The Portland daily press., 1896-05-30
HISTORIC LOUlSBURG.
Capt. Bunker's Description of the Modern
Aspect.

Aspect.
The schooner Alicia B. Crosby arrived
Tuesday from Cape Breton with 1896
tons of GOAL, after very quiet passage.
Capt George w. Bunker contributes to
the PRESS the following interesting ac-
count of historic Louisburg and the mod
ern aspect of the famous fortifcation:
To the average American but little is
known OF the island of Cape Breton: and
to thoseswho have vague knowledge ii
is considered as if 1t were away from
tho world. far of toward the rising SUI,
a fog bound, dreary coast during the ma
jor portion OF the year, ice grit and mel
anoholy. And yet in reality in most in
STANCES, the lansdcape is bold and attrao-
tive, comprising beautiful bays, lakes
majestic hills and yslas, the scenery OF
the Great Bras de Or" outrivaling the
Hudson. The summer tourists who are
vending this. wayward are enchanted at
the aspect, the hospitality and general
Intelligence of its inha bitants.
My purpose, however, in this sketch
is to conf1ne 1t to locality of the harbor
and historical features of Ancient Louis
burg, near the extreme section Of the is
land, jutting into the Atlantic.
The harbour of Louisburg is we'll shell
tered from the sea, a cozy, landlocked
retreat of excellent anchorage. Modern
Louisburg principally consists of four
churches and scattering houses, until
recently mostly the abodes Of fishermen.
AT the present the Dominion Coal
Co." terminate their outlet L a lengthy
coal pier, to which vessels of the largest
class receive their oargoes Of coal, which
exists in an unlimited quantity near this
section. The historian is conversant
with the ''old town" Cor city, and forth
fications which existed one hundred and
fifty years ago, upon an arm of land
forming the southern boundary OF the
harDor. One is carried back in oontem-
plation to that period-the struggle of
the eastern giants for colonization of
what was destined to be an important
continent, anu renowned peoples, i'll the
galaxy of nations
Franco put forth herculean efforts to
retain her POSSESSIONS, and selected
among her many others, this MAGNIFICENT
to build up Gibraltar, " hay
ing expended approximately five to six
millions of dollars erecting walls of earth
and masonry more than two miles in
which enclosed the city-an
area Of many acres. a fortress and
all that pertains thereto complete Across
the Cove were The grand Battery"
with its two towers, which commanded
the approach to the harbor, the "Island
etc.
One hundred and fifty years ago, the
tri-colored ensign of France fioated from
citadel and bastiou, the reveills aWoke
The stiffness Of the morning, the bugle
blast the evening solitude, as the "merry
march they played" An epoch of
French prestige More than one hun
bred cannon were mounted upon the
But alas the "Rose of Eng
land' was destined to secure roothge, and
TO outbloom the Lily of France!' Was
1t dination-destiny?
The grand citadel fol- before the va
liant determined New Englanders, de-
scendants of Puritanism
| visited the ancient, solitary ruins,
but traces of former grandeur and glory.
demolished after the second capture of
Wolfe. A few classmates are still to be
seen in crumbling ruins, which serve rs
a shelter for the meek sheep, while
brick and mortar and eemept are inter-
spersed among the stones which were
not left Zone upon another,'' SO complete
the razing and demolishmeat!
Beyond the "sea WALL" the broken
posts of which remain perpendicular
and in a remarkable state of preserva-
ton, is the abode of the dead. There
Saxon and Gaul repose peacefully side
by side; the ground is thickly covered
with the red stones which mark their
graves. All WAS quiet that Sabbath day,
as we wandered over this famed locality.
A wierd tinge of melancholy pos
sessed my spirit as the gray sea, Shaded
by olouded atmosphere, fretted the
oceanward portion of the locality in the
yioinityzof Black Rock" from which
we're blasted and removed, little dis
tant, thousands Of tons in the attempt to
obliterste this object, seward of which
ships might lie unexposed, and shell
the city and works
2 express melancholy. for to me it
was moro than silent ruins! A rsmini-
soence of brave pioneers, valiant
people two centuries agone. The mighty
effort of mep, the indomitable will to
COLOMBO and hold, the vanity of human
pursuits, unless che Lord be with peo-
plel Perchance my emotions were in
tensified from consanguinity, nay pater-
nal ancestors having first breathed the
air of sunny Franco Hugusnots,
who sought our New England shores a
century previous to the construction of
this modern "Dunkirk. * A
graceful monument of ST. George granite
stands just beyond sthe "moten outside
the walls, erected last season, as a re-
minder of the past. Of late much In
terest centres here, largely no doubt in
view of the part performed by thu Mas
saohusetts men in reducing this fortress
But l have already passed the bounds of
brevity, and close with this sad in
Ichabod" upor the pages of
GEORGE W. BUNKER.
TIE MizhRp,e MjIEE