30 The Discoveries and Settlements Book I 
Royal % they next debated -upon the Choice of a proper 
Place to fettle the general Quarters in, and they were for 
a long time divided between Louijburgh and Port Dau- 
phin. It has been already faid, that the former is one 
of the fineft Harbours in ail America., that it has near 
, four Leagues in Circumference, that there is Anchorage 
that is good, and that one may run a Ship a-ground in 
the Mud, without Danger. Its Entrance is not two hun- 
dred Fathoms wide between two little Iflands, which 
may eafily defend it, by having Batteries eredted on them. 
The Cod-fifhing is there very abundant, and one may 
fifh from the Beginning of the Month of April to the End 
of December but then it was faid, that the Land about 
this Port is barren, and that it would coft immenfe Sums 
to fortify it, becaufe all the Materials muft be brought a 
great way •, befides which it had it feems been remarked 
that there was no fandy Bottom in this Harbour for more 
than about forty fifhing Veffels. It has likewife been 
obferved, that the Port St. Anne., or Dauphin has a fure 
and fafe Road for Ships at its Entrance, amongft the 
Iflands of Cibou ^ and that a Neck of Land, almoft en- 
tirely lliuts up the Port, leaving a Paffage for no more 
than one Vcffel at a time. 
I'his Port, thus fhut up, has near two Leagues Cir- 
cumference, in an oval Form ; Ships may here lie juft as 
they pleafe ; for the I.and, and the Mountains that fur- 
round it, keep off the Winds in fuch a manner that they 
' are hardly felt. They who were for opening this Port for 
the chief Settlement alledged, that it might be rendered 
impregnable at an eafy Rate ; that more might be done 
here for two thoufand Livres, than at Louijburgh for 
two hundred thoufand j becaufe every thing neceffary for 
building a large City, and fortifying it, was at Hand. 
It is further certain, that this fandy Bottom is as exten- 
live here as at Placentia *, that the Fifhing is very good • 
that there is a great Quantity of excellent Timber about 
this Place, fuch as Maple, Beech, and Wild Cherry-tree, 
but above all, Oaks of above thirty Feet high, fit for 
Building, iPc. It is likewife true, that Marble is here 
very common ; that the Lands are generally good ; that 
about the great and fmaller Entrances of Labrador., 
which are about the Diftance of a League and an Half, 
its Soil is very good. In a Word, this Port is but four 
Leagues from the Bay of Efpaniola, which is likewife a 
very good Harbour, where the Lands are excellent, 
and covered with Woods, fit for almoft all Ufes : It is 
true that here is no fifhing in fmall Boats, on Account 
of the wefterly Winds which generally blow here, but one 
may fifli here, as in New England, in large ones ; the only 
Inconveniency in Port St. Anne is, that the Entrance is 
difficult, and this Inconveniency alone determined the Con- 
troverfy in favour of Louijburgh, where, fays he, neither 
Pains nor Expence have been fpared to render it both 
convenient and impregnable. With refpedl to the 
former, this Author was right j but in regard to the 
latter. Experience flaews us that he was abfolutely in the 
wrong. 
The French reaped many great Advantages from their 
PofTeffion of this Eland, and promifed themfelves many 
more ; which might, however, be all reduced to thefe 
three Points : Firft, That this Hand might be planted to 
great Advantage, as containing in itfelf Commodities of 
confiderabJe Value*, fuch as Cod-fifh, Oil, Coals, Plaifter, 
Timber, and other Things. Secondly, it was capable 
of being made a Magazine, or Staple, between Old and 
New France, and of becoming thereby of very great 
Advantage to both. And laftly, a Fifhery might be e- 
redled there, or rather feveral Fifheries, from whence 
vaft Benefits might be derived. It was with a View to 
the Execution of all thefe Projedls, that fo great Care 
was taken of this Eland, fuch mighty Fortifications, 
eredled at a very large Expence, and fuch Encourage- 
ment given to thofe who would fettle there. And as their 
Plan was well laid, I think there is very good Reafon 
to believe that the French were adlually great Gainers with 
refpedt to every one of the three Heads before laid down, 
but more efpecially with regard to the laft, though I am 
•alfo of Opinion, that the Calculations that have been 
made of their Profits by their Fifhery, the Numbers of 
their Ships, and Seamep employed therein, very much 
exceed the Truth ; but at the fame time I readily admits 
that in the Space of a few Years, thofe Calculations 
would have been made good. 
The Inferences I would draw from all that has been 
faid on this Subjedl, are three, which I efteem of very 
great Confequence, as being perfeftly fatisfied in regard 
to the Truth of every one of them : The firft is, that 
Canada confidered independently, and by itfelf, never 
was, or ever can be, of any great Confequence to the 
French, either as to its Product, its Commerce, or the Num- 
ber of Shipping and Seamen that are, or can be, employed 
thereby. My next is, that Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, 
which I efteem but one, the latter being but Part of the 
former, and belonging to us of Right as much as any of our 
Colonies, were of far greater Ufe and Benefit to France, 
than Canada, and the PofTeffion of them all that could 
poffibly have rendered Canada itfelf of any Ufe or Im- 
portance, and were, therefore, very dangerous to us, and 
what we could never fuffer to remain in French Hands, 
without being wanting to ourfelves, and facrificing, at 
once, our Honour and our Intereft. Our Honour, as 
thefe Places were indifputably Part of our American Do- 
minions ; our Intereft, as they were the only Countries 
by the PofTeffion of which the French might be able to 
increafe their naval Power, and become troublefome to 
us in that Part of the World. The third Obfervation 
I have to make is. That as Providence has put in our 
Power to remove thefe Inconveniencies, and to rid our- 
felves of thefe Dangers, it would be inexcufable in us 
not to take the utmoft Care to improve the Advan- 
tages gained in this War, or to negled fecuring them, 
when a general Peace fhall be made becaufe by this 
means we may be entirely fafe, and France can have no 
right to expedt we fhould reftore what we always claim- 
ed as our own, and what fhe kept only by deceiving or 
deluding our Minifters, at the making the laft genera! 
Peace at Utrecht. A thing fo notorious to this Nation, 
that there is no great Reafon to fear any other Miniftry 
will ever be guilty of the like Miftake, with which 
Remarks I fliall dole this Part of my Subjedl. 
9. We have already obferved, in the Account we gave 
of the H^nd of St. Chrijlophers, that the Englijh and 
French took PofTeffion of that Hand the fame Day, 
and from thence we are to date the Power of the 
French in the Wejl Indies. The Reader muft remem- 
ber, that the Leeward IJlands were originally difeovered 
by the great Columbus \ but after the Spaniards had fet- 
tled themfelves in Cuba, Hifpaniola, Porto Rico, and 
other great Hands, they negledted the reft ; and it was 
the Knowledge that the Englijh and French had of this 
that induced them to think of fettling thefe lelTer Hands. 
It was in the Year 1625, that Sir Fhomas Warner, on 
our Part, and Mr. Dejnambue, for the French, took 
PofTeffion of this Hand ; but, in the Space of two Years, 
both the Englijh and the French, who agreed very well 
together, were attacked and driven out of the Hand by 
the Spaniards, and this was more fatal to the French 
than to us ; for our Colony, after a fliort Time, returned ; 
the French being once feparated, fcattered themfelves 
through all the adjacent Hands, and began to apply 
themfelves to the very worft Sort of Methods, in order 
to get a Living *, and from this Accident, as the French 
Writers with great Probability affirm, fprung up two 
Sorts of People, that proved afterwards the Curie and 
Plague of the Weji Indies. We generally fpeak of them 
under one Name; but the French Writers Teem to have 
diftinguiflied them rightly enough into Bcucaniers, 
or, as we write it. Buccaneers, and Flibrujliers, whom 
we call Freebooters. The firft of thefe were a kind 
of Huntfmen, and confifted of fuch of thefe People 
as fettled on the North-Tide of the Hand of Hijpa- 
niola, where, by killing wild Cattle of all forts, they 
obtained an indifferent Livelihood *, but Tome of thefe 
People growing weary of the Hardffiips to which they 
were expofed, applied themfelves to the Dutch, to whom 
they fold their Skins, to furnifh them with Veffels to 
cruize upon the Spaniards, which they very readily did, 
and thofe Veffels being originally Flyboats, the Privateers 
vffio made Ufe of them received their French Name 
from thofe Veffels; whereas we affirm from the Trade 
they 
