[s. B. DAWSON] 



THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 



247 



(See pp. 247, 257.) Here are bold capes, a craggy cape of red land, and five 

 leagues from one of the capes is Alezai, " a high and pointed island." 

 The Admiralty Sailing Directions describe Deadman island as such a high 

 and pointed island. " It is about 170 feet high, with steeply sloping sides 

 " meeting at Ihe summit like a prism, so that when seen end on it re- 

 " semblés a pyramid." ^-^ Of this island a drawing is given on the Ad- 

 miralty chart, and it is stated underneath to be 13 miles distant from 

 Grindstone island, and in order to press this upon the attention of the 

 reader [ give below a photographic reproduction of this drawing. The 

 island Alezay (Alezai) is a very important jjoint in the controversy. 



Deadman Island. Grindstone Ishiud. 13 miles. 



Fig. 24.— Deadman's Island. 



Here, then, Cartier found a sandy island containing pools and lagoona 

 and marked by bold capes. It lay N.E. and S.W. ; near to the northeast 

 point were three islands — Isles de Margaulx and Ille de Brion — and near 

 the S.W. point was Alezai, It is of no avail to object that Alezay is a 

 small island — so are the Bird Eocks (Isles des Margaulx). I give (tig. 

 25) a reproduction of the drawing on the Admiralty chart. The scale 



iMIi^^ffiiaiii 



Great Bird. li mile. 



Fig. 25.— The Bird Islands. 



is the same. We shall tind the large central island so unmistakably 

 identitied by its unique physical characteristics, always on the maps, 

 and no matter what its shape may be its axis is alwaj^s N.E. and S.W., 

 and its attendant islands stamp its name beyond mistake. On his 

 second voj-age Cartier called it "Les Araynes," and it will be found for 100 

 yeai*s under names, in whatever language written, conveying the same 

 idea of sands. In French, Isle d'Arènes ; in Portuguese, corrupted or 

 translated into Isle Dorean, or Ille de Sablo3S. This group of islands lies 

 in the fairway from Cabot strait, and, excepting in thick weather, some 

 of them must be seen from the deck of every vessel going to the River 

 St. Lawrence. 



Leaving this group of islands Cartier sailed for a da}- and a night, 

 when he discovered a land which at first he thought was two islands, but 

 afterwards found to be a low and plain land, " the fairest that may pos- 

 " sibly be scene full of goodly meadows and trees." He could find no 

 harbour, "because it is full of shelves and sands." He described the 

 country as very fair and sweet-smelling, with pines and cedars and ash, 

 and many other trees. There were many birds, and, in Cartier's own 

 language, "there wanteth nothing but good harboroughs." So it is with 

 the north shore of Prince Edward Island to this day. Cartier had to land 

 in boats, and he named along that shore Cap d'Orleans, llipuaire des 



