Carrington, Nathaniel T. W. (1837) Travel Journal. [From an extract published 1982 as: 'Carrington’s Journal: The 1837 Visit of a Barbados Planter’. The Island Magazine. 11: 9-15. Ed. by J. C. Brandow.]

Nathaniel Carrington lb. 1801, d. 1855), a Barbados sugar planter, visited Prince Edward Island in July 7837 while on an extended eight month tour of North America for the sake of his wife ’3 health. While on his travels Carrington kept a journal which was written for his children and was not intended for publication. Carrington arrived at Halifax on 74 June by boat from Barbados and after a few weeks stay, he and his wife travelled to Pictou where they caught the steamer for Charlottetown, arriving on 7 July. While on the island they stayed mostly in Charlottetown except for a visit to More// where they spent the night with Charles Worrell, his mother’s first cousin, the proprietor of 700,000 acres of land comprising five townships (Nos. 38 to 42) in northern Kings County. A few days later he also visited Brackley Point, but otherwise his observations are based on what he saw in Charlottetown and its immediate vicinity. After just over a week on the island he returned to Pictou by steamer on 18 July. His comments on the forest are brief, and are concerned primarily with the topic of forest clearance and its effects on soil fertility.

REFERENCE: Brandow, J. C. (1982) Introduction to ‘Carrington's Journal: The 1837 Visit of a Barbados Planter’. The Island Magazine. 11: 9-15.

Tuesday, 11th July Mr Worrell has been resident here for 34 years and is the possessor of 70 thousand acres of land, as he says, but a plan of 1836 shows 5 lots making 100,000 acres. His friends & acquaintances say that he will not give leases for more than 40 years, consequently but a small portion of his land is cleared and farmed as a man to enter on the thick forest cannot clear, erect necessary buildings and make anything of a farm [in] under 12 to 15 years.

It is 7 years at least before he can rid the land of the stumps after having cut down Large "995- & burned the immense timber trees. Judge how thick the stumps must be when I do solemnly affirm that the trees when felled lie as thick on the ground as our canes when cut. Mr. Worrell’s farm being given on such short leases is but partially cleared, as a native would say, but to us (who are not accustomed to such trees as the second growth now presents) it is not cleared at all. The large timber trees on the Second growth. part leased out have been cut down and destroyed in all manner of ways, to the deterioration of the land certainly, as second growth soon succeeds together with all manner of light shrubs 8| weeds which consume the alluvial deposit of the forest and render the land exhausted and unfit for cultivation without being highly manured, the means of which are destroyed. And, again, the 2nd growth does not afford timber to build even a common log house. I, therefore, conclude that he has not 10,000

acres of this immense tract of land properly cleared & cultivated. [p. 11] Bears and game, Bears are said to be frequently seen in this neighbourhood [i.e. of More/l]. Game (birds) are said to be in plenty in the autumn; we only saw 5 pheasants and 3 partridges on our road. lp. 12]

Saturday, the 15th July the island is without doubt a healthy place, well & abundantly watered, good rich soil, plenty of timber, clear pleasant atmosphere,

[p. 13]

131