, 1900-11-14
II CHOCOLATE KING
OF ANTICOSTI AND HIS LITTLE
NAVS.
Sketch OF NJ. Menier OF Chocolate Ia me
canadian Authorize, Are Looking
Askamce at His Proc"cdings-Lirrs In
"A Castle When on the Island.

NJ. Menier of chocolate fame, who
recently attracted much attention and
criticism by evicting the Canadian
fishermen from his island of Anticosti,
in the Gulf of st. Lawrence, is now
said to be terrifying his little princi-
pality, and the Canadian authorities
are looking rather askance at the pro.
ceedings OF the man who would be
king" Meuier bought the island sew
eral years ago and paid five cents an
acre for the 1900, 600 acres which it
contains. Then he set to work to
build up his domain and establish
himself as Lord Paramount and the
law and the lawmaker generally for
AnticOsti. He has gone SO far that the
Canadian government has cautioned
him not to exceed his civil rights, and
his status is a burning question at Of
tawa. He lives in a castle, when he
is on the island. and having driven
away the Newfoundland and Canadian
"squatters" has peOpled the land with
Frenchmen, who are more amenable
to his law than to that of the Domin-
ion. He has a navy of two armed YES
sells, which vessels alone are allowed
to carry supplies to the island and to
fetch away its products. These gun
boats, when not employed in trade,
have been cruising about the island
waters with shotted guns run out,
warning all fishermen to keep outside
the "three-mile limit" for the Prince
of Chocolate and Grand Duke of Anti
cost asserts that his jurisdiction, like
that OF other sovereign rulers, extends
a marine league from his shores. Me-
nier has spent vast sums in the i'm
provement of AntiCosti, and it is sur
missed hat the French government is
behind him. At any rate. the French
government sent the cruiser Isly to
make a survey of the waters around
AnticOsti, n an army of French
workmen is employed in making roads
and in improving the bay at Gar
manche, at the western end Of the is
land. When NJ. Menier is not on the
island a French governor lives in
the castle and rules in his stead. An
ticosti abounds in game. and its
streams and the waters which wash
It's shores swarm with fish. The is
land is 1876 miles long. and it's maxi
mum width is forty miles. Until re-
Gently ii was spoken of as a barren
place, and government lighthouse
keepers and the fishermen who had
"squatted" there-mOstly from New
foundland-were its only inhabitants.
But chance visitors to the island be-
gan to speak of its possibilities, and
1t was found to be anything but bar
rem. Most Of the coast is dangerous,
and it was a place of frequent ship
wreck when the winter storms stirred
up to rage and thunder the waters of
the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Menier
own a great and magnificent steam
yacht, in which he travels from France
to his island domain, and in it he fire.
quently steams up to Quebec, where
his arrival makes "A sensation. This
is gratifying to the island prince, and
among the Canadian French he is
looked III, v tn awe. Quebec society.
also. receives him with open arms,
and the French element in the Cana
dian government are disposed to close
a kindly eye to his erection of Anti
into an Independent principal
ity.