ON CAPE BEBTON. 261 



live by the side of this iuterestiug lake. At vespers, we hear the peal of the bells coming 

 over the water, and finding an echo in the dark receding hills. Sometimes this sheet of 

 water takes a fancy of running deviously into the recesses of the hills and of forming 

 bays and basins, where the land rises precipitously from the water's edge, and only at 

 intervals offers places suthciently level for the farmer to make his little clearing. Many 

 places on the lakes bear uncouth Micmac names — Whycocomagh, for instance — but still 

 there are not a few memorials of the old French days. One romantic basin, where the 

 entrance is barred by ragged islets, and the shores are indented by numerous little coves, 

 receives the waters of a stream which forces its way from the northwestern country 

 where we meet with a Sky Glen, a Mull, a Glen Dhu, Strath Lorn, Glencoe and Brigend, 

 to remind us of the origin of the people who now live among the Cape Breton hills. But 

 this basin and river still bear the name of Denys, — in honour of the old seigneur of Cape 

 Breton, who during his residence at St. Peter's constructed a road to connect his post with 

 the Labrador. It was his practice to haul his boats over this road. 



No one who visits the Bras d'Or lake but will readily confess that it is appropriately 

 called the Golden Arm, not merely on account of its picturesque features but equally 

 for the natural wealth that exists in its waters, its excellent farm lands, its plaster quarries, 

 and for the other riches that still lie buried in its mountain ranges. This poetic name, 

 however, appears to be quite of recent origin. All the old French and English charts of 

 the island give to the lake the name of Labrador. It is true the English and French 

 versions of Pichon's descriptive sketch, in one place, speak of the Golden Arm, — probably 

 the origin of the new name — but in every other part of the work he uses the old title.' 

 In Denys's map of 1672 and in that of the Sieur de Bellin in 1744, we find " Labrador "— 

 the latter adding " appelée par les sauvages Bideauboch ." It is still called by the Micmacs 

 Petoobook, which is the correct spelling of a word which the French reproduced as nearly 

 as possible from the sound. In all probability it is the same name given by the 

 Portuguese navigators to the sterile country, to the east of Canada, which they were the 

 first of Europeans to discover. How it came also to be applied to this inland sea of Cape 

 Breton, we have no conclusive evidence to guide us. It is generally believed that the 

 name was first given to the coast of the continent because Cortereal took away with him 

 a number of Indians who were described as well fitted for slaves. No such incident is 

 connected with the history of Cape Breton. If it were possible to believe that the name 

 Brador or Bradour is an Indian name meaning a deep and narrow bay which, like the 

 fiords of Scandinavia, stretches into the interior of a country, then the difficulty would be 

 solved, but there is no authority for this statement which is made by a writer whose 

 theories on such subjects have not generally stood the test of accurate inquiry." Bradore 

 Bay on the Labrador coast is considered to be of French origin — simply the Breton mode 

 of pronouncing Eras d'eau ; and if we are to accept this as a fact then it is easy to suppose 

 that the French who settled on this Cape Breton sea gave it the name which describes its 

 natural characteristics. It is a curious fact, which is worth mentioning in this connection 

 that a French privateer commanded by a M. de Brotz, which was captured by Captain Tyug 

 before the first siege of Louisbourg, while cruising in search of colonial vessels, was not only 



' In his description of the island of Cape Breton lie always speaks of the Labrador. See App. VII, (5) to this 

 work. Jefferys' Atlas (1778) has also " Labrador." 



'■' M. Jules Marcou, cited by Ganong in 'Trans, of Roy. Soc. of Can.,' vii., sec. 2, p. 52. 



