Cape Breton Places & Foods

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia stretches 500 kilometres on a southwest-northeast axis from Cape Sable to Cape North, the shape of the province is often compared to that native delicacy, the lobster, with Cape Breton Island representing the outstretched claws, preparing to nip unsuspecting Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait.

The outstanding geographical fact about Nova Scotia is not the land, but the sea. The province is virtually an island connected to the rest of Canada by the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto. No point of land is more than 55 kilometres from the coastline. Cape Breton is an island joined to the mainland by the Canso Causeway. It is the sea that has carved the wild and ragged shoreline of the Atlantic coast and the sea that creates the wondrous tides of the Bay of Fundy. It is the sea upon which the first European settlers arrived and the sea from which they pulled their livelihood in once bursting nets. It is the sea for which they built ships to sail to other seas, bringing back goods rare and precious and tales even stranger. Not surprisingly, it is to the sea that Nova Scotians today are looking for new sources of wealth from offshore oil and gas.

The province can be divided into three distinct physiographic regions - the lowlands, the uplands and the highlands, which in tum may be subdivided into distinct sub-regions. The lowlands include the fertile Annapolis Valley, the low-lying areas around the Northumberland Strait and large parts of Cape Breton Island. The geology is primarily sedimentary and it is in these areas that most of Nova Scotia's rich coal seams are located. These coasts tend to be low and flat, and there are few good harbours. The shoreline is characterized by sandbars and occasional dunes. Bathers can often wade many hundreds of metres on these sandbars when the tide is out.

The Atlantic uplands comprise an area equal to half the province, running from Cape Canso, Guysborough County, to the extreme southern tip, including all of Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg counties, and most of Digby, Halifax and Guysborough counties. The uplands are a mass of Pre-Cambrian hard granite and quartzite, interspersed with belts of weaker slate. l'he area has been heavily glaciated with the result that much of the soil has been scraped away and redeposited in numerous glacial formations, the most famous of which is the drumlin that forms Halifax's Citadel Hill.

Nova Scotia The coastline of the uplands region is deeply indented, forming many good harbours, some of which are considered outstanding. Hundreds of islands dot the landscape along the entire Atlantic coast, most notably at St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. Reefs and shoals abound, accounting for the many lighthouses erected along this coast. In many ways the Atlantic uplands coast epitomizes the North Atlantic coastline with its bare granite sheets plunging headlong into the raging surf to produce an awesome cataclysm between land and sea. When people think of Nova Scotia, they usually envisage the rocky granite shores of the uplands.

The highlands are those parts of the province where metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks have either intruded through the preexisting lowland sediments or resisted erosion to a better degree than the surrounding softer rock. The Cape Breton Highlands are the most notable example. The Cobequid Mountains of Cumberland and Colchester counties, the Antigonish highlands, and the North Mountain, which runs parallel with the Fundy shore from Cape Blomidon to Digby Neck, are the other Nova Scotia highlands. Appearing as sharp ridges when viewed from below, the highlands are actually flat tablelands. This may be observed first hand in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. At Ingonish, and at Cheticamp, the Cabot Trail rises to the tablelands, several hundred metres above the sea level.

The outstanding feature of the highlands is rectilinear coastlines. In contrast with the hundreds of bays and peninsulas of the Atlantic coast, the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy and western Cape Breton are virtually straight. Here, uplifted highland cliffs that soar up hundreds of metres directly from the ocean create stretches of spectacular landscapes. Less well known, but no less spectacular, are the cliffs of the Bay of Fundy coast, which are interspersed with fossils and unusual minerals.


Cape Sable - Port La Tour Battle of Loyalty, Father vs Son

Filed under: Cape Sable — admin @ 12:02 am

Cape Sable Port La Tour Battle of Loyalty Father vs Son As we gather in the shadow of the Old Town Clock, I am asking you to get out your map of Nova Scotia for today’s tale. We’ll talk of Claude de La Tour, and his son, Charles,

During the days when Canada was New France, there lived in this country for a number of years a scholarly gentleman named Nicolas Denys, Monsieur Denys, being a scholar, knew that a description of this strange, unreal country would be of interest to those at home in writing a book whose English title is “The Description and Natural History of the Coasts of North America”, and which was published in 1673. It is to this very well written work that we are indebted for today’s tale of a conflict between father and son: a misfortune that dogged the steps of Claude de La Tour.

By 1628, the two de La Tours. Claude the father and Charles the son, had built what is now Cape Sable the most important and strategic fort in all Acadie, Fort St. Louis. For many years, until the fort was superseded by the one at Louisburg in 1715, this stronghold at Cape sable was regarded as a key position for Acadie. 1628, however, found the de La Tours in a situation where it was imperative to have the support of certain powerful men at the court in France, and, in order to maintain their position, and hold their claim on Acadie, Claude de La Tour sailed for France. He was very successful on his mission, and on his return journey to Acadie, he was accompanied by a large French flotilla carrying supplies and reinforcements for Fort St. Louis.

But here began the bad luck which henceforth dogged the steps of Claude. The French ships met with an English fleet under the command of that mighty warrior, David Kirk. A battle followed in which the French were defeated. Kirk captured 18 French vessels, and among his prisoners of war was Claude de La Tour.

Kirk took his prisoner to England, where he was presented at the court of King Charles the First. Now de La Tour was a Huguenot, and King Charles had always been interested in the Huguenots. In a very short time de La Tour had found high favour at the English court, and had married one of the noble ladies of Queen Henrietta Maria’s retinue. This paved the way for the trouble that followed.

The English at this time were very anxious to get a strong foothold in Acadie, and it occurred to Charles the First that now, with de La Tour married to an English lady, it might be possible to win the French noble to the English cause.

It was suggested to de La Tour that he pass over Fort Louis to the English. Claude agreed at once, making only the condition that he and his son remain in charge of the fort, and that they both receive titles from England. This was agreed to, and very soon, in 1630, two ships of war, one of which bore Claude de La Tour and his lady, sailed from England for Fort St. Lois.

They arrived safely in Acadie, and dropped anchor in the harbour in front of Fort St. Louis. As Claude and a party came ashore from the ships he saw that Charles, thoroughly suspicious of any ship flying the English flag, had brought from the fort a group of soldiers, and was waiting for him. Claude landed and after an affectionate greeting between father and son, Charles demanded to know what his father was doing in English ships.

Taking his son to one side, Claude explained the situation, and told briefly all that had happened since he had left Fort St. Louis two years before.

“I have here commissions from King Charles the First of England for both of us,” he concluded. “We are both to made members of the Order of the Garter, and we will stay on at the fort just as we have in the past, except we will fly the English flag instead of the Fleur de Lys.”

Charles looked at his father scornfully.

“Is this the man who was the husband of my mother,” he demanded. “What would she say to such traitorous conduct?”

Claude, who had fully expected Charles to fall in with him at once was just a little concerted by this reply.

“You do not understand,” he said to Charles. “I am older than you and wiser. Here are two ships of war flying the English flag, that crossed the ocean without being once challenged. I left France with a large fleet, flying the French flag; it was immediately attacked and shattered.”

“They were cowards,” growled Charles.

“They were not cowards,” returned Claude.” They were defeated by a superior force…and so it is going to be until the end. I tell you, Charles, the King cannot hold this country against the English.

“And you want to be with the winners!” exclaimed Charles, scornfully.

“I want to be with the winners,” replied Claude, calmly. “I am no longer young, I have a wife to whom I have obligations, I wish to be secure for the rest of my days.”

“I will have nothing to do with it!” cried Charles. “Go tell your English king so!”

Claude searched his son’s face, and saw determination written there. Not until that moment did he realize the position in which he had put himself. He had assured Charles the First and the English court that his son would change his allegiance as readily as Claude himself had, and the English, acting upon Claude’s assurances, had sent out in the two ships only a small garrison to add to the men already at Fort St. Louis. It was not a force large enough to do very much attacking a fort. Claude turned swiftly to Charles.

“What shall I tell the commander of the ships?” he asked.

“I do not care what you tell them,” retorted Charles. “Send them here and I will give them my answer.”

That seemed to be the best thing to do, so Claude sent for the English commanders. Charles bowed courteously before them.

“I thank the King of England, your master, for the favous which he has been pleased to offer me, and I am under great obligation to him for the good will which he shows to me; but I have a master fully able to appreciate and reward my loyalty to him. I cannot consider surrendering the fort, or accepting any commission or rewards other than those to which my master is pleased to give me.” He said.

The commanders looked at one another in dismay. This was not at all what they had expected. They argued their arguments and pleas to Claude, but to no purpose. At last Claude decided that it was no use trying to do anything until the next day, at least.

“This would be well thought over until the morrow,” he said to Charles. “I will send for my lady and your new mother and I will spend the night with you in Fort St. Louis.”

Charles eyes blazed.

“She is not my mother,” he flashed. “If my mother were alive, she would die of grief to hear her husband speak the words of treachery that you have spoken to me!”

“You have not met her, Charles,” said Claude

“I do not intend to meet her,” cried Charles. “You shall not enter Fort St. Louis…neither you or your wife.”

With those words he turned away and left his father

There was nothing for Claude to do but return to the ships, which is what he did. Through the night, he held a council with the commanders, during which they treated him with scant respect for having misled them so badly regarding Charles’ stand.

The following morning, Claude did not again land, but he sent a letter to Charles, in which he summarized all the arguments which he had, to make Charles surrender. He ended by saying that if Charles would not willingly yield, they were determined to make him yield by force, and he cautioned Charles not to bring upon himself the anger of the King of England. This letter was taken to Charles by an officer of one of the ships.

Charles did not even deign to send written reply. Instead, he sent a verbal replay by the same messenger who had brought the letter. It was terse, and very much to the point.

“My father and commanders of the ships may do as they think best,” he said. “For my part, my garrison and I are quite ready to receive them at any time.”

The following day the ships landed a force before Fort St, Louis, and a battle which lasted all day and all night began. Attempt after attempt was made by the English to force an entrance into the fort, but every attempt was turned back by the garrison. Then they tried to set the wooden fort on fire, but so withering a fusillade was maintained by those in the fort that the English could not come near enough to accomplish their design.

Losses to the English were quite heavy during this attempt at forcing the fort, while the garrison, behind the heavy wooden stockade, suffered very lightly.

The next day, in an effort to frighten Charles into surrendering the commanders brought on shore every man in the ships, soldiers and sailors alike. During the latter part of the night, they made entrenches near the corners of the fort. They placed their men in these trenches, and poured a heavy fire upon the fort.

But Charles was not a man who was easily frightened. With some of the spirit that his mother had shown years before, he met the increased attempts to captured the fort with redoubled efforts to hold it, and once more the English losses were heavy.

Towards the close of that day, the commanders of the ships held a council, at which Claude was present. They told him very plainly that they had not enough men to carry on a siege with so determined resistance against them and they reproached him again with having deceived them. The only course left to them, they said, was to return to England and leave Charles in possession of the fort.

At this Charles was thunderstruck. He did not dare to return to England, for he was almost certain of punishment for his outwitting deceit if he did. To go back to France would even be worse; in that country he would assuredly hang as a traitor. To stay in America was almost as impossible. To ad to the misery of the situation, there was his wife. What should he do with her, now that in fact he was a man without a country? He had never made plain to her the exact circumstances in which he would find himself, should there be any slip in the plans which he had made at the English court.

Now however, he was obliged to go to her, and tell her frankly that he was an outlaw, without refuge anywhere. He suggested to her that the best course she could follow would be to return to England with the ships, and leave him to get along the best way he could. But for a second time Claude de La Tour had been fortunate in his choice of a wife. Lady de La Tour refused point-blank to leave her husband, and suggested that he try to make some sort of terms with Charles. This suggestion was immediately supported by the commanders of the ships, who offered to send to Charles any message that Claude might have.

With the help of Lady de La Tour, Claude wrote Charles a second letter, telling his circumstances, and asking Charles for his protection. A reply, this time written, was brought back by the messenger saying that while Charles would never again permit Claude to enter Fort St. Louis, he would be welcome to land, and would be cared for as long as he wished to stay.

Claude and his lady were taken to the wood flanked shores, and the two English ships sailed away. At once Charles set his men to work building a log cabin for his father and the Lady de La Tour, just outside the borders of the fort. The cabin was soon built and supplies from the fort were taken to it.

From that day on, Claude and the Lady de La Tour lived in their log hut beside Fort St. Louis. When the supplies were exhausted, they were replenished from the fort; but never did either of them set foot within the fort; that they wished to betray the English.

And that, ladies and gentleman is the end of the story of the two de La Tours. Claude the father, and Charles the son, of whom plenty more was heard, and who later established himself in Saint John where his name is honoured today.

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