Cape Breton's Magazine

Capt. Holland's Plan for Cape Breton,1767 The map that follows is a monument to ear? ly and deliberate underdevelopment of Cape Breton Island. It is the work of Capt. Sam? uel Holland and his survey crews, undertak? en from 1765 to 1767. Holland returned to North America (he had been here at the sec? ond taking of Louisbourg, 1758), sent as part of England's stocktaking of holdings acquired from France via the Treaty of 1763. To accompany the map, Holland pre? pared descriptions of the island for the British Board of Trade--the fullest of them a step-by-step journey around the coasts and the inland lake shores, detail? ing uses of each placet under the French, the current situation, and possibilities revealed by his examination of the land and its remaining inhabitants. He does not come across to us as a visionary. He of? fers a reasonable survey and plan for set? tlement and economic exploitation. He cer? tainly knew that Cape Breton was not an easy place to live. He had withstood hard? ships in an open boat to get navigational soundings, grabbed his astronomical obser? vations (in order to establish longitude and latitude) at Louisbourg on rare clear days, managed his crews with little loss of life or equipment--and synthesized the findings to produce a meticulous, attrac? tive map. He looked forward to further set? tlement of Cape Breton, and so he divided the island into manageable parish units, and named or re-named nearly every part of it with decidedly British names. He called the island Cape Britain. But in the end his recommendations were not taken up by the Board of Trade with any vigour; and while some of his recommendations were e- ventually realized, ,,there is no evidence that it was through his particular efforts. Few of his hopes for the place, or the place names themselves, ever took hold. From Holland's Description of Cape Breton Island (Nov. 10"] 1768) : "Having made the Circuit of the Island, & in a general Man? ner described each Part, it remains now to draw some Inference therefrom. It is very 24-HOUR SERVICE Owned and Operated by Syl MacDonald Baddeck Ambulance Ltd. 295-2200 Fully Trained, Experienced Personnel BRIAND'S CAB Cape Breton TOURS CABOT TRAIL 564-6161 564-6162 Fortress Louisbourg Graham Bell Museum Miners Museum Gaelic College see the beautiful C'die coopetMoi' f_p Insurance Services '' For All Your Personal Coverage, Call: SYDNEY 539-6315 (toll free) GLACE BAY 849-4547 NEW WATERFORD 862-3350 PORT HAWKESBURY 625-0640 NORTH SYDNEY 794-4788 MABOU 945-2514 LOUISDALE 345-2199 CHETICAMP 224-3204 A COMPREHENSIVE FARM PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE HANDCRAFT COOPERATIVE Co-operative Artisanale de Cheticamp Limitee p. 0. Box 98, Cheticamp, Inverness Co., N. S. (224-2170) CHETICAMP, N.S. ' , ., ' i . Produit de lame crochete. Finest hooking in virgin wool is our specialty. Aradian i Acadian Meals /'vytA>-iicAi I Soupes - Mets au poisson Museum ' ' '''' ' '' vlande Crepes aux poiranes de terre Let Us Fill Your Next Prescription Our shop is located in Cheticamp on the Cabot Trail. Monday - Sunday 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. May 15 - Oct. 15 (28) Now O Locations in Cape Breton to Serve You: PORT HAWKESBURY CENTRE 625-1404 CAPE BRETON SHOPPING PLAZA 564-8151 MAYFLOWER MALL 539-5080 Operated by Manson Drugs Ltd.