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CAPE BRETON

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 225 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CAPE See also:

BRETON , the See also:north-See also:east portion of Nova See also:Scotia, See also:Canada, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait, known as the Gut of Canceau or Canso. Its extreme length from north to See also:south is about 110 m., greatest breadth about 87 m., and See also:area 3120 sq. m. It juts out so far into the See also:Atlantic that it has been called " the See also:long See also:wharf of Canada," the distance to the See also:west See also:coast of See also:Ireland being less by a thousand See also:miles than from New See also:York. A headland on the east coast is also known as Cape Breton, and is said by some to be the first See also:land made by See also:Cabot on his voyage in 1497-1498. The large, irregularly-shaped, See also:salt-See also:water lakes of See also:Bras d'Or communicate with the See also:sea by two channels on the north-east; a See also:short See also:ship See also:canal connects them with St See also:Peter's See also:bay on the south, thus dividing the See also:island into two parts. Except on the north-west, the coast-See also:line is very irregular, and indented with numerous bays, several of which See also:form excellent harbours. The most important are Aspy, St See also:Ann's, See also:Sydney, Mira, See also:Louisburg, Gabarus, St Peter's and Mabou; of these, Sydney See also:Harbour, on which are situated the towns of Sydney and North Sydney, is one of the finest in North See also:America. There are numerous See also:rivers, chiefly rapid See also:hill streams not navigable for any distance; the largest are the Denys, the Margaree, the Baddeck and the Mira. See also:Lake Ainslie in the west is the most extensive of several fresh-water lakes. The See also:surface of the island is broken in several places by ranges of hills of moderate See also:elevation, well wooded, and containing numerous picturesque glens and See also:gorges; the See also:northern promontory consists of a See also:plateau, rising at Cape North to a height of 'Soo ft. This northern projectionis formed of Laurentian See also:gneiss, the only instance in Nova Scotia of this formation, and is fringed by a narrow border of carboniferous rocks. South of this extends a See also:Cambrian See also:belt, a continuation of the same formation on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia.

On various portions of the west coast, and on the south See also:

side of the island at Seacoal Bay and Little See also:River (See also:Richmond See also:county), valuable seams of See also:coal are worked. Still more important is the Sydney coal-See also:field, which occupies the east coast from Mira Bay to St Ann's. The outcrop is plainly visible at various points along the coast, and coal has been See also:mined in the See also:neighbour-See also:hood from a very See also:early See also:period. Since 1893 the operations have been greatly extended, and over 3,000,000 tons a See also:year are now shipped, chiefly to See also:Montreal and See also:Boston. The coal is bituminous, of See also:good quality and easily worked, most of the seams dipping at a See also:low See also:angle. Several have been mined for some distance beneath the ocean. See also:Slate, See also:marble, See also:gypsum and See also:limestone are quarried, the latter, which is found in unlimited quantities, being of See also:great value as a See also:flux in the blast-furnaces of Sydney. See also:Copper and See also:iron are also found, though not in large quantities. Its See also:lumber, agricultural products and See also:fisheries are also important. Nearly covered with See also:forest at the See also:time of its See also:discovery, it still exports See also:pine, See also:oak, See also:beech, See also:maple and ash. Oats, See also:wheat, turnips and potatoes are cultivated, chiefly for See also:home See also:consumption; horses, See also:cattle and See also:sheep are reared in considerable See also:numbers; See also:butter and See also:cheese are exported. The Bras d'Or lakes and the neighbouring seas See also:supply an abundance of See also:cod, See also:mackerel, See also:herring and See also:whitefish, and the fisheries employ over 7000 men.

See also:

Salmon are caught in several of the rivers, and See also:trout in almost every stream, so that it is visited by large numbers of tourists and sportsmen from the other provinces and from the See also:United States. The Intercolonial railway has been extended to Sydney, and crosses the Gut of Canso on a powerful See also:ferry. From the same strait a railway runs up the west coast, and several shorter lines are controlled by the See also:mining companies. Of these the most important is that connecting Sydney and Louisburg. Numerous steamers, with Sydney as their headquarters, ply upon the Bras d'Or lakes. The inhabitants are mainly of Highland Scottish descent, and Gaelic is largely spoken in the See also:country districts. On the south and west coasts are found a number of descendants of the See also:original See also:French settlers and of the See also:Acadian exiles (see Nova SCOTIA), and in the mining towns numbers of Irish are employed. Several See also:hundred Mic Mac See also:Indians, for the most See also:part of mixed See also:blood, are principally employed in making baskets, See also:fish-barrels and butter-firkins. Nearly the whole See also:population is divided between the See also:Roman and Presbyterian See also:creeds, and the utmost cordiality marks the relations between the two faiths. The population is steadily increasing, having risen from 27,580 in 1851 to over 1oo,000 in 1906. There is some See also:evidence in favour of early Norse and Icelandic voyages to Cape Breton, but they See also:left no trace. It was probably visited by the Cabots in 1497-1498, and its name may either have been bestowed in remembrance of Cap Breton near See also:Bayonne, by the Basque sailors who early frequented the coast, or may commemorate the See also:hardy mariners of See also:Brittany and See also:Normandy.

In 1629 See also:

James See also:Stewart, See also:fourth See also:Lord See also:Ochiltree, settled a small See also:colony at Baleine, on the east side of the island; but he was soon after taken prisoner with all his party by See also:Captain See also:Daniell of the French See also:Company, who caused a fort to be erected at Great Cibou (now St Ann's Harbour). By the See also:peace of St Germain in 1632, Cape Breton was formally assigned to See also:France; and in 1654 it formed part of the territory granted by patent to See also:Nicholas Denys, Sieur de Fronsac, who made several small settlements on the island, which, however, had only a very temporary success. When by the treaty of See also:Utrecht (1713) the French were deprived of Nova Scotia and See also:Newfoundland, they were still left in See also:possession of Cape Breton, and their right to erect fortifications for its See also:defence was formally acknowledged. They accordingly transferred the inhabitants of Plaisance in Newfoundland to the See also:settlement of See also:Havre a 1'Anglois, which soon after, under the name of Louisburg,, became the See also:capital of Cape Breton (or Ile Royale, as it was then called), and an important military See also:post. Cod-fishing formed the See also:staple See also:industry, and a large See also:contraband See also:trade in French wines, See also:brandy and See also:sugar, was carried on with the See also:English colonies to the south. In 1745 it was captured by a force of See also:volunteers from New See also:England, under See also:Sir See also:William Pepperell (1696-1759) aided by a See also:British See also:fleet under See also:Commodore See also:Warren (1703-1752). By the treaty of See also:Aix-la-Chapelle, the See also:town was restored to France; but in 1758 was again captured by a British force under See also:General Sir See also:Jeffrey See also:Amherst and See also:Admiral See also:Boscawen. On the conclusion of hostilities the island was ceded to England by the treaty of See also:Paris; and on the 7th of See also:October 1763 it was united by royal See also:proclamation to the See also:government of Nova Scotia. In 1784 it was separated from Nova Scotia, and a new capital founded at the mouth of the See also:Spanish river by See also:Governor Desbarres, which received the name of Sydney in See also:honour of Lord Sydney (Sir See also:Thomas See also:Townshend), then secretary of See also:state for the colonies. There was immediately a considerable influx of settlers to the island, which received another important See also:accession by the See also:immigration of Scottish Highlanders from 1800 to 1828. In 182o, in spite of strong opposition, it was again annexed to Nova Scotia. Since then, its See also:history has been uneventful, chiefly centring in the development of the mining industry.

BIn1.IOGRAPHY.—Historical: See also:

Richard See also:Brown, A History of the Island of Cape Breton (1869), and Sir See also:John Bourinot, See also:Historical and Descriptive See also:Account of Cape Breton (1892), are both excellent. See also Denys, Description geogr. et hist. See also:des cafes de l'Amerique septentrionale (1672) ; Pichon, Lettres et memoires du Cap Briton (176o). General: Reports of See also:Geological Survey, 1872 to 1882-1886, and 1895 to 1899 (by Robb, H. See also:Fletcher and See also:Faribault) ; H. Fletcher, The Sydney Coal See also:Fields, Cape Breton, N.S. (1900); Richard Brown, The Coal Fields of Cape Breton (1871 ; reprinted, 1899).

End of Article: CAPE BRETON

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