TO ESQUIMAUX POINT 



Islands, which " had the shape of horses, spend- 

 ing the night on land and the day in the sea." 

 Lescarbot, writing in 1609, says these fishes 

 were " hippopotami." These explorers were 

 not romancing, but doubtless referred to wal- 

 ruses, which in those days occurred even in this 

 southern region. 



There are many interesting names connected 

 with the early history of Labrador. The Cabots, 

 John and his son Sebastian, take of course 

 first place in 1498, and the Portuguese, Caspar 

 Corte-Real is a close second in 1500. In later 

 days two names that are not usually connected 

 with Labrador appear. Louis Jolliet, the dis- 

 coverer of the Mississippi, was an explorer of 

 the Labrador coast in the latter part of the 

 1 7th century, and he died there about 1700. 

 He married one of the daughters of Sieur Bissot 

 de la Riviere, and became involved in the end- 

 less disputes about the seignory of Mingan. 

 A still more unexpected name to stumble upon 

 in Labrador annals is that of the renowned cir- 

 cumnavigator, Captain Cook. In 1759, four 

 years after entering the navy, he was engaged 

 in making a chart of the St. Lawrence, and in 

 1764 he received a commission as marine sur- 



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