GEOGRAPHIC BOARD OF CANADA 9

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND PLACE-NAMES

Abell; cape, lot 43. So Wright, 1852. Sometimes spelled Abel. This is Eglinton point of Holland, 1765, and Eglington point, of charts. A plan of lot 43 dated 1811 shows Edward Abell with 513 acres and Patrick Pearce with 100 acres. Field Marshal Lord Townshend (1724—1807), 1st Marquess, commander in chief at the siege of Quebec after the death of Wolfe was granted lot 56 in 1767. Apparently also the family acquired land in lot 43. The Townshend property was settled by Irish immigrants. Abell was the agent. He was killed in 1819 by Pearce, one of the tenants, while harshly pressing for rent. North of the cape is Fortune bay where HWMS Aeolus, in which Captain Marryat, the novelist, was a midshipman, lay for three weeks in the spring of 1811. (Florence Marryat—Life and Letters of Captain Marryat, 2 vols., 8vo., London, 1872, Vol. I, p. 69.) In his book called “The Naval Officer,” Captain Marryat relates how after leaving Halifax, N.S., the frigate spoke a ship from Belfast having on board about 17 families of emigrants bound for the United States with which Britain was in a state of war. The captain of the Aeolus was the Right Honourable James Townshend (1785-1842), 6th son of the 1st Marquess. It occurred to the captain that some of those emigrants would be excellent settlers for the Townshend estate. Having induced several to join them, the warship set sail for Fortune bay where the agent Edward Abell lived. While making Abell’s house and barn on Abell cape their headquarters, Captain Townshend, with others of the ship’s crew and the immigrants, made daily excursions to Red House, lot 56, about a mile and a half west, went into the woods, cut down trees, hauled them out and built several houses. Some ground was also cleared and corn and potatoes planted. Eight years after the events above narrated, writes J. C. Underhay in “Past and Present of Prince Edward Island,” Pat Pearce was the possessor of a black carriage horse. Mrs. Abell looked upon this horse with a covetous eye and tried in vain to induce Pearce to sell him. Failing in that, she prevailed upon her husband to demand immediate payment of the rent. Pearce went among the neighbours to raise the money. Returning with it he found Abell sitting on the wood pile with a con- stable (John O’Donnell) beside him holding the horse by the bridle. Pearce offered Abell the money and repeatedly urged him to give up the horse and, on his persistent refusal to do so went into his house and brought out an old Queen Anne musket with a bayonet attached and stabbed Abell first in the arm and then in the groin. Pat Pearce kept out of the way until after Abell’s death, and then made his escape to one of the adjoining provinces, but little effort was made to arrest him, although a reward of twenty pounds was ofiered by the government for his apprehension. A contemporary account in the “Prince Edward Island Register” of Friday, September 3, 1819, is in similar terms, except that there is no reference to Mrs. Abell.

Abney; settlement with post office, lot 64. After Abney, Tennessee, US. Name selected when post ofiice was opened April 1, 1908. Earlier known as Toronto, as on Lake, 1863.

Abram Village; settlement, lot 15. Met with in 1829 as Abraham’s Village and later as Abram’s Village. After Abraham Arsenault, the first settler who came to the township in the early 1820’s, probably at the time of the trek of Acadians from Colonel Compton’s

land in lots 17 and 19, following a dispute with him. Adams; pond, lot 20. Wright, 1852. Meacham, 1880, sh0ws nearby settlers of this name. Plan, 1826, has Adam’s pond.

Afton; lake, lots 36 and 37. Name on boundary plan by Curtis, 1856. . Un-named. on Wright, 1852. Sutherland’s Geography, 1861, has Signet lake. The Afton is a small river in Ayr-

shire, Scotland. Also Afton Road, settlement, lot 36.

Aitken; point, lot 59. After the Aitken family, still resident here, which reached Prince Edward Island June 6, 1775, from Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Census, 1798, shows John Aitkin as head of a family in the townshi . Name also misspelled on charts. Aitken Ferry, settle— ment, is part of and better known as Lower Montague, for which refer to Montague.

Albany; settlement with post office, lot 27. There was a post office of the name in 1874.

Alberry Plains; settlement, lot 50. Meaning All Berry Plains, from the large variety of wild fruit. Named by Edward Plaiawell. Alberry was the school district name, 1862.

Alberton; town, lot 4. After Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, who visited Charlottetown at the age of nineteen, August 10 to 12, 1860. Name suggested by Hon. Benjamin Rogers. Earlier known as Cascumpeque. . .

Albion; bay, Georgetown. Holland, 1765. Present name Georgetown harbour. Albion is an ancient name of England. '

Albion; settlement with post office, lot 59. Name doubtless taken from the preceding one.

Albion. Cross; settlement, lot 55. ' _ . _ . .

Alchorn; point, lot 65. Chart, 1846. People of the name still live here. Pomte de la Crorx of French plan, 1749. . .

Alexandra; settlement, lot 49. Meacham, 1880. Doubtless after Alexandra, Princess of Wales, now queen dowager. Another spelling is Alexandria.