9-> PAST AND PRESENT OF grown rapidly, through the energy of its citizens, until now it is about changing from a large village to a small town. As has been said, almost all the earliest settlers of Malpeque came about the year 1771 from Scotland , their native place being Cantyre, Argyleshire. In 1791—twenty years after, Rev. James McGregor , that not¬ ed early Presbyterian missionary of a large part of the settlements of the eastern mari¬ time parts of Canada , paid a visit to Mal¬ peque. The residents of Princetown , as it was then called, hearing Mr. McGregor was in Covehead , sent t»ne of their number with a petition praying him to pay them a visit, as they had not had public worship among them since they had landed. In a narrative left by him, Mr. McGregor says: "On weighing the case, I judged it my duty to comply, and set off with the man on Mon¬ day morning, sometimes walking, sometimes riding, and sometimes sailing. Our way was chiefly along the shore, at times on a beau¬ tiful beach of fine sand, and at times among rocks and stones almost impassable; while at the ferries we had to venture in small canoes, and tow the horse after us. * * * We reached Princeton mi Monday evening." L 'p tn this time when the people wanted bap¬ tism for their children the latter were taken tp Charlottetown and the rite was per¬ formed by Rev. Thomas DeBrisay of the Anglican church, the first and for many years the only Protestant clergyman in the colony. Having a minister of their own denomination among them it was natural that a great many children and even adults of the people of Malpeque should be baptized in addition to Mr. McGregor 's other labors in the ministry there. After a time a small church was built and in 1809 Rev. Mr. Kier , D. D ., was ordained. The church and bury¬ ing ground made a small centre and some¬ where about i 860 the Messrs. McNutt started a mercantile business which has been continued ever since. At Bedeque after Joseph Pope had the shipyard and store at Howatt's Shore a number of other places loomed up as business centres. At North Bedeque about the year 1830 Robert McCaull carried on a mercantile business, quite important for these early times. At what is now known as " Central Bedeque " John Weatherbie car¬ ried on shopkeeping about 1840, and about the year 1847 William G. Strong started in business at the same place. It was first called "Weatherbie's Corner ," then "Strong's Corner ," the latter being fre¬ quently used to this day. Centreville, only about a mile away, began to be a business centre comparatively early. Colin McLellan had a store there which was likely the first. A number of others built vessels near there at about the same time. Cape Traverse , at the extreme southeast point of the county, is noted principally for its connection with the winter mail service. The chief difficulty for the whole province has always been the passenger and mail com¬ mon ication with the outer world during the winter months. In the earliest times of the British occupation crossings with boats were made from Wood Islands at the south¬ eastern corner of Queens county to and then to the town of , a dis¬ tance of at least twenty-three miles, but so long and hazardous was the route that some¬ times a number of weeks would pass without any passage being made. In 1827 the people of Cape Traverse con¬ ceived the idea of crossing to tine, a distance of only eight and a half or nine miles, Neil Campbell and Donald Mc-