166 BISHOP HOWLEY ON 



them to the west cape of Amherst Island. The next day (Sunday, 28th) they still coasted 

 along some ten leagues till they came to a red cape, rough {rogné), not rounded as Professor 

 Ganong says. The learned professor makes this cape Entry Island. I regret that here and 

 in what follows concerning the Magdalens I am obliged to differ from him. It is quite out 

 of the question to suppose that Cartier would speak of this island, which is altogether 

 isolated some ten miles from the land, as a cape. Besides, as will be seen, such a supposition 

 requii-es a straining of all the other points of the description. This Red Cape of Cartier is 

 the Red Cape of to-day; the southernmost point of Grindstone Island, and the northern- 

 most point of Pleasant Bay. This cape, Cartier says, he called St. Peter, because he 

 discovered it on the feast of that saint — that is the 29th of June. Ile must, therefore, 

 have discovered it early in the morning of that day. During the night, it is most probable 

 he lay-to ; or perhaps anchored inside Sandy Hook or in Amherst Harbour (Havre Aubert), 

 and early in the morning crossed Pleasant Bay to Red Cape. At all events there can be no 

 doubt that the Cape St. Pierre is Red Cape. There is a cove which opens to the north with 

 lowland, there is a sillon and a -perroy (a sand-bank like a drill of land thrown up by a plough 

 — a water-wing or dyke, perré)^ between the sea and a pond. This is the Étang de Xord of 

 the present day. It is remarkable that the places have retained the very names given by 

 Cartier. He then tells that about four leagues from this iirst cape (St. Pierre or Red Cape) 

 there is another cape. He unfortunately does not mention the direction, but what follows 

 enables us to verify it. It is Cape Allright, the southernmost point of Allright Island. 

 The distance from Red Cape to Cape Allright is given by Bayfield as five miles, but he is 

 considering it as a straight line, across House Harbour, whereas Cartier is coasting all around 

 close to shore. This course would give about ten miles which is near enough to Cartier's 

 four leagues. But what fixes the position is that " At five leagues to the S. "W. of this cape 

 there is an island high and pointed which he called AUezay." This is Entry Island, and the 

 position is very nearly correct. Bat according to the variation of the present day, it is about 

 S. S. W. Professor Ganong makes AUezay, Deadman's Island, and this second cape, Red 

 Cape ; but the direction from Red Cape to Deadman's Island is not S. W. but W. by north. 

 In fact, Deadman's Island is not anyway southerly froin any cape in the group, while the 

 Island of Entry admirably corresponds to Cartier's descriptions of " high and pointed." 

 Bayfield tells- us it is " the highest of the Magdalen group, its summit being 580 feet above 

 sea level." S. G. W. Benjamin in the " Cruise of the Alice May," describes it as " In pro- 

 portion to its size as mountainous as Madeira. Abrupt and magnificently shaped clift's, 

 beautifully tinted red and In-own * # 4^ which at the eastern end are over 400 feet high : 

 a most beautifully undulating plateau * * * rises first gradually then rapidly into a 

 central range, terminating in twin peaks, the loftiest of which is * * * about 600 feet 

 high." It is quite impossible to think that Cartier should not have noticed this island ; and 

 if AUezay be not it, then he did not notice it. As to Deadman's Island, it will be seen that it 

 was coming on night, if not after dark when he passed it on the 27th of June, and on leav- 

 ing the Magdalens he took a west course towards the shores of Prince Edward Island ; so 

 he may have passed out of sight of Deadman's Island. It would have been some 20 or 30 

 mUes away at least. When he speaks of the land being in the form of a semicircle " all ranged 

 with sand Uke a breastwork {fossé) with marshes and ponds above, or inside," he is not 



' Or perhaps perron, an abutment wall. 



