NO. 12 THE WINELAND VOYAGES — S WANTON 69 



Speaking of the same event, the historian Lescarbot (1911, vol. 2, 

 p. 323) comments thus : 



At the entrance of the bay of the said district of Chouakoet is an island 

 about half a league in circumference, on which our company made their first 

 discovery of vines ; for though they exist in places near to Port Royal, as, for 

 example, along the St. John river, there was as yet no knowledge of them. 



The Richmond Island vines are then described. 



The French trader Denys, who hved in this region in the year 

 1645, gives testimony which is of the utmost importance. Speaking 

 of the River St. John, particularly the lower section up to the head of 

 navigation at the present Springhill, he says : 



There is found here also a great quantity of Wild Grapes, on wild vines which 

 bear grapes, the fruit of which is large and of very good taste; but its skin is 

 thick and hard. It comes to maturity, and if it were cultivated and trans- 

 planted I do not doubt that it would produce very good wine. This is a sign 

 that the cold there is not so severe, nor the snows so abundant as everyone says. 



To this the editor, W. F. Ganong, appends the following footnote 

 (Denys, 1908, p. 120) : 



The early English settlers on the Saint John are known to have made wine from 

 the wild grapes, which are somewhat abundant along this river. 



On the upper courses of three Nova Scotia rivers which Ganong 

 identifies as the Allans, the Annapolis, and probably the Bear, Denys 

 (p, 124) states that "the Grape-vine and the Butternut are also pres- 

 ent," and he found the former on Pictou River which flows into 

 Northumberland Strait. On this river he says (p. 190), 



there are Oaks, Beeches, Maples, Black Birches, Cedars, Pines, Firs and every 

 other kind of woods. The large river is straight in the entrance ; boats go seven 

 or eight leagues up it after which there is met a little island covered with the 

 same woods, and with grape vines, and above which one cannot go higher to- 

 wards its source except with canoes. 



Later he sums up his opinion of the grapes of the region and the 

 possibility of making wine from them (p. 203) : 



Let us see now whether the vine can come there to full maturity. In the 

 first place it is certain that the country produces the vine naturally, that it bears 

 a grape which matures to perfection, the grain being as large, perhaps, as the 

 Muscadine. As to its juice, that is not so pleasing, since it is wild, and its 

 skin is a little harder. But if it were transplanted and cultivated as is done in 

 France, I do not doubt that its wine would be as good. 



He planted vines on Miscou Island at the mouth of Chaleur Bay 

 "which succeeded admirably." (P. 203.) 



