73 



eighty baiTcls of fat mackerel, after being absent only one week. The 

 fish were taken, however, in two days, the weather interfering with 

 operations during the remaining part of the time. 



The ex})orts of Prince Edward Island arc not large, and often merely 

 nomin;d; the catch of the various kinds of lish hardly exceeding the 

 demand for domestic consumption.* 



During the season lor fishing our vessels frequent the coasts in fleets ; 

 and as many as six or seven hundred have been seen in the vicinity of 

 the island in a single year. 



Captain Fair, of the ro^^al navy, in command of her Majesty's 

 ship the Champion, who was upon the station in 1839, pass(^d the 

 number here stated, and bears honorable testimony to their good con- 

 duct. 



The feelings of the Inhabitants towards our countrymen may be 

 ascertained from the following resolution, which is understood to have 

 passed the House of Assembly unanimously during the session of 1852: 



'■'■ llisolved, That a committee be appointed to prepare an address to 

 her Majesty the Queen, praying that she will cause to be removed the 

 restrictions of the treaty of 1818, prohibiting American citizens from 

 fishing within certain prescribed limits on the shores of the island; 

 provided the American government admit articles the growth or pro- 

 duction of this island into the United States duty free, in accordance 

 with the act 12 Vic, cap. 3, including fish ; also, vessels built on this 

 island to American registry ; and that the legislative council be re- 

 quested to join in the said address." 



FISHERIES OF THE MAGDALENE ISLANDS. 



The Magdalene Islands fisheries are of consequence. These islands, 

 seven in number, are in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and about forty 

 miles northwesterly of Cape Breton. They originally Ixdonged to the 

 French, and were first granted, I suppose, in 1GG3, to the Sieur Dou- 

 blett and his associates, as a fishing statit)n, under the feudal tenure, as 

 a fief of the royal company of Miscou. After they became possessions 

 of the British crown they were granted to Richard Gridley, of Massa- 

 chusetts, who served under Pepperell at the siege of Louisbourg, who, 

 in 177o, laid out the works on Bunker's Hill, and who was retained by 

 Washington as chief of the engineer d('])artment of the continental 

 army.t 



The Magdalene islands are thinly hihal)ited, at the present time, by 

 fishermen, many of whom are the lineal descendants of the Acadians, 

 who made the first j)erman(nt settlement in North America, under De 

 Monts, the original Frencii grantee of Acadia, or iVova Scotia. The 



* Thfi valiu) of thft products of tho sea exported in 1^51, was only $;]8,77(); while of tlio sin 

 gle nKriciillnriil article ot 'potHtocs, tlie viiliic whs .f; l7,r)()H. 



t Wlu'tht-r Colonel (iridiey retained tln^ ownersiiip of these islands until the Kevolution, and 

 lost theui in eoii«e<|ueiic(! of the part ho took in that event, is unknown to nie. IJut the ilng- 

 dulenes were a second tinu; {rranled by the JJrilihh crown, 'i'he last {;rante(> was the late 

 Admiral Sir Isaac (.'oHin. who, at jiis d<>cease, is understood to have iiei(ueathed iheni to 

 Captain .lolin 'I'ownsend Collin, of the royal navy, to he held i)y liiui and hs heirs male, in 

 strict entail. Captain (.'olfm leased these islands (or the term of his life, it is believed, in the 

 spring of 1852, to licnjumiu Wier, of Halifax, and John Foutaua, a resident at tlio ilagdalcnes. 



