ISLAND; BAY OF SAINT MARY; PORT SAINT MARGARET; AND OF ALL NOTEWORTHY
OBJECTS ALONG THIS COAST.

Sieur de Monts, by virtue of his commission [14] having published in all
the ports and harbors of this kingdom the prohibition against the violation
of the monopoly of the fur-trade accorded him by his Majesty, gathered
together about one hundred and twenty artisans, whom he embarked in two
vessels: one of a hundred and twenty tons, commanded by Sieur de Pont
Grave; [15] another, of a hundred and fifty tons, in which he embarked
himself, [16] together with several noblemen.

We set out from Havre de Grace April 7th, 1604, and Pont Grave April 10th,
to rendezvous at Canseau, [17] twenty leagues from Cape Breton. [18] But
after we were in mid-ocean, Sieur de Monts changed his plan, and directed
his course towards Port Mouton, it being more southerly and also more
favorable for landing than Canseau.

On May 1st, we sighted Sable Island, where we ran a risk of being lost in
consequence of the error of our pilots, who were deceived in their
calculation, which they made forty leagues ahead of where we were.

This island is thirty leagues distant north and South from Cape Breton, and
in length is about fifteen leagues. It contains a small lake. The island is
very sandy, and there are no trees at all of considerable size, only copse
and herbage, which serve as pasturage for the bullocks and cows, which the
Portuguese carried there more than sixty years ago, and which were very
serviceable to the party of the Marquis de la Roche. The latter, during
their sojourn of several years there, captured a large number of very fine
black foxes, [19] whose skins they carefully preserved. There are many
sea-wolves [20] there, with the skins of which they clothed themselves