1186 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Macgregor, in his "Progress of America," published in 1847, thus 

 speaks of occurrences at Crow Harbor and Fox Island, two of the 

 favorite resorts of mackerel in Nova Scotia. "These places," he 

 remarks, "while the fishing season lasts, are generally the scenes of the 

 most lawless disorder and licentiousness, occasioned by the violence of 

 the fishermen contending for the best places to haul the seines ashore; 

 the pillaging of the fish; the selling and drinking of rum; the smuggling 

 of goods by the Americans; and often from the mere spirit of spoliation 

 and mischief. A ship-of-war has been occasionally sent round from 

 Halifax to preserve some sort of order among the multitudes of men, 

 boats, and schooners that resort to these harbors," &c., &c. 



Statistics of the Nova Scotia cod, mackerel, and herring fisheries mackerel exported included 

 with pickled fish exported until 1845. 



* Estimated. 



t From Halifax. 



The number of nets and seines in 1851, by the official return, from which the statistics of that year are 

 derived, was 30,154. The population of Nova Scotia in 1851 was 266,117. 



FISHERIES OF THE ISLAND OF CAPE BRETON. 



The extraordinary value placed upon this island by the French, and 

 by the people of New England, as well as the expenditures and exer- 

 tions of both the one to fortify and retain possession of it, the other 

 to capture it have been considered in the first part of this report. 

 We may here, without repeating anything there stated, give a view of 

 the whole subject by an extract from the "proposals" of Robert 

 Auchmuty, of Boston, to the British ministry while in London, in 

 1744, the year previous to the expedition against Louisbourg under 

 Pepperell. 



Auchmuty, it will be remembered, was a distinguished lawyer and 

 judge of the vice admiralty court for Massachusetts and New Hamp- 

 shire. The communication in question is headed "The Importance of 

 Cape Breton to the British Nation," and commences with the follow- 

 ing remarkable declaration: "This island, situated between New- 

 foundland and Nova Scotia, the English exchanged with the French 



