INDIANS IN NOVA SCOTIA — GILPIN. 271 



same author ; or ornaments of quills, where the " good beaver 

 slieves " goeth into the cloak of skin. 



In " The Frontier Missionary" we have a graphic sketch of the 

 Indian of his day, 1779, at Halifax : "He had many Indians in his 

 train," speaking of Lieutenant-Governor Franklin, "arrayed in all 

 their tinsel finery, amongst whom was a Sachem, who wore a long 

 blue coat adorned by a scarlet cape and bound closely about his 

 loins by a girdle." This is proof of his dress one hundred years 

 ago. 



In 1831, when I first made acquaintance with them, this blue 

 hunting frock, scarlet epaulet, and gaudy girdle, and long gaiter for 

 the men, with blue pointed cap, short petticoat, and gaiter, with 

 blanket always worn square on the back, for the women, was their 

 universal wear. Les Carbot says expressly, the skin cloak was worn 

 square, so they have adhered to this form through skin and serge 

 and two hundred and fifty years. 



1 have now brought the Mic-Mac from his Stone or pre-historic 

 age, his French age, and his English age, to our own times, and it 

 remains to give his present condition. Estimated in early French 

 times at about between three and four thousand souls, and that 

 including Prince Edward's, we find them at the next authentic 

 record (Judge Monk's return, 1808) as from three hundred and 

 fifty to four hundred fighting men. This would make about two 

 thousand souls, making a decrease of something more than fifteen 

 hundred in two hundred years. In 1842, Mr. Howe returns them 

 at fourteen hundred and twenty-five. The last census makes them : 



Halifax 158 Annapolis G8 



Lunenburg 50 Kings 61 



Queen's 110 Hants 168 



Shelburne 28 Cumberland .... 44 



Yarmouth 37 Colchester 31 



Digby 224 Pictou 125 



Antigonish 81 Guysborough ... 48 



1233 N. S. 



