ACROSS NEWFOUNDLAND 197 



Lake, and so on to Noel Paul's Brook, and down the Exploits 

 to civilisation. It was this route that I meant to take ; but 

 after reaching Mount Cormack, the centre of Newfoundland, 

 I found the character of the country so uninteresting, the 

 prospects of stag-hunting so poor, and the fact that the 

 route had already been mapped by Howley, that I retreated 

 a short distance and turned east over the unknown country 

 at the headwaters of the Gander, and so worked on to my old 

 hunting grounds and the east coast. 



It is impossible to refer to travel in Central Newfoundland 

 without mentioning the journey performed by W. E. Cormack 

 in 1822. As the exploit of Cormack is but little known 

 outside the knowledge of a few well-read Newfoundlanders, I 

 may briefly narrate his experience. 



W. E. Cormack was born at St. John's in 1796; he spent 

 his school days in Scotland, and studied at Edinburgh and 

 Glasgow Universities. Between the years 18 19 and 1834 he 

 added greatly to our knowledge of the flora of North America, 

 being a good naturalist and a lover of nature. He also wrote 

 papers on fish and fisheries. 



In 1836 he went to Australia, and cultivated tobacco 

 with success for two years ; then to New Zealand, where 

 he turned farmer. After this his restless spirit took him 

 to California, where he engaged in mercantile and mining 

 pursuits. After this he moved north, and established the 

 Agricultural Society of British Columbia. A great lover of 

 field sports, he numbered amongst his friends and corre- 

 spondents such scientific and literary men as Sir W. Hooker 

 and Professor Faraday. Though fond of writing, he left no 

 literary works. He died at Victoria, British Columbia, in 

 August 1 87 1. 



There is a great deal of truth in Cormack's sarcastic 



