PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 93 Innis being the first to cross over. In this year some crossings were made and so confi¬ dent was everybody of its great superiority over the Pictou route that some of the mails were sent during the following winter by this route. In 1829 an agreement was entered into between the government of the Island and the parties of Cape Traverse to carry the mails exclusively by this way. The boats named "ice-boats" used for the purpose are small, constructed as light as possible consistent with strength, and have runners on each side so they can be dragged over the snow and ice when necessary. Straps are attached to the sides and the boat¬ men and others have the other end fastened round their bodies either to assist in hauling the boat or to enable them to get on the ice again should their feet drop through. Passengers have to pay $2.00 for the privilege of going with the crew and still have to assist in getting the boat along, hut by paying a double fate they can stay on board during the whole crossing. When there is a strip of water every one gets in the boat and it is rowed, and when they come to a field of ice it is hauled up and dragged along. - "Lolly"—that is, a consid¬ erable body of stow in the water not frozen, or fine ground up ice—is what is by far the most dreaded, as in it neither can the boat be rowed nor can the men walk. As would be expected, a number of accidents have happened through unexpected snow storms having arisen after the departure of the boats, for there is now always a fleet of three going together. One happened in 1831, when three men and a passenger were over¬ taken. After being out all night and suffer¬ ing terribly they were rescued next day by some people from Cape Egmont . In 1843, ten persons were out part of two days and a night—thirty-six hours in all. They also suffered severely, some being badly frozen, but about two o'clock in the afternoon of the second day they succeeded in reaching the Island shore. A third accident took place in 1855, the worst of them all, for in it a Mr. Haszard of Charlottetown lost his life. He - and „ another student returning from Philadelphia reached on Friday, March 9th. and in the morning these two with a third passenger, an elderly man named Wier, left with one boat's crew of four men for Cape Traverse . During the afternoon they had reached within half a mile of the Island side when a blinding snow storm set in. They pushed on but were at last stopped by lolly. In these circumstances it was useless to make further attempt to reach the shore. Therefore the boat was drawn back on the ice and turned up to afford shelter for the party. With a bitter frost, made far worse by a gale of wind, they were in a sad plight. For two days and three nights they suffered untold hardship and misery, from hunger, cold and exposure. On toward the third day they killed a dog belonging to Mr. Wier and this revived them so that they put on increased effort and, throwing over the trunks and baggage, they toiled on. having now drifted to within four or five miles from the Nova Scotia coast By this time Mr. Haszard was unable to walk and on Monday evening he died. The others trudged on, and on Tuesday morning reached the shore near Wallace, but some two miles from the . nearest house. Some reached there and gave the alarm and soon all were housed but very much frost-bitten. Mr. Wier lost all his fingers and his two feet, but he did not long survive his loss. The last accident happened in 1885. At about 9130 on the morning of January 27th, the day being a piercingly cold one, and after