666 GEOGRAPHICAL DATA. 



tages of the settlers, who, in this locality, are chiefly of French de- 

 scent. 



Black Duck brook. The village of Black Duck brook, nearly a 

 mile northeastward of Shoal cove and ty miles from Clam Bank 

 cove, is principally situated on the shores of a sandy bight, where 

 a sharp bend of the coast line in an easterly direction narrows the 

 tongue, forming Long point, to about 600 yards. 



The inhabitants, principally fishermen, are also owners of several 

 head of cattle and sheep, for which they find pasture in the neigh- 

 borhood. A lobster factory near the eastern end of the village is 

 worked during the summer by a party of fishermen. There is a good 

 road to Port au Port. 



Port au Port [Lat. 48 40' 00" N., Long. 58 46' 30" W] is the 

 extensive area southward of a line joining Long point with Bluff 

 head, the latter being a conspicuous cliffy headland of the mainland, 

 bearing 98, distant 5 miles from the point. The southwestern part 

 of this area is divided by a projection terminating northward in 

 Shoal point, into East and West bays, both of which are extensive. 



The shores of this inlet are very sparsely populated, and the major 

 portion of the inhabitants are settled on the southern shore of East 

 bay and on Shoal point. 



The eastern shore has a few settlers, and Long Point tongue, be- 

 sides a few permanent residents, is visited in summer by fishermen. 



Codfish are caught in large numbers about the bar and on the 

 banks outside, and lobsters abound near Long point, as well as around 

 the rocky coasts of Fox island and its vicinity. There are two fac- 

 tories for tinning lobsters at the Gravels, at the head of East bay, 

 and one at Fox island, while there are ruins of others at Long point 

 and Broad cove. 



Ice. Port au Port generally freezes early in January and the ice 

 breaks up toward the end of April; during the winters of 18841886 

 the bay did not freeze, but this had not happened before for fifty 

 years. Field ice never enters the port to a great extent, and under 

 no conditions inside Fox island. 



French bank lies southeastward about mile from Long point; 

 within the 5-fathom contour line it is nearly circular, and about ^ 

 mile in diameter. The depths over it are generally from 4 to 5 fath- 

 oms, but there are two small heads on which the least water is 22 feet. 

 One of these is near the middle of the bank, and the other near the 

 southern end. There is a good passage, carrying 9 fathoms water, 

 between this bank and the shore to the westward. 



American bank is situated near the middle of the outer part of 

 Port au Port, its northern end being separated from French bank by 

 a channel 1,400 yards wide, with depths of 7 to 9 fathoms in it. 



Within the depth of 5 fathoms the bank is 3| miles long in a north- 

 erly and southerly direction and 1 miles wide at its widest part, 

 which is nearly 2 miles from the southern end. The general depth on 

 the bank is 2 to 5 fathoms, rock, stones, and sand bottom, but there 

 are the following patches on it. 



West bay. The shore from Rocky point, low and of sand and 

 shingle, turns southward and southeastward for about 5 miles to 

 South head of West bay, a rocky spur which divides the head of West 

 bay into two parts. 



