More on the 
     
     fire of 1742. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Tree species. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The fire of 1736. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The fire of 7742. 
     
    
   
   
    
     More on the 
     
     fire of 1742. 
     
    
   
   
    
     1743: 20 October 
     
    
   
   
    
     ll est vray comme le dit Monseigneur [presumably in: ”la lettre que votre Grandeur 
     
     m’a fait l’honneur de m’écrire du 30 juin dernier”] qu’.i| est surprenant que plusieurs 
     
     habitans ayant pery dans l’incendie arrivée a St. Pierre. Le grand espace de Terrain 
     
     que ce feu occupa tout a coup par l’impetuosité du vent qui le transportoit de toutes 
     
     parts dans les bois qui environoit les maisons de ses habitants fit qu’ils se trouverent 
     
     au milieu du feu et ne peuvent traverser au travers des flames. 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 25, fol. 224] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     1738: 10 November 
     
    
   
   
    
     The soils are in general quite good over the whole island. The best however are on 
     
     the north side where the soil has more body and yields much more than elsewhere; 
     
     there are almost everywhere very fine meadows which are of great advantage in 
     
     rearing livestock. One comes across very fine woods on the island of oaks, pines, 
     
     maples. yellow birches, beeches and firs — as much for the building of sea vessels, 
     
     masts, as other uses. The climate there is more pleasant and much finer than on lle 
     
     Royale and there is no doubt that with care and work one could produce there all the 
     
     necessities of life [fol. 271v] 
     
    
   
   
    
     Last year on my arrival on lle Saint-Jean I found most of the residents in great misery; 
     
     they had had much to suffer from the fire that had done great damage on their 
     
     lands [fo|. 272v] 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 20, fols. 271v and 272v] 
     
    
   
   
    
     1742: 14 October 
     
    
   
   
    
     . [the residents] are pleased with this year’s harvest. However there will be some 
     
     who will suffer very much from the fire that happened last June in which two families 
     
     of thirteen persons perished. 
     
    

    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 24, fol. 282V] 
     
    
   
   
    
     1743: 20 October 
     
    
   
   
    
     It is true, as Monseigneur says [presumably in ”the letter.. written on 30 June last"], 
     
     that it is surprising that several residents perished in the fire that happened at Saint- 
     
     Pierre. The large area of the country that the fire suddenly covered due to the speed 
     
     of the wind, which carried it from all parts in the woods which surrounded the houses 
     
     of its residents, resulted in them being in the middle of the fire and unable to get 
     
     across the flames 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 25, fol. 224] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     96