La Roque, Joseph de (1752) (Military surveyor). Voyage d’inspection du Sieur de la Roque, Recensement 
     
     1752. [French transcription published 1906 in Rapport concernant les Archives canadiennes pour l’année 
     
     7905, Volume II, Imprimerie du Roi, Ottawa. pp. 1468.] 
     
    

    
     Tour of Inspection Undertaken by Sieur de la Roque, Census 1752. [English translation published 
     
     1906 in Sessional Papers, Vol. 7, Part 2, Second Session of the Tenth Parliament of the Dominion of 
     
     Canada, Vol. XL. : Report concerning Canadian Archives for the year 1905, Volume II, Appendix A, Part 
     
     I, pp. 1—172.] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Joseph de la Roque was a military surveyor who was given the responsibility by the governor of Louisbourg, the 
     
     Count de Raymond, for carrying out in 1752 a detailed survey of the human population and resources on l7e Roya/e 
     
     and lle Saint-Jean. It was intended to be a comprehensive census including details on even the number of farm 
     
     animals and the amount of improved land, as well as the capacity of the island '3 harbours for shipping. The l/e Saint- 
     
     Jean part of the census was carried out in August-September 1 752; all of the settlements, which were all on coasts 
     
     and rivers, were visited by boat. As the surviving report shows, the work was carried out to a very high standard, 
     
     which greatly pleased the governor. In the letter of recommendation to the minister in France, Raymond praised La 
     
     Roque as ”a very good man, full of zeal and talent” who “has done wonderful things here for me”. From the letter 
     
     we learn that he was ” the son of one of the King ’8 Musketeers, of good family, and had rendered excellent service 
     
     during the last war”. La Roque had already returned to France late in 7752 to sort out an inheritance in Toulouse, 
     
     and was at the same time seeking promotion as a sub-engineer — Raymond wrote that Franquet (the chief military 
     
     engineer at Louisbourg) had already taught La Roque much. The governor was hoping that La Roque would be 
     
     returning immediately to Louisbourg to assist with a general land survey involving the laying out of concessions on 
     
     the two islands. This however was never carried out, and whether La Roque ever returned to Louisbourg is not 
     
     known. Although the census of 1752 was not designed to assess forest resources in any detail, La Roque did 
     
     record comments on the general character of the woodland near many of the settlements. All appear to be based 
     
     on first-hand observation except for the large cedar wood near Cascumpec, which may be a second-hand report from 
     
     the local inhabitants. 
     
    
   
   
    
     REFERENCES: 
     
     Harvey, D. C. (1926) The French Regime in Prince Edward Island. Yale University Press. pp. 163-74. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Raymond, Comte de (1752) Letter to the Minister, 5 December 1752. [English translation, published 1906 as 
     
     introduction to La Roque’s Report, p. 3.] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     See Figure 6 (p. 10.9) for a map showing the location of the forest descriptions. 
     
    
   
   
    
     GOVe’W’S Island |'|s|e du Gouverneur [Governors Island] est basse et boisée en toutte sorte de bois 
     
     [p- 74] 
     
    
   
   
    
     St. Peters Island. I’lsle du comte Saint Pierre [St. Peters Island] boisée en pin, pruche, sapin et 
     
    
   
   
    
     dericot {.7 should be 'héricot’}, mais peu de ce dernier [p. 75] 
     
     West River. la riviére du Ouest [West River] ses bords sont couverts de toutte sorte de bois, 
     
     mais le dominant est le bois franc [p. 75] 
     
     North RiVer- la riviére du nord [North River] Les terres de ses bords sont d’une qualité egalle a 
     
     celles de la précédente [la riviére du Ouest] et les mémes bois. [p. 751 
     
    

    
     Hillsborough . .. , . . . 
     
     River: 10 la rIVIere du nord est | on peut monter encore avec des bastiments quu portent dlx 
     
     cord boats. cordes de bois 00 est le lieu apellé la grande source. [p. 75] 
     
     ’Birch Point’ la pointe au Boulleau, situé a l’est de l'entrée de la riviére de la Grande Ascension. 
     
     [p. 116] 
     
     ROI/0 Bay. L’ance du havre a Mathieu [Rollo Bay + Eg/inton Cove] les terres des environs de 
     
     ce havre sont couvertes de touttes sortes de bois francs. [p. 124] 
     
    
   
   
    
     103