Lot 62: the 
     
     woods from the 
     
     shore. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The woods on 
     
     old burned land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Secondary forest 
     
     on cleared land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Trees as 
     
     indicators of 
     
     soil properties. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Black spruce land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Yellow birch 2 
     
     black birch. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Absence of oak. 
     
     Hemlock land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Pine land. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The trees 
     
     as lumber. 
     
    
   
   
    
     White birch on 
     
     old clearings. 
     
    
   
   
    
     it appeared to be alternately composed of marshes with sandy bays, & of red cliffs 
     
     of 10 to 20 feet high sometimes freestone rock — sometimes earth & sand — the 
     
     land however even on the dry part, has a forbidding appearance — the wood is small, 
     
     & nothing but spruce & birch — scarcely a tree the size of a man's thigh, & great part 
     
     of it evidently quite young — At one place, I went a little into the wood, & saw large 
     
     stumps — I learnt on arriving at Charlotte Town, that all this coast had been laid 
     
     waste by a great fire 30 or 40 years ago: — The soil however appears very poor sand. 
     
     — This is Lot 62, & does not seem to answer the high description J: S: [perhaps John 
     
     Stewart] gave of this quarter of the Island — perhaps the inland part may be better 
     
    
   
   
    
     [pp. 2-3] 
     
    
   
   
    
     Selkirk arrived at Charlottetown on 9 August and after spending several days in the town 
     
     organizing provisions and meeting the local political elite, he set off by boat ”for the 
     
     Settlement at the old French Village called Belfast”, arriving on the evening of 73 August. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Sunday Aug. 14th Being anxious to explore the country in order for laying out the 
     
     different lots we proceeded as expeditiously, by the old French Road or Portage to 
     
     Jenyn or Pinette River — the first half of the way is thro' old French cleared land, 
     
     grown up with small timber of 20 or 30 years growth — the further part is large timber 
     
     with a considerable proportion of Pines etc. mixed with Maple, birch etc. this is 
     
     reckoned good land. — On Pinette we embarked in a Wooden Canoe, leaving the 
     
     people busy in bringing another across the Portage — landed with Mr. Wright the 
     
     surveyor1& walked into the woods, beyond the River — the wood at the edge of the 
     
     River is stunted spruce & has a forbidding appearance — also the soil on being 
     
     scratched up is a white sand at top, but red below — however on going 50 or 100 
     
     yards back there is a great deal of Hardwood — Maple. Beech, Birch, black & yellow, 
     
     which grow to a great size, & are a better sign of land than the white. Here and there 
     
     are some Pine, Spruce etc. all which Mr. Wright reckons symptoms of good land —— 
     
     a mixture of Pines augurs fully better than more Hardwoods. Beech 8| Maple alone, 
     
     implies very dry land — Pines alone wet land —— The mixture implies a due medium — 
     
     Black Birch (among Beech & Maple) when abundant, seems also to prove a sufficient 
     
     degree of moisture — & without some sign of moisture the land has not sufficient 
     
     strength for permanent hay, tho’ it will be good pasture & alternate tillage producing 
     
     the best wheat & potatoes when manured. — Black Spruce alone shows land perfectly 
     
     useless, a mere sand, but Red Spruce intermixed with Ash Alder Currants etc. shows 
     
     a rich swamp capable of being made into excellent meadow. — The Pine is the White, 
     
     Weymouth or New England Pine. — The Yellow birch is said to be the Black Birch half 
     
     grown.— These woods are overspread with underwood — briars raspberries & ground 
     
     Spruce — which seems a kind of yew. The beech tho’ different has a considerable 
     
     resemblance to the English. — I have yet seen no Oak — There are some Hemlock 
     
     Trees which are of a large size, & very grand picturesque appearance, but they are a 
     
     bad sign of the land where prevalent as we found them on the East Branch of Pinette 
     
     River — Where the Pines too are alone the land is generally barren & sandy — They 
     
     give the name of Fir to a species which resembles the Silver fir — There is nothing like 
     
     the Scots fir — the hemlock resembles it most in appearance. The spruce is not unlike 
     
     ours: — they are useful for Logs of houses as they are more frequently of a moderate 
     
     size than other kinds — also the smaller for Rails. The Pines are generally of a great 
     
     size, & make the best boards & shingles. — It is also the timber most in demand as 
     
     lumber. — Hemlock is a shaken wood, & will not even split even but does very well 
     
     for Water Works, & resists rotting. — Bridges — Piers etc. are allways made of 
     
     Hemlock — it is also good for Lath work. — Hemlock is difficult to burn in clearing the 
     
     land. — Pine Stumps are very difficult to rot as well as Hemlock, sometimes 20 or 30 
     
     years. — Going down to Pinette the Shores everywhere appeared poor stunted trees, 
     
     but the appearances better within — the country lies on a bed of rotten red freestone 
     
     & rises from 20 to 50 feet level above the River. [pp. 12-14] 
     
    
   
   
    
     About Pinette & opposite to it are several places covered with young birches, grown 
     
     up over the old French clearings — among these we found by Mr. Wright’s assistance 
     
    
   
   
    
     66