16 The French in Prince Edward Island

in 1635, he had been engaged in fishing and lumber- ing at Rossignol and La Have. When Razilly had been succeeded by Daulnay Charnisé and the western part of Acadia had been granted to La Tour, Denys seems to have been given some special control of eastern Acadia from Cap de Canseau to Cap de Rosiers, including the islands of the Gulf of St. Lawrence—a widely scattered domain uninhabited save by the wandering Indian and the equally no- madic fisherman. He established a sedentary fishery at Chedabouctou, investigated the possibilities of Cape Breton and founded a trading post at Miscou. In the meantime a conflict had broken out between Charnisé and La Tour, almost as disastrous to the colony as the previous invasion of the New England- ers had been; and Charnisé in the pride of victory expelled Denys from Miscou. On the death of Char- ~ nisé he concentrated his efforts on Cape Breton, and with his brother Simon built forts and attempted set- tlement at St. Peters and St. Annes. But from here also he was expelled by agents of Charnisé’s widow. After prospecting at Nepisiguit he returned to St. Peters but was caught at a disadvantage by Le Borgne, a creditor of Charnisé, who destroyed his nascent establishments ‘and carried him prisoner to Port Royal. On being released he proceeded to France and on December 3, 1653, secured from the Company of New France and Miscou a grant of the territory over which he had recently roamed with such varied fortune in return for a payment of 15,000 livres and on condition of planting within the