NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK 
435 
in g the river from Portage River nearly to the head of the South 
Branch (viz. the upper South Branch), is the original of all 
later published maps down to the present day. The part above the 
South Branch has never been surveyed, but is simply sketched 
from intersections of timber-lines ; it is represented very badly 
upon all printed maps, but more accurately upon the timber-plans 
in the Crown Land Office, from which the accompanying map 
if taken. The lower course of the river, from three or four miles 
above Portage River, was only sketched by Sadler, and his im- 
perfect draft is followed on all printed maps. That part is given 
more correctly from land surveys on plans in the Crown Land 
office, followed on the accompanying map. The Big Tracadie 
was not settled until after 1800, though the Tracadie Settlement, 
at the mouth of the Little Tracadie*! is much older. The settlers 
are almost entirely Acadian French, who have extended slowly up 
the tideway until now their uppermost pioneer settlements reach 
tc within two miles ; of the head of tide. All of the remainder of 
the river is still a wilderness. It has always been noted as a 
valuable lumber river, and some lumber of the very finest quality 
is still being taken from its headwaters, though locally it is said 
to be almost exhausted. 
Another notable Tracadie feature, less striking now than 
formerly, is its wonderful trout-fishery, especially for sea-trout 
in its lower course. For this reason it has been much visited by 
sportsmen, and mention of it occurs in several angling books and 
especially in the Reports and other writings of M. H. Perley. 
Scientifically however the river seems not at all studied. I can 
find no mention of it in any scientific writings accessible to me, 
even the geological reports containing not a single reference to 
the river. 
The Big Tracadie River rises in a tiny spring rivulet; close to 
the Bathurst Road, as I am told by Mr. Frank O’Connor of Bass 
River, who knows the Tracadie thoroughly, and to whom I am 
indebted for much important information -about it. It flows 
northeasterly, rapidly enlarging, until at the crossing of the 
*The history of the founding of Tracadie, with a large scale map of 
the mouth of the Big Tracadie, are given in a forthcoming paper by the 
present Writer in Trans. Royal Society of Canada. 
