64 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVAL SERVICE 
7 GEORGE V, A. 1917 
Confining one’s attention to the channel or deeper parts of the bay, the tide enter- 
ing north of cape Aylesbury sends a small branch southward into Darnley basin. The 
main portion flows west at the southern end of the bar between Royalty point and 
“Fish” island. Three miles west from Aylesbury the tide strikes Horseshoe shoals 
and spreads thence in three directions: (1) northwestward for 4 miles to enter the 
mouth of Bideford river, between Hog island and Bird island on the east and Gilles 
point on the west; (2) the southwestward tide flows 2 miles to “Ram” island shoals 
where it bends south and southeast around Ram island on a 6 mile course into “ March 
water,” and eastward into Shipyard basin, to Malpeque wharf; (3) the central portion 
of the tide on Horseshoe shoals continues westward for 34 miles to North Bunbury 
shoals. Part of it continues on for 5 miles farther, passing north of Charles point to 
reach Grand river. The main portion of the tide, 3 miles wide, turns south between 
Charles point and Bunbury island. Four miles to the south it runs between Beech 
point on the east and Bentinck point on the west, and enters the head of the bay, 
where it ends in three divisions, viz., Bentinck cove on the west, Chichester cove on the 
east, and Webber cove, with Barbara Weit river on the south, 8 miles from North Bun- 
bury shoals. 
Apart from its estuaries, Richmond bay may be conveniently divided into: (1) an 
outer section or Lower bay, lying east of a line drawn from Ram island northward to 
Hog island, but this line should curve westward far enough at its middle, to include all 
of Horseshoe shoals; (2) an inner section or “ Upper bay,” lying south of a line drawn 
due west from Beech point to the cliffs north of Bentinck point; (3) a middle section, 
between the other two, that we may designate as the “ Central portion.” The southern 
half of this section is split into two by Curtain Islands shoals, which extend nearly 4 
miles northwestward from Beech point. Bunbury island, situated near the northern 
extremity of these shoals, marks closely the geographical centre of the bay. We shall 
confine the term “Central bay” to the portion north of Bunbury. The part west of 
the shoals, from its shape may be called the “ quadrangle,” that to the east is “ March 
water.” The Upper bay empties mainly into the “ quadrangle,” but some water flows 
over the shoals into March water, which in turn also partly spills over Ram Island 
shoals into the Lower bay. The “Central bay ” receives the Bideford from the north, 
Grand river from the west, the quadrangle from the south, and March water from the 
southeast, between Bunbury and Ram islands. We shall consider successively the data 
secured from a study of the different localities. Most attention was given Grand 
river and March water; the data from other localities are fragmentary. 
BIDEFORD RIVER. 
This river from the head of navigation to Gilles point is 6 miles long. ‘Trout 
river enters it in the south, and a strait called the narrows, lying between Lennox island 
and the mainland, enters from the north. The lower part of the river is bounded on 
the northeast by Lennox and Bird islands, and it empties into the Central bay in con- 
junction with the waters of a large shallow lagoon that lies east of Lennox and Bird 
islands and west of the sandbar. The southern end of this lagoon is bounded by Hog 
island, near which are oyster beds that owe their existence to the influence of the 
adjacent flats, in warming the ebb tides. 
At the northern end “Of the widest part of the Narrows, on August 6, a few oyster 
fry were found in 20 quarts of water of 1,021 density, 70° F., the largest being ge 
microns! in diameter. 
At head of navigation in Trout river, August 17, during rain, high water was 
1015 at 72° F. Vertical sampling of different parts of the river yielded oyster fry 
of 160 microns to 400 microns, at the rate of one per 15 to 60 feet. 
1 Twenty-five thousand microns equal one inch. Oyster fry are first seen at 60 microns and 
“set” as spat when they are from 320 to 400 microns in diameter. 
