La Ronde, Louis Denys de (1721) (Military officer at Port La-Joie). Letter to the Minister of the Marine. 6 
     
     November 1721. [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 5, fols. 436-437v] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Louis Denys de La Ronde (b. 7 6 75, d. 7 741) was appointed in I 720 by the governor of l/e Roya/e to assist Gottevi/le 
     
     de Beli/e in setting up the proprietorial colony of the Count of Saint-Pierre on l/e Saint-Jean. He may have spent 
     
     more than a year on the island, from the autumn of 7720 to 7722. In November 7727 he sent a letter to the 
     
     minister of the Marine outlining the progress made in the new settlement. Though its reliability has been questioned 
     
     on the grounds that La Ronde was more interested in promoting himself as a colonizer than in giving an accurate 
     
     report (Pothier & Horton 19 74), it does suggest an extensive kno w/edge of the island. He lists for example most 
     
     of the major bays and their capacity for shipping, as well as the native mammals and birds. His comments on the 
     
     forests however are brief, his interest in them only being as a source of useful timber. La Ronde had been born at 
     
     Quebec and by the time of his posting to lie Saint-Jean he had already had a colourful naval and military career 
     
     which had included service in Europe, New England and the Mississippi Valley, but especially in Placen tia 
     
     (Newfoundland) and Acadia. After his short stay on lle Saint—Jean he was to carry on for another twenty years as 
     
     a soldier-entrepreneur in Canada and areas to the west near Lake Superior, before finally dying at Quebec in 1 74 7. 
     
    
   
   
    
     REFERENCES: 
     
    

    
     Clark, A. H. (1959) Three Centuries and the Island. University of Toronto Press. pp. 27—28. 
     
    

    
     Harvey, D. C. (1926) The French Regime in Prince Edward Island. Yale University Press. pp. 46-48. 
     
    

    
     Pothier, B. & Horton, D. J. (1974) Denys de La Ronde, Louis. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, III: 176-80. 
     
    

    
     Warburton, A. B. (1923) A History of Prince Edward Island. Barnes & 00., Saint John, New Brunswick. pp. 
     
     28-31. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Woods of a// Iisle est tres belle fort uny, Ilia quantité de baux bois de toute so{rte}1 de qualité 
     
     qualities. baucoup de prerie les terre{s}1 son fort Rouge. llia plusieurs opinion sur la qualité des 
     
     terres les un dise quil les faudras fume daustre dise que non. [fol. 436] 
     
    
   
   
    
     Ion peut faire dans cette ille des moulin a sie qui doneroit un grand profite car illia des 
     
     pain pour des planche et du cheisne pour du bordage jay fait construire cette ane trois 
     
     vaissau un de 100 tonau un austre 65 tonau un austre de 25 tonaux 
     
    
   
   
    
     Pine and oak. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ’Deer’ les sauvages nyverne point sur lile par Report a ce quil nia que des serfe sur lile et 
     
     quil ne peuve tuer facillement ces ce qui fait quil von yverne a terre ferme. 
     
    

    
     (fol. 437] 
     
    

    
     Forest birds. llnia dans cette ille pour oissau des alouette des perdr{ix}1 annabondance des 
     
    
   
   
    
     tourterelle laiste des pique-bois des grive des ibou des aiprevie{r)1 des aigle fort gros 
     
     des airon des oisaux mouche des mesange des Rosignole des merle et des etournaux. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Forest mammals || ma pomt de casetor par Raport a ce qunl ma pomt de lac a ce que 1e crous m de 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ those present por{c}1 pique parce quil nia point de montagne Ilia des serfe et point dorignaux Ilia 
     
     and absent. des loutre des marte an quantite baucoup de Renard et des ecureux de [volan?] et de 
     
     toutes facon des loup dune prodigieuse groseur M. godeville annan envoye une paux 
     
     a M’ lamirale. (fol. 437v] 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 5, fols. 436-437v] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The fol/o wing is the same extract in standard French spelling 22 
     
    
   
   
    
     Woods of all l’ile est trés belle, fort unie, ll y a quantité de beaux bois de toutes sortes de 
     
     qualities. qualité, beaucoup de prairies. Les terres sont fort rouges. H y a plusieurs opinions 
     
     sur la qualité des terres: les uns disent qu’il les faudra fumer, d’autres disent que 
     
     non. lfol. 436] 
     
    
   
   
    
     l'on peut faire dans cette ile des moulins a scie qui donnerait un grand profit car il y 
     
     a des pins pour des planches et du chéne pour du bordage. J’ai fait construire cette 
     
    
   
   
    
     Pine and oak. 
     
    
   
   
    
     43