296 • ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



claturi", 22:'.). Tliis is, of course, the vilhtge mentioned by Smethurst in 

 1701. The vilhqjt- of Negiiac, near V)y, is probably one of the Acadian settle- 

 naents founded later in the century, though C'ooney states tlmt old French 

 remains were visible there. 



Tnulition also ])laces an early French establishment of Denys at Portage 

 I.eland, used in hunting sea-cow or walrus. 



A branch of the Lower Tabusintac i.s on the maps named French Cove 

 Brook, probably indicating an early settlement. 



6. The I^^episi(jt(it District. 



In this region there were two principal centres of settlement, Nepisi- 

 guit and Miscou. Their early hitstory has been most fully and clearly 

 sketched by Dr. N. E. Dionne in his "Miscou" in Le Canada Français, 

 1889. Recently Rev. \Y. O. Raymond has written upon the same subject 

 (in Collections, 2^. B. Historical Society, IL, 81-134). A valuable detailed 

 account of the settlements of Miscou in this century, with some traditions, 

 is to be found in Perley's Report on the Fisheries of New Brunswick, 1852. 



A.— The earliest settlement on Miscou must have been that of Raymond de la Ralde 

 in 1623 (Dionne), who had a fishing and trading establishment there. Its 

 site is uTiknown, but probably it was on ^Miscou harbour. 

 B.— Mission of St. Charles. In 16.34 was founded the Jesuit ^Mission of Saint 

 Charles at Miscou, which is frequently referred to in the Relations after that 

 date. The site of this important mission is not positively known. The 

 many references to it in the Relations give no hint of its site. Local tradi- 

 tion places it at Grande Plaine, near _Mya Point, at the north end of Miscou 

 Island (see map No. 34), but there seems to be little basis for this view, and 

 in all probability it is an error. It was much more probably on Miscou 

 harbour, and there are two reasons for this belief. First, as the mission 

 was for botli Indians and the numerous French fishermen, it would have 

 been near where the French could use it. At Grande Plaine, there is no 

 harbour whatever for vessels, but only the open sea, the most exposed of 

 positions, where vessels could lie only in the calmest weather. On the other 

 hand, Miscou harbour is a good harbour for vessels, and has been used by 

 fishermen in great numbers from the earliest times down to the present day. 

 It was while their vessels were at anchor in safety that the sailors could at- 

 tend a mission. Second, Father Richard in the Relation of 1645, speaks of 

 a sea voyage from Nepisiguit to Miscou, and remarks especially on the danger 

 he met thnnigh finding Miscou harbour blocked with ice. Had his destina- 

 tion been the north p(Mnt of Miscou the l)locking of the harbour would not 

 have concerned him so nuich. If it was on the harbour, however, we do 

 not know its exact site unless it was on the same site as the settlement of 

 Denys, next to be spoken of (map No. 34).' This is quite pi-obable, since 

 no other important ancient site is known about this harbour, except, 

 perhaps, I. au trésor or ^loney Island, on wliich many coins and otlier relics 

 have been found. The latt<^r may possibly be the /. a monsieur of Jumeau's 

 map of 1685. The low shores of this harbour do not offer many favounible 



1 The freshwater springs shown on this map are described by Bonys. 



