Secondary woods at Fort Amherst.

Burnt land at Lot 53.

Ship-building.

Coastal forest near Wood Islands.

Comparing the Island woods with Nova Scotia.

The experiment at Point Prim.

them off — In calculating the number of days required for clearing an acre, there seems nothing impracticable in this, but if it can be done by new hands (as McE. says it can) the individuals I have seen must be below par in point of industry [pp. 21-23]

On pp. 24-25 he records the costs of building and operating a saw-mill, as well as on its rate of board production, his main source for this being "Hayden, millwright, near Charlottetown”. Some details fol/o w:

The dam [of mills in general] is framed of large Hemlock logs, between which earth is filled in . Haydon Junr says 4 logs at average furnish 1,000 feet. Jas. Williams reckons 200 ft pr. log at average [pp. 24-25]

The Fort Farm which Abbé Calonne has from Govt. & relets for 40E a year, sells a considerable quantity of butter to the Town -— nearly enough to pay its rent. — Sells also a great deal of hay — This farm was improved by Gov. Patterson & 2 or 300 acres cleared but the greatest part is grown up again with spruces — there is still however above 100 acres of tillage & hay land. The tenant sells hay enough to pay his rent. The land is much worn out by continual cropping and mowing [p. 26]

I resolved to let them [i.e. settlers from Uist who arrived on the Oughton] go to Lot 53 [Se/kirk owned a third of the lot.] The men were all highly satisfied with the situation the Creek too is full of Oysters. — To add to this advantage is a considerable tract of woods burnt a number of years ago, a part of which has burnt again this last year, & remains almost ready for planting. [p. 38]

Many Schooners built in the Island are sold in Newfoundland and to good advantage — It is usual in selling them to reserve the Sails which are brought back [p.41] Added here, but dated ’Octr 1804’ under the heading ’The Total Exports of the Island’ is: The lumber exported has been trifling and irregular. [p.42]

Selkirk left Charlottetown on 7 7 September in what appears to have been a large rowing boat.

Sunday 18th [September] Day light found us very near the spot where I first landed on the Island, we continued with the Ebb along the shore towards Wood Islands, under the high shore apparently much better land than we had landed upon farther west. The Ebb being spent before we reached the Islands we landed to breakfast, at a cove, The land above the Bank —— beech maple & birch with a very few Spruce, as on the North of Point Prim ~ the bank down to the sea is as usual stunted spruces blasted by the wind — this high ridge seems to continue all the way from Wood Islands inland to Belfast behind the low swampy ground which forms the coast towards Flat River.

Caribou Point, & the shores from thence to the entry of Pictou River, seem very similar to St. John’s [i.e. Prince Edward Island], but the banks are more brown than red, & there is more Pine-wood mixed with the Birch & hardwood — a good sign of the land

[pp. 42-43]

Selkirk 's boat reached Pictou later that day, and thence he continued his journey to his other settlement near Lake St. Clair, Ontario, travelling via the United States. Almost a year later, while on his way back to Britain, he again visited his island settlement, and appears to have been on the island for much of October 7804. However, because he no longer maintained his formal diary, his precise movements are not known. The fol/o wing extract comes from notes that he made while on the island:

1804: Octr. 13, 15 8t 17. The Burning at Point Prim was thought unsafe — on that account clear a greater width 2 to 300 feet log [sic] & burn in ordinary way — afterwards fire the point, — Sow grass seeds, & do. in burnt places near Portree.

[p. 347]

69