CHAPTER X. 



iSOUTHEAST COAST OF LABRADOR— CAPE ST. LEWIS TO 

 LONG POINT— THE STRAIT OF BELLEISLE. 



The coast of Labrador from cape St. Lewis to York jDoint, nearly 

 oO miles southwestward, is composed of bare granite hills, which, ex- 

 cepting in the vicinity of Chatean bay, do not exceed the height of 700 

 feet, but appear much higher from their steepness. Several of the 

 bays and inlets are large, with bold shores and verj^ deep water. 

 Navigation on this coast is not difficult on account of the islands or 

 rocks off it, but the frequent fog, the heavy easterly swell rolling in 

 from the Atlantic, and the icebergs, which almost always drift south- 

 ward with the current, render caution and constant vigilance necessary'. 



Fisheries. — See page 36. 



Climate. — See page 43. 



Cape St. Lewis is a promontory rising in dark-reel precipitous 

 granite hills to the height of about 500 feet. Its southeastern point 

 is a small rock}' peninsula, and St. Lewis rock, small, low, black, and 

 close to the shore, with deep water at 400 j^ards seaward of it, lies 

 nearly 1 mile northeastward of this point. 



The highest land over caj^e St. Lewis has a double summit, which 

 falls abruptly to Fox harbor, and is partly wooded. 



Position. — St. Lewis rock is approximately in latitude 52° 21' 50" 

 north, longitude 55° 37' 15" west. 



St. Lewis sound, the entrance of which is between cape St. Lewis 

 and Great island, situated 4 miles south-southeastward, is open to the 

 eastward. A high and long rolling sea occasionally enters St. Lewis 

 sound from this direction, and it is felt as far up as the entrance of 

 St. Lewis inlet, around the islands, and up the bays of the mainland 

 westward of them ; it often comes in without wind, and breaks heavily 

 over islets 30 feet high, with a roaring surf on the shore. This sea 

 is far less dangerous to boats, and impedes them less, than the short 

 breaking sea of the gulf of St. Lawrence. It prevents landing, but 

 during its continuance every shoal with less than 4 fathoms has a 

 breaker upon it. Boats must, however, be on their guard on such 

 occasions, for on some of the shoals the sea only breaks occasionally, 

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