1897-8. TRANSACTIONS, 27 



Place-Names of Canada. 



By George Johnson, F.S.S. (hon.) 



\Read December jrd^ iSg'j. 



When all are here and no by-elections on, 213 members 

 of the House of Commons assemble on Parliament Hill* to 

 represent the people of the 200 electoral districts which include 

 the whole country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



Each of these divisions has a name. Included in each 

 division are many subdivisions, in all cases having distinctive 

 names ; excepting in the case of Prince Edward Island, where 

 the subdivisions are distinguished by numerals, to-day as they 

 have been for 130 years. 



These divisions are known, in most of the Provinces, as 

 Counties, and the subdivisions as Townships, Parishes, Muni- 

 cipalities, Polling Districts, etc. 



Divisions and Subdivisions, as we had to deal with them 

 in the Census, numbered 3,600 census places. 



Consultation with the Post Ofhce List provides the infor- 

 mation that there are over 9,000 post offices in the countr}-, 

 each with a place-name ; some of them duplicates of the place- 

 names of the electoral districts and of the Census subdivisions ; 

 most of them not so. 



A study of a good map reveals the names of Lakes, Moun- 

 tain ranges. Mounts, Rivers and Streams — thousands of them ; 

 many of the names not duplicated in the names of the Coun- 

 ties, Parishes, Townships, Municipalities and Post Offices. 



Taking the map as a guide we travel along the coast- 

 line of the Dominion, from the fire-devastated town of Wind- 



*Parliament Hill is a very appropriate name. The hills were the 

 ancient places of meeting for conference on public affairs. Thus Mote 

 Hill, near Scone in Scotland, had the famous scone stone on which the 

 Kings of Scotland were crowned and on which, since its removal to 

 Westminster Abbey, during 6 centuries 27 Sovereigns of England and 

 of Great Britain have been crowned. Moot Hills abound in England, 

 and Ludlow means " the people's hill." Parliament is French for talk. 

 Hill is Anglo-Saxon. Parliament Hill exactly suits the condition of 

 this double-raced, doublv blessed Cana-d^ of ours, 



