38 The Lower St. Lawrence. 



resemble a large ship under full sail, — a veritable phantom 

 ship ; hundreds have been deceived by the optical illusion. 

 This well-known land-mark has, however, recently disap- 

 peared and toppled over from its base ; yet a strange 

 configuration of rock still exists near the shore to which the 

 name of " The Old Man" is given. 



In the distance one discerns the fanciful mass called Perce 

 Rock, containing a natural arch, under which a fishing smack 

 of ordinary dimensions can pass in full sail. It formerly 

 consisted of two arches, the support of one of which however 

 fell in 1846, resolving the two into one. The summit of it 

 is inaccessible, and nothing but the snowy gannet, the black 

 cormorant, or the silvery gull, has ever sought a footing on 

 this lofty rock. Yet a romantic story is told by the fisher- 

 men residing at Perce, about a phantom having been seen 

 during a storm on this rock. It is known as Le Genie de lisle 

 Perce', and the date of its existence runs beyond the memory 

 of man. It is likely that the foundation for this legend can 

 be traced to the vapoury or cloud-like appearance the vast 

 flocks of water fowl assume when seen at a distance wheeling 

 in every fantastic shape through the air, previous to alighting 

 on the summit. The rock is a few miles from Perce, a large 

 fishing village, and one of the chcf-licux of the country. 



Where La Madeleine runs into the Gulf, horizontal layers 

 of limestone, fretted away all around their base, by the action 

 of the tides and waves, assume the most fantastic shapes — 

 here representing ruins of Gothic architecture, there forming 

 hollow caverns into which the surf rolling, produces a moan- 

 ing sound, like an unquiet spirit seeking repose. To this 

 spot is attached a legend that in some awful shipwreck here, 

 a father and mother found a watery grave, but their infant 

 son was washed ashore alive, the sole survivor. His infant 

 waitings, blended with the swelling storm, struck the ears of 

 some belated fishermen, who rescued him. Hence the name 

 "Le Braillard de la Madeleine." The noise is still heard in 



