The Republican journal., 1892-01-14
Louisbourg, 1891.


w fllten 1oI lllc htllUlIlCdL .JouG1ldl.
propose to ask the readers of the Jour
nal to accompany me, for few moments,
while | attempt to describe very briefly
the present aspect OF an old port, once ia
nous in the annals of New England, and
especially of Maine. Nearly a century
and half ago merchant of kittery as
tonished the world 10y the successful ac-
complishment of a pre-. Jet which in its in
ception was considered. even by Franklin,
a piece of supreme folly, and that was the
taking of the great fortress which then
stood ON the eastern coast of Cape Breton.
In the days of the French regime. the pos
session OF Cape Breton was considered in
dispensahle ia the accomplishment of that
grand scheme OF French aggrandisement
which embraced the acquisition of the
whole continents
i.oli,'bourg WAS for years a menace to
Nova Scotia and New England. and
promised to be evcntuallya place of as
great importance from commercial and
national point OF View as the ancient cap
ital OF Quebec But with tie disappear
ance of French dominion. the grass soon
won possession of the ruins OF Louisbour%,
DESTROYED by the British Government in
1860. and the fishermen $ shallops became
the only tenants Of the harbour, where
the t0ude-lys once tloated from many
a stately frigate in the memorable days of
last century. when an ambitious town
looked out on the broad Atlantic, and
France and England were contending for
the supremacy in America. From the
days when Amherst, Boscawen and Wolfe
Won the fortress in 115S, Cape Breton and
its French capital have fallen into obscure
ty, while Quebec still continues to fill no
unimportant place in the fultilment of the
destiny OF Canada. The tourist, in search
of the picturesque, OF the historical stu
dent DESTROYS Of discovering memorials of
the past. always linger long in old Que
bee. amid its quaint houses, converts, and
relics almost medieval in their appearance.
Here statesmen have met in council and
laid the foundation OF the confederation
which now reaches from Cape Breton to
Vancouver the one a sentinel Of the At
lantc approaches of the Dominion. and
the other oi the Pacific Here commerce
has tiourished and the shipping of all ma
tons has tloated on tie waters OF the no.
bic river which carries to the great ocean
away beyond. the tribute OF the Western
inland seas. But for LouisbouIg there
has lecn. duing century and more. iso-
lation and neglect
This old harbour. which is only twenty
four miles from the Capitol of Cape Bret
on. the tlouIishing town of sydney. will
be naturally one Of the first places that the
tourist wishes to see when he visits the
eastern part of the island. My readers
may be reminded that the fortress had a
circumference of about two miles and
quarter. and was built on a neck of land
forming tie southern side OF the harbour
From its strength it Was called the Dun
kirk Of America. y an ,ntrepUt for YES
sells sailing between France and Canada
and for the large fleet annually engaged
in the Newfoundland fisheries. as wei as
for its geographical position at the en-
trance ii the cuff ~ 1T. Lawrence. this
port With lis fortified town was always
considered "f greag value by French
Statesmen AFTER the tleatv ot ltreclIt in
11l:' and tAe ccs>i,n of -Ac;idie to Eng
land. Its pliyMeers constantly Threaten
ed the commerce of the English colonies.
and tie people If MassachuSt It's then in
clr'in4 Maint. Connecticut New Ham,-
Shire and Rhode Island decided to strike
blow al this dang, rou, foe ON the Cape
Breton coast.
In tli- enterprise Aaiue and lIaSsaclu-
sets took the leading part OF the four
Thousand colonial land forces Maine con- /
tributed more than a thousand men.
though lcr tntire fighting tolce did not
reach three thuus;tnd The names of Pen /
perlcil- waldo, and other daring men who
took part in the famous expedition of
ll43 ought never to be forgotten as LONG /
as the world honors courage and heroism. /
The name of Waldo has been perpetuated
in the wide district that rests ON pictur- !
esque Penobscot Bay-the Pentagoet of old
Acadan days-but perhaps there are some
even III well-informed Belfast, that charm /
ing town as | rememberit, who have for !
gotten that this very name is a memorial /
which connects Maine with that distant
forgotten port on Cape Breton's storm
swept coast.
The success of the colonial troops nat
uraly attracted a great deal of interest in
England and France, though no one saw
that they were only gaining experience ,
for Bunker Hill. At the time the Colon
lists were gathering laurcls at Louisbourg. !
the British troops were beaten at Fonte- ;
noy 1--WE are making a bonfire for Cape |
Breton and laundering for Genoa" wrote !
that old gossip Horace Walpole, ''while |
our army is running away in Flanders'' ,
BY the treaty of Aix-la-C hapclle-an in /
famous surrrender-Cape Breton fell once :
int 1,a ,,-J,