IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE. 95 



their own consumption ; and not infrequently a farmer 

 was seen ploughing with a single ox. Exchange was 

 $1.95. The people were all "sesesh." Although for 

 the disunion of the " States," nothing could separate them 

 from the love of whiskey and gin, as in the course of the 

 afternoon there was a miserable stabbing fray, witnessed 

 by a good many of the inhabitants, though it should be 

 said that there were thirty sail then in the port, from 

 which part of the material for the affray was afforded. 



Our fishermen returned with a liberal supply of trout, 

 and Mr. Bradford shipped a steward, who turned out to 

 be an Indian soldier, and had assisted in blowing Sepoys 

 from the cannon's mouth. Whether he was morally and 

 intellectually worse or better than a Sepoy was often a 

 matter of discussion on the cruise. 



We were now ready to push out into the Gulf, and 

 the latter was now ready for the reception of the Benj. 

 S. Wright. For but a few days ago vessels had been 

 jammed in the ice immediately north of Port Mulgrave, 

 the ice having remained later in the Gulf and been more 

 abundant the past spring than for years. We were told 

 that it was possible for people to walk on the ice a hun- 

 dred miles out from the Magdalen Islands. 



The next day found us off St, George's Bay, the sport 

 of light, baffling winds or of dead calms, but these ena- 

 bled us to receive lasting impressions of the beautiful 

 green slopes of the Cape Breton shores, with their ex- 

 panse of green sward framing the square acres of 

 ploughed land centred by red farm-houses. These were 

 our last views of cultivated fields and well-trimmed glebes, 

 until on our return we beheld the rich red farm-lands ot 

 Prince Edward's Island. 



