170 ‘The French in Prince Edward Island 
     
    
   
   
    
     1749, placed the population at 653 for the preceding 
     
     year. In this letter he says, “The census made last 
     
     year shows 128 heads of families making 735 per- 
     
     sons, in which number are included 21 habitans from 
     
     Acadia totalling 82 persons.” It is a pleasure to note 
     
     how nearly these three different estimates approach 
     
     one another and they should discredit completely the 
     
     wild statement of Prevost in 1751 that the new in- 
     
     habitants numbered about 2000 and the old inhabit- 
     
     ants about 1100.° 
     
    

    
     Of live stock, the habitans possessed 98 horses, 
     
     1259 cattle, 799 oxen, 1230 sheep, 1295 pigs, 2393 
     
     hens, 304 geese, 90 turkeys, and 12 ducks. As these 
     
     figures include beasts and fowl of all ages and seem 
     
     to be reliable the mortality among the beasts brought 
     
     over from Acadia by the refugees must have been a 
     
     heavy one. This mortality is referred to in the corre- 
     
     spondence of the period* and may be realized to some 
     
     extent by comparing these figures with the specific 
     
     statement of Prevost that up to November, 1751, the 
     
     Acadians had brought over to the island 2209 horned 
     
     cattle, many pigs, several sheep, and 171 horses. 
     
     These added to the live stock of the ancient habitans 
     
     should have shown a considerable increase even after 
     
     due allowance had been made for probable shipments 
     
     to Louisburg. As it is, the grand total of Sieur de La 
     
     Roque is actually less than the increase from Acadia 
     
     as given by Prevost. This can be explained only on 
     
    
   
   
    
     2F, Vol. 160, p. 108. 
     
     8 C11 IV, Vol. 30, p. 246. 
     
     4 C11 B, Vol. 29, p. 26; C11 IV, Vol. 1%, p. 676,