THE LABRADOR JOURNAL 35 1 



altogether on trees. As we passed Cape Sable, so called 

 on account of its being truly a sand-point of some caved-in 

 elevation, we saw a wrecked ship with many small crafts 

 about it. I saw there Uria troile, the Foolish Guillemot, 

 and some Gannets. The sea was dreadful, and scarcely 

 one of us was able to eat or drink this day. We came 

 up with the schooner " Caledonia," from Boston for Lab- 

 rador; her captain wished to keep in our company, 

 and we were pretty much together all night and also on 

 Sunday. 



June 9. We now had a splendid breeze, but a horrid 

 sea, and were scarce able to keep our feet, or sleep. The 

 " Caledonia " was very near to us for some time, but when 

 the breeze increased to a gale, and both vessels had to 

 reef, we showed ourselves superior in point of sailing. So 

 good was our run that on the next morning, June lo, we 

 found ourselves not more than thirty miles from Cape 

 Canseau, ordinarily called Cape Cancer. The wind was 

 so fair for proceeding directly to Labrador that our cap- 

 tain spoke of doing so, provided it suited my views ; but, 

 anxious as I am not to suffer any opportunity to escape 

 of doing all I can to fulfil my engagements, I desired that 

 we should pass through what is called " The Gut of Can- 

 seau," and we came into the harbor of that name ^ at 

 three of the afternoon. Here we found twenty vessels, all 

 bound to Labrador, and, of course, all fishermen. We 

 had been in view of the southeastern coast of Nova Scotia 

 all day, a dreary, poor, and inhospitable-looking country. 

 As we dropped our anchor we had a snowfall, and the sky 

 had an appearance such as I never before recollect hav- 

 ing seen. Going on shore we found not a tree in blossom, 

 though the low plants near the ground were all in bloom ; 

 I saw azaleas, white and blue violets, etc., and in some 

 situations the grass really looked well. The Robins were 

 in full song; one nest of that bird was found; the White- 

 1 Now commonly spelled Canso — not Canseau. 



