THIRD BIENNIAL STATEMENT 173 



transfer, on the part of the owners, of a strip of land bound- 

 ing the bird cliffs, in part compensation for which the Com- 

 mission of Conservation was to put up an iron fence not only 

 to mark the boundary but to keep sheep and cattle from fall- 

 ing over the rocks. The bird ledges on Bonaventure Island 

 extend over almost the entire eastern face of the Island and 

 the lots of land run straight across from shore to shore, so 

 that every lot owner on the Island had at the rear end of 

 his lot a face on the bird cliffs. Among the larger owners 

 there was an ancient fishing station which had been in active 

 business since the latter part of the 17th century. This 

 Company, like other fishing companies on that coast, was 

 supreme in its influence upon the people and was regarded 

 by them somewhat in the light of the seigneur of the Island. 



During the following summer I was engaged in drawing 

 these titles and found no objection on the part of the own- 

 ers to executing them. A standard form of deed was ap- 

 proved by the Commission of Conservation, but when it 

 came to the execution of the deed by the Fishing Company, 

 I was met with absolute refusal on their part. The man- 

 ager of the Company, being an obtuse fellow with no senti- 

 ment, opposed the entire project so vigorously that the pri- 

 vate owners became terrorized and were reluctant to sign. 

 Then it became necessary to attempt to convert the Com- 

 pany itself to this project. 



The control of the stock of the Company was held by 

 Senator Turner of Quebec, an aged man, the father of the 

 two Generals Turner who had attained great distinction in 

 the Canadian Army. Many trips were made to Senator 

 Turner from Ottawa and Montreal; first by Mr. James 

 White and Dr. Frank D. Adams, and in some of these visits 

 I think, subsequently, Dr. C. Gordon Hewett. Senator Tur- 

 ner was a man of peculiarities and the interviews were not 

 successful, not always amicable. Nothing was accomplished. 

 I sought to approach him in a different way and through a 

 personal friend living in Gaspe, whose name, I regret to 

 say, can not be mentioned in connection with this matter ; a 



