194 THE FEENCH BLOOD IN AMERICA 



, to go, few roads having been opened, and those that have 



been opened leading to English towns or villages, which, 

 upon your writing to them, would forthwith send back 

 your people to you. 



High Wages ' ' Houscs of brick and of wood can be built cheaply, as 



it regards the materials, for as to manual labour that is 

 very dear ; a man could scarcely be induced to work for 

 less than twenty-four pence per day and his board. . . , 

 The rivers abound with fish, and we have so much, both 

 of sea and river fish, that no account is made of it. There 

 are pereons here of every trade, and particularly carpen- 

 ters for ship-building. The day after my arrival, I wit- 



ship Building ncsscd the launching of a vessel of three hundred tons, 

 and since then, two others, a little smaller, have been 

 launched. This town carries on an extensive trade with 

 the islands of America and with Spain. To the islands 

 they take meal, salt beef, salt pork, codfish, staves, salt 

 salmon, salt mackerel, onions, and oysters — a great quan- 

 tity of which are caught here — preserved with salt in 

 barrels ; and upon their return they bring sugar, cotton- 

 wood, molasses, indigo and other freight. As for the 

 trade with Spain, they carry thither nothing but dry fish, 

 which can be had here at eight to twelve shillings per 

 quintal, according to the quality. Their return cargo 

 consists of oils, wine, brandy and other merchandise. 

 . . . I came in season to see a prodigious quantity of 

 apples, of which they make cider that is marvellous. A 

 barrel costs only eight shillings, and in the taverns they 

 sell it for twopence per quart, and beer for two- 

 pence. 



Good Opening " If our poor refugee brethren who understand farming 

 should come here, they could not fail to live very com- 

 fortably and gain property ; for the English are very 

 lazy, and are proficient only in raising their Indian corn 

 and cattle. . . . With regard to wild beasts, we have 

 here a quantity of bears and wolves in great numbers, 

 who commit many depredations among the sheep, when 



