—6—

reported against the adoption of Egmont’s scheme, and his proposal was therefore rejected.

For over half a century, the Land Question was a source of trouble. Many attempts were made to settle it; but it was not until 1875, after the union of the Island with Canada, when a sum of $800,000 was placed at the service of the Island Government for the purchase of the proprietors’ estates, that the difficulty was finally disposed of. This question has now’becotne a thing of the past, absentee proprietorship has been abolished, and the Provincial Government has purchased the interests of the landlords with the object of making the farmers freeholders. The majority of the tenants have availed themselves of this immense advantage, and at the present time, only 50,000 acres remain unsold of the 843,981 acquired by the Government; and of this quantity, but 20,000 acres repre- sent land held by parties who have not yet purchased. The remaining 30,000 acres may be regarded as the available unculti- vated and vacant Government lands. These consist of forest lands of medium quality, the very best having, of course, been taken up by the tenants in the first instance. and their price averages about one dollar per acre. Parties purchasing are required to pay 30 per cent. down and the balance in two years.

SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

RINCE EDWARD ISLAND is divided into three counties, Prince in the west, Queen’s in the centre, and King’s in the east. The coast line is exceedingly irregular being deeply indented with large bays and tidal estuaries, no part of the country being far distant from the sea. The principal high lands are a chain of hills which traverse the Island north and

south between DeSable and New London Bay.

Geology The oldest geological formations are represented by “ beds of brown, gray and red sandstone and shale, with layers of coarse concretionary limestone and fossil plants.” The desinte-