124 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



clitt'8. Passing the east point of Goat Island and running the course 

 mentioned, west northwest, and making allowance for the leeway which 

 they must necessarily have made in such a blow from the south, they 

 would have struck the shore about half a mile to the east of where has 

 since stood the Grand Battery. 



Here the nature of the ground agrees with the idea of this being the 

 scene of the wreck of the " Delight." The coast is generally rocky, but 

 here the shore is low, and in front of it the bottom is clayey, graduating 

 into softer mud farther out. Now, the narrative makes no mention of 

 rocks. On the contrary, it describes the " Delight " as having " stroke 

 aground,'' implying that instead of being dashed against the rocks she 

 was stuck in the mud, and as he says, "the sterne and hinde partes were 

 beaten to peeces." One cannot but notice how exactly this agrees with 

 the manner in which the vessel carrying the Apostle Paul to Eome was 

 wrecked at Malta : *' They ran the ship aground and the forepart stuck 

 fast and remained immoveable, but the hinder part was broken by the 

 violence of the waves." Mr. Smith, in his monograph on that voyage,' 

 shows that this could only have taken place with such a bottom as he 

 found at St. Paul's Bay, Malta, — mud graduating into stiff clay, similar 

 to what is found at this part of Louisbourg Harbour. And the results 

 were the same. While " the sterne and hinde partes were beaten to 

 peeces " the forepart remained embedded in the sand. That it continued 

 entire for a time is evident from the fact that when last seen the captain 

 stood firm on the highest part of the deck calmly facing death. 



Then the narrative of the smaller vessels getting out to sea agrees 

 with the view that this was the scene of the shipwreck. As their course 

 inward was west northwest, their course out being north northeast, 

 would if nothing else intervened, have brought them back upon their 

 track and so upon the shoals near Goat Island. But, as I have said, in 

 going in they must have made leeway, and in putting about they must 

 have fallen off. Then, if the Avind continued as it had been, south by 

 east a course cast southeast would bo sailing pretty close on the wind» 

 as a sailor would say, within five points, and as the wind Avas high they 

 must have made more leeway in going out than in entering. They 

 would thus be brought nearer to the opposite side of the entrance, or 

 near to Light House Point, and thus in shallow water, where, before 

 getting to sea, they found only three fathoms of water under them. 

 This would agree with the idea that the point I have indicated on the 

 western side of the harbour was the scene of the wreck of the " Delight." 



Lastly, while all the circumstances agree with the view that Louis- 

 bourg was the scene of the wreck, there is no other harbour on this part 

 of the coast of which this can be affirmed at least to the same degree. 

 Gabarus Bay to the west is capacious enough, and it has plenty of deep 

 1 " Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul," by Smith, of Jordan Hill. 



