ON SABLE ISLAND. 17 



On the 6th Octoher, the party sailed from Halifax in two vessels, carrying all the 

 supplies and material deemed necessary for such an establishment. Among these were the 

 frame of a house 28 x 18 feet, one for a storehouse 16 x 12, with lumber, nails, etc., for its 

 completion, a set of carpenters' tools, a medicine chest, a whale boat with oars, provisions, etc. 

 They also carried the following live stock : 1 S-year-old l)ull, 2 young cows in calf, 2 young 

 sows, 1 young boar, 1 male and 1 female goat, 2 rams, 8 ewes and 1 horse. They also 

 took a supply of grass and garden seeds. The outfit was complete, costing over two 

 thousand dollars and ct)nsuming the greater part of the assembly's grant. 



The party landed on the 13th and the vessels returned to Halifax, leaving them to their 

 own exertions. Their first care was the erection of the houses. Before they could get this 

 accomplished their provisions were damaged by the wet, so that if they had not found bread 

 on the island from some of the wrecks, they must have suffered. "This," says Mr. Morris 

 in his report, "gave us many hard struggles ere the buildings were in order, and having no 

 bills of the scantling, and several pieces lost, occasioned another difficulty. But by making 

 substitutes and by prayer and perseverance, the store and house were put in good order by 

 the 6th November. But surely the carpenter that framed the house was either in love or 

 stu[)id, as many pieces were wrong numbered, and no braces of any consequence to the 

 building, which gave me a great deal of trouble to affix the frame, as a building on this 

 island should be exceedingly well braced on all angles." 



The site of these buildings was on the north side about five miles from where the west 

 end of the island then was, but now some miles at sea. Here was erected a fiagstaff, and 

 within the following year were added at tliis point a stable, a forge and a fowl house. 

 About the centre of the island was an old house 20 x 14 feet, but toward the east end of 

 the island they erected a new one 18 x 14 feet, which was afterwards occupied by Hodgson 

 and his family. Here also was erected a flagstaff. At a later period we find Mr. M. 

 recommending the erection of three more buildings, one on the north side at the east end of 

 the lake, another nearly opposite on the sonth, and a third aljout five miles further east than 

 Hodgson's station, but these do not seem to have been built in his time. 



Two vessels had been wrecked that season, the ship "Packet" of Boston, and the schooner 

 " Industry" of Liverpool, N. S., and it was not long till their services were in requisition for 

 others, and the benefits of the institution were to be proved. On the 16th December, the 

 " Hannah and Eliza," a fine new sliip belonging to Boston, on her passage from Rotterdam to 

 that port, laden with salt, was stranded on the south side of the island, but the crew 

 numbering thirteen were all saved. 



On the 19th of March, 1802, Mr. Morris writes to the commissioners: "All the people 

 that were landed on the 1.3th October last, are at present in good health. All the stock of 

 cattle that were landed are in excellent order. The sheep have wintered inde})endent of us, 

 generally keeping a distance from us toward the northwest bar in the valley. I often 

 brought them to the stack of hay, which was very good, but they seldom ate any. They 

 have lost three lambs, and there are four living. The goat has lost her kids. The bull we 

 yoke and he draws well. The horse has been of infinite service to us. The hogs have no 

 hair from the gristle of the nose to their eyes from rooting in the sand. I expect they will be a 

 damage in the end." He also mentions that from the 20th October they had had a succession 

 of gales, so that he was confident there had not been five days of calm weather in four 

 months. In consequence he had not been able to take soundings round the island. In 

 consequence of the scarcity of provisions he had in the month of February despatched a boat 



Sec. II, 18'.I4. .-i. 



