[ganong] additions TO MONOGRAPHS 7 



F lace-nomenclature. 



these explanations were given in jest, and are so repeated by tlie more 

 intelligent residents, bnt by others they are half, and by many wholly, 

 believed. Man has some little desire for explanations of odd things^ 

 but only to such an extent that any plausible explanation is sufficient 

 It is but rarely that the desire is strong enough to seek not only an 

 explanation but proof of its correctness, a psychological peculiarit3f 

 by no means confined to matters of place-nomenclature. 



A very interesting caae of the origination of a place-name, all stages 

 of which have fallen within my own knowledge is De Monts, on the St. 

 Croix, as recorded in these Transactions, Ylli, 1902, ii, 145. 



186. In the investigation of the origin of place-names one must 

 be constantly on guard against deceptive coincidences, the more 

 especially as it is through coincidences only that many origins are 

 elucidated. Several misleading coincidences occur in Xew Brunswick, 

 and the student, did he not know from other evidence the true origin, 

 would naturally be led to a wrong conclusion. Thus on the Tobique 

 is an important mountain called Blue Mountain,, and just below it 

 li\es a family named Blue: did we not know that the former name was 

 given long before the settlement of the river (it is on a map of 1830), 

 we would infer that the mountain took its name from this family of 

 near-by residents. Again, there is in Queens County (the south-western 

 corner) a Queen's Brook, which we would infer was named from the 

 country; but we know that it is named from one Queen or Quinn 

 through whose land it runs. Again, Hampstead is known to have 

 been named by Loyalists for Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y. ; opposite 

 is a Long Island which has been supposed to have been so named for 

 Long Island, N. Y. ; yet the records show that this island bore that 

 name twenty years before the Eevolution closed. Again, one Burl 

 had a. grant in the parish of Burton in 1785, and we might infer that 

 the parish was named for him, did we not know that it was named 

 much earlier for another man. Again, the leading family which 

 settled Cocagne was named Gueguen, a name having many varients 

 such as 'jrogain, etc. ; the latter f onn comes close to Cocain, one of the 

 variants of Cocagne, and did we not know that Cocagne was given by 

 Denys in 16T2, we would naturally infer that it was derived from 

 this leading family of earliest settlers. Again, in Prince William 

 Parish, settled by the King's American Dragoons, is a LaJce George; 

 it is a natural inference that this name was given in honour of King 

 George III, yet we have perfect evidence that it was named for an early 

 resident. Bonny River, would naturally be taken as a name descriptive 

 of an attractive stream, but we know it is named for a resident. 



