126 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



some extraordinary happenings at Baldoon between the years 1829 

 and 1831, causing wide-spread commotion in the neighbourhood, 

 the flame of which was carried to other parts of Canada and to the 

 United States, and brought many curious visitors to Baldoon. 



Legends Unite in Troyer. 



The interest of the story, as far as this paper is concerned, is in 

 its connection with Doctor Troyer, the famous witch-doctor of Long 

 Point. The various incidents of the Baldoon narratives, coupled 

 with the story of Ramsay's buried treasure, bring to our notice an 

 extraordinary combination of the folk-lore of various parts of western 

 Europe, a combination quite natural, when we consider the hetero- 

 geneous origin of the various settlements along Lake Erie — German, 

 Dutch, French and British. Teuton and Celt have contributed each 

 his share to the stories. The celestial hosts and battles in the air are 

 known to many countries. Pliny refers to them. Milton celebrates 

 them. The legends of the Chasse Galerie, the Hunting of Arthur, 

 the "Wilde Jager," all deal with them. The black dog, the divining 

 rod, the mysterious fires, the divining hat, the witch-stone, the 

 mysterious movements of stones and bullets, the gray goose with 

 broken wing, the conjuring with book and candle at midnight, there 

 is perhaps not an original feature in the narratives. The important 

 fact is that they are all brought practically into one story through the 

 connection with Dr. Troyer. 



