ON CAPE BRETON. 299 



Aranbega, or Norumbega, or Norumbegue, or Terra de Norembega, or Norembeque or Norumbec is a natoe 

 known only in tbe dawn of geograpliical linowiedge in America- In tlie map of Hieronimus de Verazzano (1529) 

 the district of Aranbega is a definite and "apparently unimportant locality." The great French captain whom 

 Eamusio cites (See infra, App. VI.) refers as early as 1539 to the Indian name Norumbega as including La Terre 

 Française or the French country discovered by Verazzano, and the present State of Maine, and extending in its 

 entirety over a vast region from Cape Breton to Florida. In later times it was confined to the territory watered 

 by the Penobscot, and some imaginative intellects eventually built a fine city of crystal and silver on the banks of 

 that noble river. Arambeo or Arembec — another form probably of the same name — appears to have been confined 

 to Nova Scotia. John Rut in 1527 is said to have sailed towards Cape Breton and the coasts of Arembec. It is 

 quite clear that in the indefinite geography of the sixteenth century the northeastern limit of Norumbega or 

 Norumbegue was Cape Breton. The meaning of the word has perplexed all the geogi'aphical antiquarians who 

 have devoted themselves to its study. It is believed to be Indian, but others contend even for a Scandinavian 

 origin — a relic of the Northern voyagers. (See ^upra sec. IX) It is most likely a survival of an old word in u.se among 

 the tribes of the Algonquin family that inhabit Maine and the Maritime provinces of Canada. The Micmacs of Cape 

 Breton and Abenakis of Maine show in their respective languages some evidences of their common origin. Beda- 

 badec which was the Indian name given to a locality at the entrance of tbe river Penobscot and to the Camden 

 Hills in Maine (See " Champlain," ii. 180-181) is obviously akin to Bedec on the Bras d'Or. The Abbé Maurault in 

 his " Histoiy of the Abenakis " (Sorel, Prov. of Quebec, 185(i) enumerates the seven tribes in Maine, New Hampshire 

 and New Brunswick that composed the Abenakis, but leaves out the Micmacs on the ground that their language 

 was different. But such words as iMasquaeook (Maskgateku), meaning a river with plenty of bark, has the Micmac 

 affix— Maskive, the general name for bark. The Micraac adjective, Sakskae, flat, is also to be traced in the Abenaqui 

 word, Skkadagk, (the Sagadahock), the p'.ace where the ground is flat and continuous. It is quite probable that 

 Norambec, Lorambec (in Cape Breton) and Arambec are memorials of an Algonquin word which was in common 

 use among the several tribes of the Algonquin family of Indians in northeastern America as the name of the 

 region extending from Cape Breton to beyond the Kennebec river. 



V. B.\ccAi.Aos ox xnE Or.D Maps. 



The ancient name of BaccalaoJ, like that of Terre des Bretons, seemed likely for many years of the early 

 history of tliis continent to fix itself permanently to a considerable section of eastern America. In the Buysch 

 map (1.508), it appears for the first time as an eastern projection of the old continent of Asia, as a cape or island 

 called Baccalaurus. In Reinel's map (1504 or 1505), it is applied to an island Y dos Bocalhos. In the Portuguese 

 Portalano map (1514-1520) Bacalnaos is given to the eastern coast of Newfoundland. Kohl (" Dis. of N. A.," 179) 

 considers it comprises Newfoundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia. In Ribero's map (1529) Ta de Baccallaos 

 is the designation of an irregular peninsula in eastern America. In Orontius Fine's globe (1531) Baccalar 

 is applied to the peninsula of Acadia. In Lazaro Luiz's map (1531) Bacalhaos is an islet oft' the east coast of 

 Newfoundland, and the same occurs in Hieronymus Verazzano (1529) where it appears as Backaliaio — another illus- 

 tration of its variable orthography. In Carta Marina (1548) it is given to the eastern part of British America south 

 of Labrador. In Mercator's map (1538) Baccalearum regie is clearly Canada. In De Laet's map, it is the name of 

 a small island oflf eastern Newfoundland. On Ulpius's globe (1542) Baccalearum regio is the designation of Canada. 

 In the Frere map (1546) dos Baquaelthaos is an island oft' Newfoundland. In Gastaldi's map (1548) Tierra del 

 Baccalaos is an indefinite region north of Norumbega or Nova Scotia, and west of Labrador,^obviously old Canada. 

 The name of Los Baccalaos appears prominently in the Historia General de las Indias (1552) by Gomara, one of 

 the most distinguished 'vriters of Spain. In the Ramufio Gastaldi map (1550) it is applied to the southern part of 

 Newfoundland. In Mercator's map (15G9) it is given to the latter island. In Martines's (1578) it becomes a region 

 south of Labrador, and obviously the later Acadia. In Wytlleit's (1597) it represents Newfoundland and Labrador. 

 In Juduis's (1593) it is Newfoundland and it is the same in Quadus (IGOO). In About's (1010) Newfoundland is 

 Terre neuve, and Baccalaos is given to a portion of eastern America, west of Accadie, now designated by its Indian 

 name. In L'Escarbot's map (1609) Cape Breton becomes Baccalaos. From that time it disappears from the maps 

 of the mainland of eastern .\merica, and is confined to the small islet off the Bay of Conception on the east coast of 

 Newfoundland, and to a point, Cape Baccaro, on the northwestern coast of Nova Scotia. The last mention we find of 

 this ancient historic name in ollicial documents is in the grant made in 1621 to Sir William Ale.'iander of Nova 

 Scotia, and here it still clings to the island of Cape Breton. These references to the old cartography of eastern 

 America show, beyond dispute, that the name was of early application to this continent. Its origin is still a matter 

 of controversy, but the weight of evidence appears decidedly on the side of the Basque theory. Doubt is thrown, 

 however, on the statement of Peter Martyr (" De Orbe Novo" dec. iii., ch. 6) that John Cabot introduced the name, 



