fisheries. The name of Port Toulouse has 

 passed away since 1758 and the older name of St. Peter's, which existed in the time of 

 Denys, has been restored, if indeed it ever disappeared from the vocabulary of the people 

 or of the sailors who frequented this port. It is claimed that the name was originally 

 Portuguese, aud there is some authority for this claim in the fact that we find in the old 

 maps a cape San Pedro in the vicinity of an arm of the sea between the terra des 

 Bretones and Cap de Breton. One learned archaeologist is inclined to believe that it was 

 at St. Peter's, and not at Inganiche that the Portuguese made their first and only settle- 



' Judge Haliburton, (" Sam Slick ") in liia " Hist, of Nova Scotia," ii. 223, n. 

 ■ See Abbé Laverdière's note in his edition of Champlain's works, ii. 279, n. 



