Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-23
THE GARDEN SPOT
OF NOVA SCOTIA
A. w. Lee Writes of Ancient
Forts and Citien in
Canadian Land.
HOW ROYALTY is REVERED BY PEOPLE
Healthful and Strong Physiques Are
Characteristic of the Canadian PEG
ple-They Are Genial and Hospital
BILE to Strangers in the Extreme.

SHdrdCteTistiC OF the canadian REQ
ple-They Are Genial and Hospital
BILE to Strangers in the Extreme.
Digby, Nova Scotia, Sept.
Correspondence, Let
ter Number 5)-From Wolf
vile, which is regarded as head
quarters for those who visit what is
specially denominated "The Land of
Evangeline," we came to Annapolis,
and then to Digby, where we will
spend three days, and then, with the
realization that our summer vacation
is ended, will begin the journey home,
ward.
The Old Port Royal Fort.
Annapolis is the Port Royal of the
old French regime. AS we stood upon
the ramparts of the very fort where in
times past, so many brave men had
fought and died, long panorama of
historical events, indelibly associ->
ated with the spot passed in mental
review Here, few miles down and
across the Annapolis river, was estab--
lished the second Oldest settlement on
the American continent and in 1906
the French were living on the site of
the present town. Here in 1913 came
Argal from the struggling English set
Element in Virginia to destroy the
French, which he did all too effectual--
ly, leaving the place a smoking ruin.
with the settlers driven into the
woods. 1t seems incredible, with all
the vast American continent at their
disposal, that the country was not big
enough for even two struggling little
colonies, one being English and the
other French, so great wa5 the hatred
between the two nations. Hence it
was that Argal sailed thousand miles
from one puny settlement in the
American wilderness to try to wipe
another equally weak off the face of
the earth.
Then as the years went by. came,
with their rival claims to territory and
sovereignty, the energetic, resourceful
and persistent LaTour and the highly
connected, determined, but despicable
and despotic Charnisay, or D'Aunay,
as his name is given by Parkman
Here at Annapolis, was the fort of
Charnisay. Across the Bay of Fundy,
fifty miles away, was the fort of La
Tour. The fratricidal struggle, carried
to the bitterest extremes, between
these two Frenchmen and their fol-
lowers, into which even the Puritans
of New England were unwittingly
drawn is we'll known to all students
of American history. The apparent
entire success of Charnisay; the tragic
death of the intrepid and dashing Ma,
dam LaTour; then the accidental death
.of Charnisay, resulting in the com.
plete triumph of LaTour and ending
with the marriage of LaTour and the
widow OF Charnisay, comprises one of
the most interesting and dramatic in
cidents of American history. The
story IS splendidly told by Parkman,
and after having read it, to stand upon
this old fort. and call up in mental re.
view the facts there set out is an en-
joyable experience.
For over leo years the French ''held
the FORT but in ITO, after a severe
struggle, it was captured by the Eng.
lish and the Anglo-SaXon has been in
possession ever since. At that time
the name was changed from Pert Roy.
al to Annapolis, in honor of Queen
Anne of England The old fort is still
in good state of preservation, and
the magazine, built of heavy stone ma
sonry, probably the Oldest building
standing in America. Today Annapo-
lis, like nearly all the towns and vii.
lagos in this garden spot" of Nova
| Scotia, offers many attractions to tour
lists and will repay more or less ex-
tended visit. 1t is reached by the d.
minion & Atlantic railway.
The City of Dieby.
| Digby is city of some 1900 inhab,
itants, situated on the Annapolis ba.
sin, on the shores of the splendid har.
Dor formed by the opening into the
Bay of Fundy, known by the express
| sive, but somewhat inelegant name OF
"Digby Gut" This majestic passage
/ known of old as st. Georges channel
| (also that The name should have sc
degenerated) is a Titanic cleft in the
range of North Mountain. it is nearly
two miles long and about half mile
in width. Its shores rise precipitously
hundreds of feet, and the sleeps arc
darkly wooded and scanned with land
slides. There is little of early histori
cal association connected with Digby
which was founded in 1888 by Loyal
4 list" emigrants from the United States
Digby is enthusiastically described al
maritime, breezy, tonic" 1t is one
OF the truly charming spots for sum
mer sojourn in 'Acadie." 'rhe roads
throughout all nova Scotia are un
usually fine, making it a great coun
1 try for wheeling ana driving. Digb,
has it's full quota of delightful drive.
and in addition has sailing, canoein.
and fishing. There are good hotels
and boarding houses and living is re
markably cheap. The steamer Prime,
Rupert, of the Dominion and Atlantic
railway company, plies between Digb,
and st. John, N. b., daily, except Sun
day, q distance of forty miles acros
lie Bay on Fundy.
/ st. John, New Brunswick.
| st. John is the largest city in Nev
Brunswick, having a population o
about $4,000 The reader should no
confuse it with ~. Johns, Newfound
land. The two cities are by the ord
nary route of travel over 1000 mile
apart, and in point of time OF goin
4 from one to the other are farther seq
arated than New York and Denver.
st John is locatad M, iha mort