road to
Canada is short_."

North of the St. Lawrence is a vast country, which is called New
France. As Old France and Old England struggle for the supremacy in
the old world, so New France and New England struggle for the
supremacy in the new world, and the bone of contention is this very
district alluded to,--this border-ground,--called by the French
L'Acadie, but claimed by the English as Nova Scotia, which bordered
both on New England and New France.

This debatable territory on the map is full of vast waste spaces,
together with the names of savage tribes never heard of before or
since, some of which are familiar names, merely spelled in an unusual
manner, while others owe their origin, perhaps, to the imagination of
the map-maker or his informant. Thus, for example, we have Massasuk,
Arusegenticook, Saga Dahok, and others of equally singular sound.

In this debatable territory are numerous forts, both French and
English. These are situated, for the most part, in the valleys of
rivers, for the very good reason that these valleys afford the best
places for settlement, and also for the further reason that they are
generally used as the most convenient routes of travel by those who
go by land from one post to another. These forts are numerous on the
west of New England; they also stud the map in various places towards
the north. The valley of the St. John, in Nova Scotia, is marked by
several of these. Farther on, the important isthmus which connects
the peninsula of Nova Scotia with the main land is protected by the
strong post called Fort Beausejour.

In this peninsula of Nova Scotia, various settlements are marked. One
is named Minas, which is also known as Grand Pre, a large and
important community, situated in one of the most beautiful and
fertile valleys in America. In the neighborhood of this are a half
dozen points, marked with the general name of French settlements,
while the vacant places between and beyond are marked with the name
Mic Macs, which is the title of the Indians who inhabit Nova Scotia.
One post here, however, possesses a singular interest in the eyes of
the good people of Boston. It is marked on the map by the name of
Annapolis, once the French Port Royal, but now the only English post
of any consequence in all Nova Scotia. Here resides the handful of
Englishmen who claim to rule the province. But the government is a
mockery, and the French set it at defiance. If England wishes to
assert