160 BISHOP HOWLEY ON 



Head of to-day, situated on the peninsula of Porte à Porte.' The location of this cape and 

 the aceompanying description has been the greatest stumljling block to all commentators, 

 and yet to one knowing the place there is not in all the voj-age a more perfectly clear and 

 exact description to be found. Cartier describes this cape as "rough or precipitous at the 

 base and round on top" {rogné par le has de luy et rond par le liaull). The description is 

 exact, and hence it retains the name of Round Head. It is on the outer part of the 

 peninsula of Porte à Porte, at the base of the Long Point and about 13 miles east by north 

 from Cape St. George. Allowing 22J'- west variation, which is the figure given by Cooke 

 for this place (1747), it would be exactly west-southwest from Bear Head. This Round 

 Head- was sure not to escape the observant eye of Cartier. In the "Sailing Directions" it 

 is called " a remarkably high hillock." Cartier gives another token. " To the iiorth of it," 

 he says, "about half a league, there is a low island" [une isle basse). This is Isle Rouge, 

 or Red Island, of to-day. Cartier makes three statements concerning this island, which 

 have caused some difficulty. They appeared at first incorrect, l)ut a careful study of the 

 narrative enables us to reconcile the apparent discrepancies. He sa\-s : 



(a) It is a low island. 



(6) It is to the north of Cape de Latte (Round H'd). 



(c) About half a league from it. 



Red Island can not be correctly called a low island: it is a very remarkable looking 

 obiect. It is composed of a coarse conglomerate rock of a bright red colour. It rises almost 

 perpendicularly on all sides to a height of about 150 feet. It is Hat on top and may be des- 

 cribed as a truncated cone. It is one of the chief fishing establishments of the French. 

 There is a. small tongue of beach at the landward side, where the fishermen haul up their 

 boats. The ascent from this to the top of the island is made liy a kind of stair-like ladder. 

 At the top of the plateau is a very fine fishing establishment. Tlie flat surface of the island 

 would from a distai)ce give it the appearance of a low island, as its characteristics are 

 entirely difterent from the high rounded and beetling Colomljiers. 



It is situated about half a league from the main land, truly, but not to the north of 

 Round Head as Cartier thought, but to the west-southwest of it and about six or seven 

 miles nearer to Cape St. George, than Round Head or Cape Delatte. In order to reconcile 

 these discrepancies it will be necessary to study carefully Cartier's whereabouts. The 

 accompanying map will help to make clear my observations. 



On Thursday, June 18th, Cartier waited for some time off Cape Royal for his companion 

 ship. He does not say how long, but he says that while waiting they took more than a 

 hvmdred fish in less than an hour. Then he says, " On the following day the 18th of the 

 month the wind was contrary, and we returned to Cape Royal to try to find a harbour." I 

 think there is a mistake in the date here, and it should be the 19th instead of the 18th. 



On the 16th they saw Cape Poinctu (Cow Head), on the 17th they had a storm and 

 fog and drifted to the southwest. On Thursday morning the 18th they were off Bay of 

 Islands. Then he describes Cap Royal and Cap Delatte, and then says : " On the following 

 day the 18th" {le lendemain, XVIIl) it may possibly be only one ot Cartier's usual retrogres- 

 sions. He has a habit of returning to a certain date and a certain point of the journey with- 

 out any warning, and this is the key to a great many obscure points in the narrative. In 



' See map (Illustration No. 2.) 



