70 OLD-FASHIONED GARDENING 



Out of this confusion there seem to be at least two 

 definite conclusions to be drawn. One is that the 

 name referred to the land — to some peculiarity or 

 feature, doubtless, which distinguished that particular 

 portion of the continent — rather than to a tribe of the 

 aborigines; the other is, that it was not confined to 

 the island, as some insist, but embraced the entire 

 section, including the mainland all about, and the 

 island. This much the old maps and descrip- 

 tions seem to prove, without question. With this 

 as a starting point, and the knowledge which we 

 now have that Indian names are commonly bestowed 

 for a very definite reason — that they convey usually, 

 in most poetic fashion, a description of the gen- 

 eral appearance of the place designated, or of some 

 geographical marvel which identifies the place, it seems 

 that it should not be a very puzzling matter for the 

 student of Indian lore and speech to decipher the 

 meaning. 



That it is an Algonquin compound term descriptive 

 of the region — a region of exceptional beauty even 

 changed as it is by civilization — ^seems of all explana- 

 tions the most logical. Geographically the place is 

 one of the greatest distinction, differing from anything 

 else the length of the entire seaboard; and the majesty 

 and imposing strength of the great river slipping past 

 its matchless palisades, out into the wonderful, land- 



