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OLD RECORDS

A great fire ran through a large part of the eastern section of the Island in 1738 doing much damage. It destroyed the settlement at East Point. Captain Holland when writing about the Island survey in 1765 told that the fire was so extremely violent that it burned all the fishing vessels in

St. Peters and Morell. It covered an area from East Point to Hillsboro River.

A copy of a letter written on October 27, 1862 by Alexander Stewart, Kingsboro, who lived on property now owned by George MacDonald tells of prices the miners had to pay when they went to the Caribou Gold Rush in British Columbia.

Flour — $ 1.50 per lb.

Bacon - $ 1.75 per lb.

Beans - $ 1.50 per lb.

Beef * $ .50 per lb.

Tea — $ 3.00 per lb.

Boots — $40.00

Pick shovel — $30.00 to $40.00 and scarce.

Travelling from Kingsboro, Prince Edward Island to British Columbia took Alexander 24 days. He did not have too much luck gold mining so went carpentering for $4.00 per day.

Ledger 1864 to 1865

A ledger belonging to Donald MacDonald, South Lake, dated 1864—65 showed that money was transacted in E. S. D. Donald was *Roland's great, great, grand—father and one of the first settlers.

Blue shirts, much in the limelight, were sold for 128.

1 bottle of rum for 28 1/2 lb. tea for 2 S and 3D.

Customers wishing to buy a portion of rum quite often asked for so many fingers as a measure; it would be an amount according to what they could pay for. For example; if they had enough

money for two fingers, these two fingers were placed around the glass, and the rum filled to that level.

*Donald was the great, great grand—father of the Daniel L. MacDonald family.