TOURING QUEBEC AND THE MARITIMES 83

Leaving Lunenburg, we passed through Bridgewater, situated on La Have River, and aptly termed the “City of Pines”; Liverpool, situated at the mouth of the Mersey River, and first settled by pioneers of Pilgrim stock; and Shelburne, a progressive town, whose history dates back to the time when the land was Acadia.

Early in the morning of July 2nd, we arrived at Yar- mouth, the gateway of Nova Scotia, where we spent a whole day down by the ocean. Yarmouth- is situated on the southwestern end of the peninsula and only two hun- dred and forty miles across the mouth'of the Bay of Fundy from Boston. It is the usual starting point for tourists from the United States. Yarmouth is a busy clearing station for both passengers and freight. Her wharves hum with activity and whistles cough hoarsely in the strong salt air, that rarely rises above 80 degrees. The tempera- ture during July and August is ideal, the nights being cool and refreshing.

Yarmouth, a town of 8,000 people, is the second largest lumber exporting port of Nova Scotia. It has a somewhat English atmosphere, with its hawthorne hedge—enclosed lawns, and its extensive shipping and ship-building.

Some five centuries ago, before Columbus discovered America, the site of Yarmouth of today was visited by Norsemen, as is evidenced by the Runic records carved by them on two stones, located near the town. Champlain visited the locality in 1604, and the first settlers were French, who, because 'of their non-participation in the intrigues of the time, were exempted from the fate of their Acadian compatriots in the general deportation of 1775. In I761 came the first English-speaking settlers,———a company of Puritans from Cape Cod, descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims. These settlers were a hardy and