[ganong] historic SITES IN NKW BRUNSWICK 249 



tidal to above Point de Bute, to which point it meanders as a fresh-water 

 stream through hikes and bogs from its source above the present Portage 

 Bridge. Alexander Monro, who knew this region thoroughly as surveyor, 

 and somewhat as antiquarian, says : ^ "Within the present century the 

 Missiguash River and chain of lakes at its head were navigable for boats 

 from Cumberland Basin. Within the last fifty years Indian canoes in large 

 numbers followed this route to within three miles of the navigable waters of 

 Baie Verte. This route has ceased to be navigable for canoes." That the 

 route has ceased to be navigable is the general opinion, but after seeing the 

 riA-er at several points, I am of opinion that an Indian could still take a 

 canoe over the entire course by cutting away bushes in places, as he has to 

 do on other portage streams, and that it is not more difficult of navigation than 

 many streams which they still traverse. At Portage Bridge the river ceases 

 to be navigable ; and at the bridge, all testimony agrees, the portage path to 

 Baie Verte started, going over the hill still called Portage Hill. After the 

 road to Baie Verte was built by the French, it was, of course, used as the 

 portage path, and its location is discussed later. (See also Map No. 24). As 

 to the precise course of the ancient Indian trail, however, I have not been 

 able to gather satisfactory evidence. On this point tradition is altogether 

 untrustworthy, since the path must have been disused for nearly a hun- 

 dred and fifty years, and can so easily be confounded with the old French 

 road. On the one hand, from a study of the topography of the region we 

 wo\ild expect it to follow the valley of the Misseguash to its yery head, and 

 thence to cross the low ridge to the head of the Verte River. This would 

 enable the Indians to use both streams to some extent at high water, and 

 would make the shortest and apparently easiest path. This is confirmed by 

 the very detailed map of this entire joute by Franquet of 1752 (Map No. 2G), 

 in which we are led by its author's accuracy in other respects to place much 

 confidence. The stream heading very closly with Portage H^ll can only be the 

 Verte River, while the numerous bridges which cross it can only be sup- 

 posed to be those on the portage path used when the water was too low for 

 navigation, as it usually is in this stream. Franquet speaks of crossing 

 eight bridges on the route. On the other hand, Mr. Monro states in another 

 article « that the Indian path via Portage Hill is now known as Baie Verte 

 Road. Speaking of this portage, Mr. Shewen says in his "Notes of Fort 

 Monckton," " Traces of that portage were seen near the head of the river, 

 many years ago, by Mr. Munro, the veteran Crown Land Surveyor and Civil 

 Engineer, who describes it as being about ten feet wide, and hollowed to 

 trough shape by wear." It is quite possible that a direct path was made 

 from Portage Hill some three to four miles along the highland, which after- 

 wartls was followed by the French road, and later by the present highway. 

 But such a supposition does not accord with Franquet' s map. De Meulles, 

 in 1685, speaks of this portage as a league in length (Rameau, I., 173), and 

 suggests a canal across it, the first suggestion of a subject which has been 

 much discussed in this century. 



It is possible that this is the route referred to by Champlain as that by 

 which the natives pass into the Bay of Fundy, in wliich case the Verte 

 River would be his Souricoua (see below, B.), but it is much more probable 

 that the latter was some river near Pictou. 



1 Bulletin of the Natural History Society of New Brunswick, No. V., 23. 



2 Newspaper articles in the " Chignecto Post, " in 1883. 



