Monro, Alexander (1855) New Brunswick; with a Brief Outline of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. R. Nugent, Halifax. 384 pp. [Facsimile reprint: 1972 by Mika Studio.]

Alexander Monro (b. 78 73, d. 7896) included a short chapter on Prince Edward Island in his encyclopaedic style book on New Brunswick. It is not known whether he ever visited the island — though he spent almost his whole life just across Northumberland Strait at Baie Verte where he was a surveyor, and briefly, a journalist. His 2 7 -page chapter on the island includes sections on its geography, history, civil divisions, climate, geology, agriculture, education, postal arrangements, light houses, and fisheries. In the section titled ’General Description’ there is a brief comment on the state of the forests and a list of the principal tree species — this is very much less than the seven pages he allocates to the trees of New Brunswick and the three pages to those of Nova Scotia. His description of the island ’3 forests is largely based on Gesner’s l 7846) report, to which he makes reference in the section on the island ’s geology ~ it thus contains no original information on the island ’3 forests.

REFERENCE: Swanick, E. L. (1990) Monro, Alexander. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Xll: 752—53.

...there are numerous small peat bogs on the island, the largest is near Cascumpeque;

Peat [3093' these will be very useful hereafter by affording a supply of fuel, when the beautiful forests now clotting [sic] a large portion of the country, shall have given place to the plough;

Tree spec/es. The Forest Trees of the island are similar to those of the neighbouring continent, consisting principally of maples, beech, birches, poplars, larch, spruce, cedar, hemlock, fir, and other kinds of trees, besides great varieties of shrubs, &c. Repeated

Forest fires, as well as the operations of the shipbuilder and lumberman, have made great

dBSI’UCT/On- havoc among the woods, and the time is less distant in this than with regard to either of the neighbouring colonies, when the forests of the country will cease to supply its own wants. Indeed the soil of the island is too well calculated for the growth of

Indifference agricultural produce for it to be allowed to remain much longer covered with its

to forest primeval forests; and when they cease to supply fuel, ship-timber, or lumber, the

conservation. surrounding colonies will have abundance of coal and timber to meet these wants,

and they will be glad to take the wheat, oats, and other grains for which its arable lands are so highly famed.

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