90 



he speaks of, exemplified in our own waters. We have seen 

 the result of it on the north shore, and they proved too 

 smart for us, or the poor fish either — urging on the half- 

 cast and others to catch them, hy net and spear, while 

 spawning. The same writer admits that the Americans 

 have ruined their own salmon fisheries ; therefore they 

 must hold us excused if we take the liberty to recom- 

 mend them, to show a little of that same smartness in 

 artificially propagating the fish in their own destroyed 

 rivers. 



THE BAY CHALEUE. 



" With regard to the fishy treasures of the sea of fishes, I can 

 only say that they are astonishingly abundant. One of the 

 fisheries located on the south shore has been engaged in the 

 Ijusiness for fifty years ; and besides employing about a thousand 

 men, has been in the habit of annually building a ship to send to 

 Europe during all this time, as a kind of memento of its success. 

 As early as the year 1635 there was established at the mouth of 

 the Bay the 'Koyal Company of Miscou,' af the head of which 

 was the King of France. 



"It is said that some of the finest pajaces in France were 

 built with funds realized by the early French fishermen. The 

 remains of the buildings erected by this company may stUl be 

 seen on the island of Miscou. The harvestr-time for the fisher- 

 men of the Bay of Ohaleur is from March to September, and the 

 great majority of those who fish in these waters are of course 

 birds of passage, so that the fleets of ships and brigantines which 

 come with the opening spring are certain to disappear before 

 the blasts of autumn. To give an idea of the wealth of these 

 northern waters, it may be mentioned that formerly the black 

 whale, white porpoise, black seal, the salmon, cod, sea-trout, 

 haddock, herrings,' halibut, shad, bass, mackerel, oapeling, and 

 lobster were all found here in immense quantities. 



