6 CONTENTMENT OF THE FRENCH. 



sively all along this coast ; but these Ayrshire emigrants 

 appear to be shrewd enough to buy out Johnny Crapaud, 

 when he happens to possess good or easily available and 

 improvable land. And the thoughtlessness and impro 

 vidence of the French give them too many opportunities 

 of doing so. But the inner country, for a considerable 

 distance along this coast, is excellent land. This is said 

 to be fast filling up, and the back concessions are chiefly 

 occupied by the retiring French, who fall back as the 

 intruding Saxons advance. 



With all this, however, the French are the most 

 cheerful people the traveller meets in this country, 

 apparently the most happy, and certainly the most con 

 tented with their crops. This contentment with things 

 as they are is not so beneficial to the commonwealth, and 

 is certainly the cause of their being themselves sup 

 planted and pushed back into the wilderness. But one 

 cannot mix with these people without feeling that this 

 easy contentment may possibly be more productive of 

 positive worldly happiness to them, as individuals, than 

 the restless, discontented, striving, burning energy of 

 their Saxon neighbours. 



We reached Bathurst about six in the evening, having 

 come through with the same horses and found a clean 

 inn and comfortable quarters awaiting us. 



Oct. 13. The town of Bathurst is situated on either 

 side of a harbour, or bay, some six or eight miles in 

 depth, and four or five wide, which is formed by the 

 mouths of three rivers the Tatagouche, the Middle, 

 and the Nepisiguit which fall into it. It is well built, 

 and has quite the air of a town, though its population 

 has never exceeded a thousand. At present, in conse 

 quence of the failure of Mr Cunard s large shipbuilding 

 establishment, it contains only about five hundred inha 

 bitants. The harbour at the town itself is about half a 

 mile wide, and is crossed by a wooden bridge of that 



