Cundall, Henry J. (1854-1865) The Diaries ofHenry James Cundall. P.E.l. PARO, Acc. 3466, ser. 72.139.

Henry Cundal/ (b. 7833, d. 7 .9 76) was a successful Charlottetown surveyor who after training with an uncle, became at the age of about twenty the surveyor for the estate of Samuel and Edward Cunard, the largest of the island ’3 absentee landlords who at their greatest extent owned sixteen full townships and parts of five others, making up about one fifth of the land area of the island. By 7863 Cundal/ had opened his own survey office, and within five years he had become an established surveyor and property agent, undertaking various commissions including survey work for the Prince Edward Island Railway. For many of his working years Cundal/ kept a diary in which he recorded comments on the landscape and settlements through which he travelled in connection with his work, especially in the townships belonging to the Cunards. However, it is regrettable that among these copious writings there are virtually no comments on the natural forests or trees — Cundal/ was clearly more interested in the human population and in current events. I have extracted below a few comments that have a peripheral connection with the island ’s forests.

REFERENCES:

Clark, A. H. (1959) Three Centuries and the Island, University of Toronto Press. pp. 52, 97. Rider, P. E. (1998) Cundall, Henry James. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, XIV: 258-59.

Sun. 12 Nov. 1854

Lot one is thickly populated with Acadian French chiefly all the land with the

Barrens. exception of 400—500 acres of barrens. Tues. 14 Nov. 1854 [Re: Acadian farms not using manurez] consequently after some years the land is run out and will not produce enough to remunerate them for their labour, they retire to farms in the woods which in a few years will be in the same state as those they left first Fri. 17 Nov. 1854

Barrens [Lot] 21 is nearly all settled with the exception of a few hundred acres of barrens,

' that is land on which the fire has run over and destroyed all vegetation for the time.

Tue. 27 July 1855

Swamp. Lots 63 & 64 the land is very good in parts but with a considerable swamp interspersed.

Burnt land

Little Sands considerable burnt land and barrens on both sides of the Murray River and barrens.

. at head of [Murray] river a large dam at which Mr. Cambridge who formerly owned the land had mills which drove 48 saws at one time but the man who occupies the place now has only one going.

Wed. Sept 3 1865

— Malpeque Rd, off at new road at Rattenburys which I had to inspect — found a

Windfal/s. . great many wmdfalls.

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