Gotteville de Belile, Robert-David (1720) (Commandant on lle Saint-Jean). Report to the Council of the Marine, (dated ‘1720’ only, received in France: 28 January 1721). [AC, CHA, Vol. 43, fols. 134-136]

Robert—David Gotteville (fl. 7696-1724) was the first commandant of the newly-formed Company of lie Saint—Jean set up by the Count of Saint-Pierre, to whom a proprietary grant of the island had been made in 77 79. Gotteville arrived on the island some time after 23 August 1720 in the wake of the first two of the Company’s ships bringing colonists from France. This short extract is from a preliminary account of the new settlement and its resources that he sent to the French government before the end of that year. As Harvey notes, the report is a summary of his first impressions of the island before he had had any opportunity for extensive travel or exploration. The description of the forest, consisting of a list of the principal tree species, is thus likely to apply to the area of Port La-Joie and the nearby rivers. Before being put in charge of the new settlement Gotteville had already had a naval career of just over twenty years which had included service in Newfoundland. Because of poor health he was to leave l/e Saint- Jean in 1722 and he retired on a pension shortly after.

REFERENCES:

Clark, A. H. (1959) Three Centuries and the Island. University of Toronto Press. p. 27.

Harvey, D. C. (1926) The French Regime in Prince Edward Island. Yale University Press. pp. 44-45. Maude, M. M. (1969) Gotteville de Belile, Robert-David. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, ll: 254—55.

Tree SPECIES- ll y a quantité de Bois entr’autres des Chesnes, du Merizier, des bois [torts1 ?], du hetre plus dur et plus plain que le Chesne, des bois d'Epinettes pour faire des mats, des Pins d’une grosseur prodigeuse a faire de gros mats et quantité d’autres propres a faire des planches et des Madriers. La terre est propre a faire venir toute sortes de

grain suivant le Raport des laboureurs [fols. 134-134v] Forest fauna. [les sauvages] luy fournissent du Gibier, entr’autres quantité de Perdrix. ll y a aussy des Caribo{ux}1 qui sont presque aussy grands que les Cerfs. [fol. 135v] The landscape. le Terrain est uny, les bois de futayes assez claires et quantité de prairies ou il se trouve quelques Lacs de distance en distance. [fols. 135M361

[PAC, AC, CHA, Vol. 43. fols. 134-136]

There is a lot of wood, among others, oaks, yellow birch, [spiral-grained or Tree SPEC/PS- crooked/bent‘?] woods, beech, harder and more dense than oak, woods of spruces for making masts, pines of a great size for making large masts and a lot of others suitable for making boards and planks. The soil is suitable for growing all sorts of cereals according to the report of the ploughmen [fols. 134—134v]

[the Indians] supply game, among others. a lot of partridge. There are also

Forest fauna. . . carlbo{us}2 Which are almost as large as deer. [fo|. 135v]

The landscape is flat, the mature woods fairly open and a lot of meadows where there

The Iandsca e. p are a few lakes here and there [fols. 135v-136]

[PAC, AC, C11A, Vol. 43. fols. 134-136]

1 According to the Trésor de la Langue Francaise (1971 -1 994), bois tors refers to ‘un piece de bois dont les ﬁbres sont en spirale' — Harraps English-French Dictionary (1972) translates this as ‘cross-grained or spiral-grained woods'. However. Larousse Grande Dictionnaire (French- English) (1993) indicates that tors also carries the meaning of 'crooked' or ‘bent'. It is not clear which of these meanings Gotteville intended in his use of the word.

2 The end of the word can'bou was not visible in the microﬁlm, as it was hidden by the binding.

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