ST. JOHN: SABLE ISLAND. 13 



of the plunderers, saying, "Notwithstanding those two Proclama- 

 tions, the low of Money, which is the Root of all Evil, is so deeply root- 

 ed in the Hearts of some Fishermen, that they have sundry Times 

 Stole our Cattle and our Goods, regarding neither the Laws of God 

 or of Man, neither Justice to me, or Humanity to Shipwreck'd Men, 

 which by their Wickedness they endeavor to Starve, and minding 

 neither natural or revealed Religion and their eternal Damnation, 

 nor even their own temporal Interest, which is certainly not to hin- 

 der but to promote the abovesaid Settlement, since it may be their 

 Case one Time or other to be cast away upon the Island Sables, and 

 to want there those Things which they have carried off. " 



In the year 1746, the Due d' Anville, in his expedition against the 

 British colonies, was overtaken by a severe storm near this island and 

 lost a transport and a fire-ship. 



In 1753, Le Mercier published a detailed notice of Sable Island. 1 

 It is really an advertisement, by means of which he hoped to sell the 

 island, so we must understand and discount the very rosy light in 

 which it is portrayed. As the article is of very considerable interest, 

 and as it is not readily available to all readers, it seems worth while 

 to quote it here in its entirety. 



"TO BE SOLD by me the Subscriber 

 "(Andrew Le Mercier, Pastor of the French Church) 



"THE ISLAND Sables. 

 " The Publick hath here a short description of it for nothing. 



" SAID Island is situated at the Distance of about 40 Leagues from 

 Halifax, thirty from Cape Breton, and 50 from Newfoundland; a good 

 Market for the Produce of the Island, Cattle & Roots of all sorts. It 

 is about 28 Miles long, one Mile over, and contains about 10,000 Acres 

 of Land, 500 of which are quite barren, all the rest produces or may 

 bear something. Their are neither River or Brooks or fresh Water, 

 but everywhere even upon the Beach you may come to fresh clear 

 Water by digging about 3 feet, by which means the root of the Grass 

 is always kept cool and alive, so that it cannot be much subject to a 

 Drought, as it was experienced three Years ago. The Climate may 

 be called temperate, for as in Winter the Snow hardly lies above three 



1 Le Mercier, Andrew: The Island Sables. Boston Weekly News Letter, 

 February 8 (1753). 



