1853.] 



there was an extensive nunnery ; and a by no means insignificant 

 theatre. There were several gates in the dift'erent parts of the 

 town ; and on the nortli-east side was a spacious qua}', wliere 

 they had constructed a kind ot bridge, called in the Frc-ncli lan- 

 guage Les Callen, or wharves, which projected considerably into 

 the sea, and were extremely convenient for loading and unload- 

 ing goods. At this point there was a chain boom which ex- 

 tended in front of the quay, within which the ships were placed, 

 and effectually preventei them being cut out by an enemy on a 

 sutlden attack. The fortifications consisted of two bastions, called 

 the King and Queen ; and two demi-bastions, distinguished by 

 the names of Dauphin and Pj'incess. The city was surrounded 

 with a rampart of stone nearly tliree miles in extent; from thirty 

 to thirty-five feet high ; and a ditch of eighty feet wide, with the 

 exception of two hundred yards near- the sea, which was enclosed 

 by a dyke and a line of pickets. At this place the sea was \ery 

 shallow, and numerous reefs rendered it inaccessible to shipping, 

 while it received an additional protection from the side fire of the 

 batteries. The bastions were mounted with eight batteries, con- 

 taining embrasures for 148 pieces of cannon; and there were 

 sixteen mortars. The centre of one of them, the King's bastion, 

 was occupied with a stone building, with a moat on the side 

 towards the town. This was called the citadel, though it had 

 neither artillery or a structure suitable to receive any. Within 

 this building were the apartments for the governor, the bari'acks for 

 the soldiere, and the arsenal. Under the platform of the redoubt 

 was a magazine, well furnished with military stores. The parish 

 church also stood within the citadel ; and beside it there was a 

 handsome parade ground. The entrance to the town was by the 

 west gate, o\er a draw-bridge, near which was the Dauphin bas- 

 tion, with a circular battery mounting sixteen guns, all fourteen- 

 pounders. Adjacent to this batteiy had been erected spa'.iuus 

 casernes or bombproof barracks, the remains of which ai'e still to 

 be found among the ruins of the cit}', and form objects of great 

 curiosity for the inspection of the tourist. 



The entrance of the harbour of Louisbui'g was defended by a 

 battery almost le\el with the water, situated upon one of the 

 inlands that form its mouth. This was called the Island Batterj', 

 and was mounted with thirtj^-six pieces of cannon, all of which 

 were twenty-four pounders. There was a battery situated at a mile 

 and a half from the town opposite the mouth of the harbour. 

 This was a very strongly built fortress, surrounded by a ditch, 

 and flanked by two redoubts. It was mounted by thirty pieces 

 of cannon, twenty-eight of which were thirty-six-]iounders, and 

 two eighteen-pound carronades. The remains of this battery are 

 still obvious at the present day; and from their extent must have 

 contained a barrack and a considerable rnagazine. From the 

 quantity of cut-stone lying about, it is clear that it was a well- 

 built fortress; and from its position it must ha\e completely 

 commanded the whole hai-bour, as well as have greatly aided in 

 defending its entrance. At the Light-house Point there was a 

 third powerful batter}', where, from its high and commanding 

 situation, elevated far above the Island Battery, it commanded 

 not only that, but the town and the western part of the harbour, 

 and was a great defence to its mouth. There was a Circular Bat- 

 tery, mounted with twenty guns, situated on the beach east of 

 the town ; and forming part of the fortifications which sur- 

 rounded the city, was caviller, pierced with twelve embrasuies, 

 called by the name of Marapas, which was also intended to 

 strengthen the defences of the harbour. All around the coast 

 without the harbour of Louisburg, the shore is everywhere 

 bounded by bold and rocky precipices, whose breakers for the 

 most part defy an hostile landing ; but in every nook or creek 

 where it was possible to run in a boat, we find that the French 

 had erected defences, the remains of which are still sufHciently 

 obvious at the present day. 



Thus stronglv fortified from an attack bv sea, the citv of 



LOUISBURG: CAPE BRETON. 



127 



Louisburg was still \'ulnerable from the land side. The high 

 land which everywhere surrounded the harbour offered a means 

 of attack upon any one of the principal batteries, provided the 

 opposing force could obtain possession of it : thus flanked, the 

 city could not be permanently defended. It would seem that the 

 French engineei-s, in their operations, confided greatly in the 

 rocky and inaccessible condition of the country in the rear of 

 Louisburg, to strengthen their defences, and thought that if they 

 could only guard the harbour's mouth from a naval attack, that 

 the town was secure from the apparently impenetrable character 

 of the country. Experience, however, fully proved the fallacy of 

 that confidence, and was the eventual cause of the destruction of 

 their defences. 



The building of these extensive fortifications, and the other 

 public works, necessarily employed many hands, and took many 

 years for its accomplishment ; it necessarily caused the an-ival of 

 many emigrants — artificers as well as labourere ; that ere these 

 works were finished, the city of Louisburg contained quite a 

 respectable number of inhabitants ; these, with the floating popu- 

 lation employed in very extensive fisheries, a considerable 

 coasting trade, and a large military establishment necessary 

 to defend these extensive fortifications, there is little doubt that 

 Louisburg might have numbered a population of 30,000 inhabi- 

 tants. That the city enclosed within the fortifications would posi- 

 tively have contained that amount of population there is probably 

 a doubt ; but when we survey the extent of the harbour, and 

 observe the numerous ruins along its shore, we shall cease to be 

 sceptical of this fact. In one place we find the evident remains 

 of an extensive brewery ; in another of a considerable tannery ; 

 while the establishments for curing fish were certainly very 

 numerous. And if we recollect that upwards of 500 vessels were 

 employed in the taking of fish, we shall be convinced that the 

 hands necessary to conduct such establishments must have been 

 very numerous" ; and if we add to these the careening wharves 

 and other places for the repan- of shipping, with their various 

 artificers; we certainly think that this calculation of the number 

 of its inhabitants could not possibly have been ^'ery much over 

 the mark. 



The trade of the city of Louisburg during all this period must 

 have been very considerable, as all the necessaries of life had to 

 be imported by sea. The -rocky and sterile country in the 

 immediate vicinity of Louisburg harbour, without a very high 

 state of cultivation, was perfectly unable to produce food for such 

 an extensive amount of population as we have indicated ; while 

 the almost total want of settlement at this period in the other 

 parts of the Island of Cape Breton, more adapted to agriculture, 

 could not have been able to supply the defiL-iency ; consequently 

 the inhabitants were obliged to look to Canada and Fi-ince for 

 their supplies. In order to supply this deficiency, agricultural 

 establishments were formed upon Isle St. John, oi' Pi-ince 

 Edward's Island, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which even at this 

 eai-ly period had attracted the attention of the French, and was 

 fully able with but slight development to supply the militaiy 

 establishments of Cape Breton ; and for this purpose the Island 

 was most strenuously guarded by the French go\ernment. The 

 mere conveyance of the necessaries of life for so large a population 

 must have required a considerable number of vessels; but when 

 we find that all the materials of every description employed for 

 building had to be transported in vessels from distant parts ; that 

 the stone, the brick, the timber the lime, and even the sand, had 

 to be conveyed either from Canada, France, or the West Indies, 

 our surprise that so large a fleet was employed in the commerce 

 of Louisburg must cease. The necessity to transport all these 

 materials by sea was dependent on the deficiencies of develop- 

 ment and want of knowledge of the country, rather than on any 

 lack of such material in the Island of Cape Breton. Later 

 investigation cleariy proves that building materials of every 



