La Malbaie, Québec, Canada (Murray Bay) (Saint-Etienne-de-la-Malbaie) (Saint-Fidèle) (Pointe-au-Pic)
1832 - MURRAY BAY or MALBAY,

seigniory, in the co. of Saguenay, is one of the three grants en fief et seigneurie, which have been made by the British government; it extends from the S. of Eboulmens, along the St. Lawrence, as far as the river Malbay that divides it from Mount Murray. - 4 leagues in front by 3 in depth. Granted Apr 27, 1762, to Captain John Nairn, and now belongs to Mrs. Nairn. This seigniory contains but a very small portion of cultivated land in comparison to its size. The best settlements range along Malbay river for about 6 miles. It contains a church, parsonage-house, corn and saw-mills, and a well-built manor-house belonging to the proprietor of the seigniory. - The rivers are only sufficient to work the mills. The principal lakes aer Nairn, Anthony and Ste. Marie, and are in the rear of the S. Lake Nairn is on the rear boundary line, and Lake Anthony, which is much smaller and discharges itself into it, is near its N.E. side. Little Lake or Lake Ste. Marie is S.E. of the others about 1 1/ 2 mile. - No lands were conceded prior to 1759, and the non-conceded lands are not surveyed, and have no road through them. 9 1/ 2 arpents is the largest quantity of land possessed by one individual., and 12 persons hold lands of the seignior of 6 arpents and above: 98 possess lands of less than 3 arpents, an exact classification of which would be very difficult; these lands being very high, are for the most part dry and of middling quality. - The valleys in this S. on account of the north winds that rush down them early in the autumn, are exposed to injurious frosts. - The Bay enters deep into the north shore, and the greater proportion becomes dry at low water. The land which encloses the bay is rather elevated and rocky, but, between it and the high water-mark on the western side, there is a flat or gently undulated alluvial soil, most of which is sandy. - This S. and its neighbourhood have long been remarkable for the frequency of earthquakes. Shocks are most frequent in January and February; their direction appears to be N.W.; the duration and movement is about one minute, and notice of the coming motion is generally given by a noise like a chimney on fire, sometimes accompanied by two distinct blows. The weather is sometimes sultry, previously at other times cold; in the former case, the weather becomes cold after the shock, and in the latter, mild: in short, a shock is always accompanied by a change of weather. Shocks occur about nine or ten times a year, and are more generally observed in the night than in the day. When they happen in foggy weather it clears up subsequently. About 37 years ago the shocks were much more violent.

Population 1875
Churches, R.C. 1
Corn-mills 2
Saw-mills 15
Carding-mills 1
Fulling-mills 2

A Topographical Dictionary of The Province of Lower Canada by Joseph Bouchette, Esq., London, 1832

Visit La Malbaie, Québec, Canada (Murray Bay) (Saint-Etienne-de-la-Malbaie) (Saint-Fidèle) (Pointe-au-Pic)
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.