Mice swarmed through the countryside, creating hardships in many communities. Hordes of the little creatures burst from the woods de- vouring crops, and overrunning houses. In their forward rush, they plunged into the water and drowned, and then washed up on the beaches like so much seaweed. They terrorized people and animals and caused so much destruction that they left widespread hunger in their wake. The earliest outbreak was reported about 1720 while the Island was under French rule. The town of Souris takes its name from the rodents as la souris is French for mouse.

We dont know what kind of problems _ this plague may have created for Vere and his family. Per- haps because of their isola- tion they escaped the worst J of the infestation. There doesnt appear to be any | ee ana et specific reference to how — a a eae - yet. 3 ae “ the mice affected people “Field Mice in the Murray Harbour area, but if there were serious crop losses it would have been a severe blow to a family relying on their first har- vest to get through the winter.

An article in The Island Magazine by Ian MacQuarrie provides an in depth account of the mice plagues between 1720 and 1820.

While the Island residents were battling rodents on land, the threat from the sea was easing. With the Napoleonic wars in Europe going well, Britain was able to turn its attention to the conflict in North America. By the middle of 1813 more British warships were freed for service in the western Atlantic. This led to a blockade of the entire eastern seaboard of the United States and eliminated the threat to shipping in Atlantic Canada. With the American privateers confined to port, the Cambridge vessels were now able to sail to and from Britain without fear of loss. The war ended in December, 1814, with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.

The war might be over but there was another threat on the hori-

34