CARTIER'S COURSE. 171 



leagues (forty miles) from one land to the other. Thi.s would be at the entrance to the strait 

 at Cape Memorancy. Finding they could make no headway with the ships, the}' took to 

 the boats and rowed along shore on the south (Anticosti) side. They wished to get to a 

 cape which was about five leagues from them, and which was the last land they could see 

 on that side. This would be High ClifF Point, distant thirteen miles from North Point. 

 The North Point itself Baj^field describes as "low and so little remarkable as to be only 

 noticeable by the change in the coast." The ebb of the tide was such that it forced them 

 along against the wind, and drove their boats on the rocks. After rowing for about two 

 hours the tide turned, and came with such a strong flow from the westward that they were 

 not able, even with thirteen oars, to gain one stone's throw. They were obliged to leave 

 their boats in charge of some of the men, and a body of twelve went forward on foot to the 

 cape, w^here they found the land began to trend off to the southwest. This was the North 

 Point of Anticosti. They then returned to their boats, and thence to the ships, which were 

 under sail trying to gain to windward, but which, in fact, had drifted to leeward more than 

 four leagues. 



A council was now held aboard, and, considering the lateness of the season, the time 

 approaching when the storms begin on the coast of Newfoundland etc., it was decided to 

 return home. 



Before quitting this part of the voyage it is worth while to notice the exactness of 

 Cartier's soundings oil' Cape Memorancy. He says he could not find bottom at 160 fathoms. 

 The chart at this point gives 155 and 166 fathoms. " We sounded " he says, " in many 

 places in the passage and we found in some 160 fathoms (VIII xx brasses, eight twenties) 

 and in others 100 fathoms, and nearer land 75 fathoms, and everywhere smooth bottom " 

 {fond eK7'é),' and speaking of the bottom near the High Cliif Point, he says he found 

 "rocks and a clear bottom " {roches et f oris curJ) such as he had not seen in any of the 

 lands towards the south since leaving Cap St. Jehan (Newfoimdland). The following 

 extract from Bayfield will show how correct these soundings were, and also help to 

 identify Cartier's position : 



" Between them (the Banks on the north shore) and Anticosti there is a deep channel 

 in which, from opposite East Point to abreast of West Clitf, the soundings exceed 100 

 fathoms ; proceeding westwards the depths gradually decrease to 60 fathoms off N. Point 

 (where Cartier found roches) varj-ing from 50 to 70 fathoms with occasional rocky bottom. 

 In all this deep channel, with the simple exception above stated, the bottom is for the most 

 part of blue mud {fond curé) ; and speaking of the particular point where Cartier mentions 

 the rocks on the bottom he says, " this is the only cliff on the island with a talus." That 

 is a sloping heap of broken and detached rocks, fragments of which are often carried far 

 out to sea by ice or currents. On August 5th Cartier put about, and sailed, still ranging 

 the land, east-southeast till he came to a place about 25 leagues from the strait, where 

 the land turned more to the southeast and where he saw smoke ashore. This place 

 (C. Natasquan) he called C. Thiennot, in honour of the Indian chief who lived there and 

 some of whose men came in a quite friendly manner aboard his ship, "just as if they were 

 Frenchmen." They had evidently mixed much with the French fishermen at Blanc Sablon 



' I take this to be a term used in opposition to Taygnay, rough; it is from an old French verb t-urer to 

 cleanse or dredge applied to the bottom of a well, canal, etc. 



