The Lower St. Lawrence, 37 



The mud which lies thickly at the mouth of many of the 

 streams is rich in foraminifera; on the sandy bottom, flat, 

 cake-like shells called the "Dollar-fish" ( Echinarahnius At- 

 lantictis) abound. On the more rocky grounds, are immense 

 numbers of various species of zoophytes and bryozoa. Just 

 off the mouth of Gaspe Basin, on a gravelly bank, every 

 stone is coated with millipores ; and starfish, echini, chitons 

 and sea-anemones, in addition to numerous shells, strew the 

 sand-bars and spits in great profusion. The interior of Gasp6 

 has not yet been explored or surveyed ; we must, therefore, 

 content the reader with a description of such places on the 

 coast as are most picturesque and deserve a passing notice. 



Cap Desespoir, a rugged, bold promontory, lashed by the 

 full sweep of the Atlantic, is perhaps the most dangerous 

 spot on this coast; here it was that in 171 1 eight English 

 transports, with eight hundred and eighty-four officers, 

 soldiers, and seamen, belonging to Admiral Walker s squad- 

 ron, met with an awful fate; and the hull of an old wreck 

 is still pointed out, as having belonged to that ill-fated 

 expedition. It is said that fragments of the vessels were 

 driven by the surf on rocks several feet over the level of the 

 sea, so violent was that storm. The spirits of the departed 

 are said to be still seen by mariners flitting about the shores 

 at dusk ; ignes fatui of the muddy pools. But probably the 

 sea-weed covered rocks, slimy with the confervce of the ocean, 

 and apparently swaying to and fro, from the ebb and flow of 

 the tide moving the weed, together with the frowning preci- 

 pice above, and the solitude and silence, unbroken save by 

 the swell of the ocean, contribute a weird appearance to the 

 scene. The nearest village is St. Michel, some seven or 

 eight miles distant. 



Close to the redoubted reefs of Cap Rosier, before alluded 

 to, formerly stood " Ship Head," or " The Old Woman," 

 as mariners called it — a fantastic boulder surrounded by 

 deep water, and looming out in calm weather so as to 



