214 
BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
lip to bushes, eastward of the camping place, there exists a 
conspicuous old cellar, in a curious double or triple form. Mr. 
^rbo tells me that the first settlers found here the ruins of a 
house, which contained two fireplaces, surrounded by about two 
acres of cleared land, while in the vicinity have been found 
some relics, — pottery, stone and iron axes, a stone pipe, etc., 
showing extensive early use by French and Indians. Further- 
more, there is a tradition on the river that this was a French 
“station,” and that another existed at the mouth of Muzrolls 
Brook, and a French settlement also at the Long Hole. The 
French origin is wholly probable, and it is no doubt a relic of the 
time when the Acadians had to settle temporarily in retired 
places beyond reach of their English enemies who were trying 
to expel them wholly from the Province; and it is quite probable 
that it really was a post or station for travellers by the portage. 
We turn now to the route of the portage south to the 
Gaspereau, a distance of about seven miles across the plateau 
country. According to Mr. Arbo its course is coincident with 
an old road which, though much overgrqwn, can still be followed 
as far south as Cold Brook. This road swings up the hill by an 
easy route as shown on the map, crosses the head of the log brow, 
and then turns southward, which course it originally kept to 
Cold Brook; but later a deviation was made westward along 
an old road now following the river, in order to avoid a great 
blow-down caused by the Saxby Gale. With the exception of 
the part where it ascends the bank, and the deviation above 
mentioned, I have no doubt that the road and the old path are 
practically coincident It is wholly probable that the makers 
of the road, in crossing this very level country directly south- 
ward, would follow the route already clearly marked out for 
them by the portage path; and moreover, as Mr. Arbo tells me, 
at the point where the road crosses Cold Brook an old kettle 
has been found, turned over various utensils, etc., all of which no 
doubt were abandoned by the French in some hasty portage, 
showing a coincidence of road and portage at that point. 
Beyond this place, according to Mr. Arbo, the old road crossed 
the western end of an immense open barren. This my 
companion and I missed, for after following the road to the brook 
we took a wrong route and held too much to the westward. 
Thence, partly along timber roads and partly steering by compass, 
we held to the magnetic south, and crossed a level and undulating 
country, no doubt substantially like that crossed by the path, 
through some open barren, some burnt upland, and some swamps 
