406 PRINCK EDWARD ISLAND 



PRINCETON 



areaof 'Jl.TlHq.m. i.e. alxmt I, .W>,400 acre*, nearly 

 all of which an- occupied. Population in 1891 

 numbered 109.UHS, or .'! persons to the square 

 mile. AJthMgb discovered by tin- I'aUitr-, no 

 claim waa made to it liy tin- Uiiti-li on that 

 account. Possession wan assumed by tin 1 French, 

 but little wan ilone toward* it- settlement until 

 1715, when it- fertility attracted some Acadian* 

 from Cape Breton. It wan finally ceiled to (treat 

 Britain in 1763. In the first instance it formed 

 part of Nova Scotia, hut in 1768 wan made a 

 separate province. The poj>. in 1763 was 4000; 

 but about that time an emigration set in to the 

 mainland, and the Acadians were expelled, so 

 that in 1768 it had been reduced to about 1300 

 (Me ACADIA). Until 1799 it was railed St John's 

 Island, but its name was then changed to Prince 

 Edward Island, in compliment to the Duke of 

 Kent, who paid it a visit in that year. Prior to 

 1875 most of the land was the property of alisentee 

 proprietors, and for many years the land question 

 WM a source of difficulty. The local government, 

 however, passed a measure in 1875 giving them 

 powers to buy out the landlord*, and to sell the 

 land to the tenant* or others on easy terms of 

 repayment. Out of the 843,981 acres acquired by 

 the government in that way, all but 97,162 acres 

 had lieen disposed of up to 1889 ; and the payments 

 are !>eing met in a satisfactory manner, the arrears 

 being very trilling. By this legislation a fruitful 

 source of irritation was removed, and the agricul- 

 tural industry the principal one in the province 

 placed on a more satisfactory footing. 



Seen from the water, the appearance of the island is 

 exceedingly pnpOMHtng The surface is undulat- 

 ing, but never exceeds 500 feet ; the soil is very fer- 

 tile, consisting generally of alight reddish loam, and 

 occasionally of a stiller clay, resting in some places 

 on red sandstone, although in other localities it 

 seems to be entirely alluvial. All kinds of cereals, 

 roots, and vegetables are raised. Oats and potatoes 

 from the island enjoy a special reputation, and the 

 name thing may tie said of it* sheep and horses. 

 A natural manure, called mussel mini, and made of 

 decayed oyster, clam, nnd mussel shells, is found 

 on the coasts of the island. It in largely used 

 by the farmers, and is said to be a most valuable 

 fertiliser. Although coal is known to exist, it is 

 not worked, owing to the depth at which it is 

 found and the cheapness at which it can lie pur- 

 chased from Nova Scotia. There are apparently 

 no other minerals on the island. The climate is 

 healthy, l-ing milder than that of the mainland, 

 and freer from fogs. Winter is long and tedious, 

 but the summer months are pleasant and enjoy- 

 able. Prince Edward Island is without doubt the 

 best fishing station in the (Sulf of St Lawrence, 

 but the lialiits and feeling* of the inhabitants are 

 so decidedly agricultural that the fisheries have not 

 received from them the attention they deserve. 

 They consist chiefly of mackerel, lobsters, herring, 

 '!, hake, and oysters; while salmon, liass, shad, 

 Intliliut, and trout are caught in limited quantities. 

 In the year 1889 the value of the fisheries was 

 886,430; the catch included 13,450 liarrels ami 

 99,270 cans of mackerel. 33,040 barrels of herring, 

 21,190 cwt. of cod, IMHXNI Hi. of haddock, 748 cwt. 

 of hake, 37*) Ib. of halibut, 56,820 Ib. of trout, 

 364,100 Ib. of smelts, is, uo Itarrels of eels, 4l,-.':t7 

 barrels of oysters, 2,000,047 11>. of lolwters, 13,647 

 Ib. of cod and hake sounds, and 13,852 gallons of 

 fish oils. The prcwnt annual value of the oyster- 

 fishery exceed* $120,000; and this industry is 

 capable of vast development. Lobst<*rs in 1889 were 

 exported to the extent of 918,200 Ib., of the value 

 of $102,883. 



The coast-line is a succession of bays and pro- 

 jecting headlands ; the largest bay* are Egmont, 



Hillstiorough, and Cardigan, which by penetrating 

 into the Ian. I from opposite directions' form narrow 

 isthmuses, dividing the island into three distinct 

 peninsulas. Chanottetown is the capital, and 

 nas a pop. of 13,000. Other principal towns are 

 Siimmerside (3000), Georgetown, ann Souris. The 

 rivers are naturally short, but the province is 

 well watered. Manufactures are not carried on 

 to any large extent, and chiefly for local pur- 

 poses. Shipbuilding was an important industry 

 previous to the substitution of iron and steel for 

 wooden vessels. 



The exports for 1800 were valued at $875,964, 

 divided as follows : Produce of the mine, $20 ; 

 forest, $7575; fisheries, $187,743; agriculture. 

 $604, 638 ; manufactures, $14,871 ; and miscellane- 

 ous, $1117. Imports were valued at $581,177. 

 There is a railway, built and worked by the 

 Dominion government, running from one end of 

 the island to the other. The island is connected 

 by telegraph with the mainland, and there is daily 

 steam communication between the two, although 

 it is occasionally interrupted during the winter. 

 In 1891 the people were urging the construction of 

 a tunnel under the Northumlterland Strait, for the 

 purpose of establishing communication with the 

 mainland all the year round. The Dominion 

 government directed an estimate of the cost to he 

 prepared. The tunnel would be some 7 miles long. 

 According to the census of 1891, the settlers were 

 largely of English, Irish, ami Scotch descent, and 

 French, Ceimans, and Scandinavians. The prin- 

 cipal religions denominations were : Roman Catho- 

 lics, 47,837: I'resbvterians, 33,072; Methodist*, 

 13,590; Church of England, 6646. The liishop of 

 Nova Scotia exercises episco|>al authority over the 

 island, and the Roman Catholics have one diocese, 

 that of Charlottetown. Free education box (ire- 

 vailed since 1853. In 1S89 the district schools 

 niiniliereil about 436. There are also grammar- 

 schools, private schools, a normal and a model 

 school, and two colleges the Prince of Wales 

 (Protestant) and St Dunstan's (Roman Catholic). 

 The government of the island is administered by 

 a lieutenant-governor, appointed by the governor- 

 in-council, and paid out of federal funds. The 

 legislative council consists of thirteen member.-, 

 and the assembly of thirty mem tiers, the latter 

 being elected for four years. In the Dominion 

 senate the province is represented by four members, 

 and in the House of Commons by six. 



Princeltes. a name given to the AgapemonA 

 ( q. v. ) from the founder. 



Prince or Wales. See WALES (PRINCE OF). 

 Prince of Wales Island. See PENANO. 

 Prince Kupert's Drops. See ANNEALING. 



Princes Islands (anc. l>emonne*oi), a beauti- 

 ful group of nine islets near the eastern end of the 

 Sea of Marmora, alnmt 10 miles SE. of Con- 

 stantinople, the largest being called Prinkipo. 

 They are a favourite summer- resort of the Con- 

 stantinople Greeks, and in old times were fre- 

 quently a place of exile for those in disfavour at 

 the Hv/antine court. See Srldniiilicrger, Let lies 

 cte PrilteM (1884); S. S. Cox, The hies of the 

 1'rinrr.t i New York, ISS8). 



Prince's Metal, a name, derived from Prince 

 Rupert, given to an alloy of copper and zinc, in 

 which the proportion of zinc is greater than in 

 brass. 



Princeton, (1) capital of Gibson county, 

 Indiana, 161 miles by rail E. of St Louis. It has 

 manufactures of woollens. Hour. Ac., and is in an 

 agricultural region I',, p. (I'MMI) (Km. (2) A 

 iMirougli ot New.ler-ey, .JO miles by rail S\V. of New 

 York. Pop. IIIHHI) 3S1W. On January 3, 1777, it 



