[ganong] additions TO MONOGRAPHS 141 



Historic Sites. 



326. A valued correspondent, Mr. I. T. Hetherington of Jenkins, Queens Coun- 

 ty, writes me an account of a reputed "Old French" road between Ana- 

 gance and Cumberland Bay via Riders Brook. His account of it is 

 as follows; " Tradition and signs or marks establish the fact that th? 

 French had a well-defined road from the mouth of Anagance to the 

 bend in Foleys [Riders] Brook and thence down the brook to its 

 mouth. I remember well hearing the late John Rider when he was 

 about 70 and I was 17, which would be about 51 years ago, say that 

 when he was a young man it was no trouble to follow it the whol2 

 distance and that it had to all appearance been considerably travelled, 

 as the remains of a lodging house was plain near the mouth of the 



brook about 8 or 10 miles from its mouth About 15 years ago 



I was coming down Foley Brook I found a stone chimney 0£ 



large dimensions so large at that time a pine log was growing right up 



out of the chimney I have also heard that the French had a 



continuation of said road up Flat Rock Brook [a small stream below 

 Riders Brook on North Side not marked on any map], to the head 

 of Wasson Brook which empties into Cumberland Bay about one mile 

 from the head of the bay. And it used to be supposed that that route 

 from Anagance to Cumberland Bay formed the shortest route from 

 Petitcodiac River to Fredericton, or possibly the fort at Jemseg. " 



No part of such a road appears to be now in use, but I have no 

 doubt that it existed as described by Mr. Hetherington. But the ut- 

 ter lack of any reference to it in any document of the French period, 

 and the inherent improbability that so long a road would have been 

 cut at that time, when the Washademoac-Petitcodiac portage was 

 in use, makes it seem likely it had another origin. And that origin 

 I think is probably to be found in some connection with the attempts 

 of the New Englanders against Fort Cumberland in 1776. As is well- 

 known, and fully set forth in Kidder's "Military Operations," and in 

 the " Memoir of Col. Johathan Eddy, " a force of men from Machias 

 joined by a few New Englanders and Indians from the Si. John, 

 under command of Colonel Eudy, went to capture Fort Cumberland 

 in October, 1776. Tliey went from the St. John to the vicinity of the 

 fort in whale boats, but met with defeat which compelled them to 

 return. Their route back to the St. John is not known, but as the Bay 

 of Fundy was in possession of the enemy they probably came back 

 by land. Having Indians with them it is possible they came by the 

 route of this road, but of course would not then have cut out 

 a road for so small a force. That winter, however. Colonel Eddy 

 spent on the St. John planning another and stronger expedition 

 against Fort Cumberland in the spring, an expedition which must 

 necessarily have gone by land, the Bay of Fundy being in possession 

 of the British. I think it extremely probable that the road was 

 cut out during the winter as part of the plan to move a force against 

 the fort in the spring, a design never executed. 



Another early road, to the origin of which I have no clue is thus 

 described by another correspondent, Mr. S. H. T. Sherwood of Poo- 

 diac, icings County; — "A short distance to the north [of Poodiacj 

 a high ridge running N. E. and S. W. is traversed by an old military 



