William Cormack
Encyclopedia
William Epps Cormack was a Scottish
explorer, philanthropist, agriculturalist and author, born St. John’s
, Newfoundland
. Cormack was the first European
to journey across the interior of the island.
Cormack studied at the University of Glasgow
and the University of Edinburgh
. Then in 1818 he left Scotland
to lead a group of Scottish emigrants to Prince Edward Island
where they settled on the Hunter River near Charlottetown. In 1822, he returned to his native Newfoundland to carry on some family business and property interests.
Cormack decided to undertake a venture never before attempted by a European, to explore the interior of Newfoundland. His other goal was to make contact with the Beothuk
and to establish friendly relationship with the few surviving native peoples.
On September 5, 1822, Cormack’s expedition departed from Smith Sound
, Trinity Bay
, along with his only companion Joseph Sylvester
, a young Mi'kmaq hunter from Bay d’Espoir. By early October, they had reached the centre of the island and came across a hilly ridge, which Cormack named, after his Edinburgh
teacher (Robert Jameson
), Jameson’s Mountains (now Jamieson Hills). They both arrived in St. George’s Bay on November 4 of the same year and never did meet any Beothuk.
Cormack continued on to Little Bay, Fortune, and left for Dartmouth, England, arriving there on February 10, 1823. Cormack had explored and described the interior of the island with an accuracy no subsequent traveller has matched; his Narrative is the undisputed classic of Newfoundland travel. His botanical observations were the most important since those of Sir Joseph Banks
in 1766, and his account of the mineralogy and geology of the interior paved the way for Joseph Beete Jukes in 1840 and for the extension in 1864 to Newfoundland of William Edmond Logan
’s geological survey by Alexander Murray
and James Patrick Howley
. On 22 July, Cormack wrote Lord Bathurst
, the British colonial secretary, enclosing a sketch of the interior of the island and a short account of the route followed, drawing particular attention to the state of the Beothuks and expressing his intention to pursue further inquiries into their condition, as well as to examine further the natural resources of the colony.
Cormack did not give up on his plan to rescue the remnants of the tribe from extinction. To solicit community support and funding he founded the Boeothick Institution on 2 October 1827, while at Twillingate
. The purpose of the institution was to open a communication with the Red Indians of Newfoundland, to promote their civilization, and to procure an authentic history of this native group. Many prominent citizens subscribed. Cormack subsequently set off with three native guides, a Canadian Abenakis, a Labrador Montagnais and a young Mi'kmaq from the island to explore the area around the Exploits River
and Red Indian Lake
but found the country deserted. As a last resort, a native search party was sent to the region of Notre Dame Bay
and White Bay
under the auspices of the Boeothick Institution. No Beothuk were encountered and it was feared that they were on the verge of extinction.
Although Cormack found much evidence of Beothuk culture, his attempt to locate and save them from extinction proved unsuccessful.
In January 1829, when Cormack’s business ventures failed, he left Newfoundland. Apart from occasional visits to Britain, and another brief visit to Newfoundland in 1862, Cormack’s later years were spent in British Columbia
. Cormack died, unmarried, at New Westminster, British Columbia
.
In Newfoundland, a granite cairn
marks the spot at which Cormack and Sylvester crossed what is now the Bay d’Espoir Highway on their way across this vast island. Cormack
, and an inland agricultural community on the banks of the Humber River
, established in 1947, bears his name. Another monument marks the spot of the beginning of the journey at Milton
in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
explorer, philanthropist, agriculturalist and author, born St. John’s
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Cormack was the first European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
to journey across the interior of the island.
Cormack studied at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. Then in 1818 he left Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to lead a group of Scottish emigrants to Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
where they settled on the Hunter River near Charlottetown. In 1822, he returned to his native Newfoundland to carry on some family business and property interests.
Cormack decided to undertake a venture never before attempted by a European, to explore the interior of Newfoundland. His other goal was to make contact with the Beothuk
Beothuk
The Beothuk were one of the aboriginal peoples in Canada. They lived on the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries...
and to establish friendly relationship with the few surviving native peoples.
On September 5, 1822, Cormack’s expedition departed from Smith Sound
Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Smith Sound is a zigzag 24 kilometer inner region of Trinity Bay. This sound is one of the longest portions of inshore waterways in Newfoundland, located on its north-eastern coast in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Bonavista Peninsula is to the north of the sound, while Random...
, Trinity Bay
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Trinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...
, along with his only companion Joseph Sylvester
Sylvester Joe
Sylvester Joe , hunter and explorer, born Baie d'Espoir, Newfoundland, Canada. Joe, a native Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland, was the noted hunter from the south-west coast of the Island of Newfoundland who was engaged by William Cormack to guide him on his trek across Newfoundland, the first European to...
, a young Mi'kmaq hunter from Bay d’Espoir. By early October, they had reached the centre of the island and came across a hilly ridge, which Cormack named, after his Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
teacher (Robert Jameson
Robert Jameson
thumb|Robert JamesonProfessor Robert Jameson, FRS FRSE was a Scottish naturalist and mineralogist.As Regius Professor at the University of Edinburgh for fifty years, Jameson is notable for his advanced scholarship in natural history, his superb museum collection, and for his tuition of Charles...
), Jameson’s Mountains (now Jamieson Hills). They both arrived in St. George’s Bay on November 4 of the same year and never did meet any Beothuk.
Cormack continued on to Little Bay, Fortune, and left for Dartmouth, England, arriving there on February 10, 1823. Cormack had explored and described the interior of the island with an accuracy no subsequent traveller has matched; his Narrative is the undisputed classic of Newfoundland travel. His botanical observations were the most important since those of Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
in 1766, and his account of the mineralogy and geology of the interior paved the way for Joseph Beete Jukes in 1840 and for the extension in 1864 to Newfoundland of William Edmond Logan
William Edmond Logan
Sir William Edmond Logan was a Scottish-Canadian geologist.Logan was born in Montreal, Quebec, and educated at the High School in Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh . He started teaching himself geology in 1831, when he took over the running of a copper works in Swansea. He produced a...
’s geological survey by Alexander Murray
Alexander Murray (geologist)
Alexander Murray, CMG was a Scottish geologist.Murray was born in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. He worked as a geologist in the United Kingdom and Canada, before coming to Newfoundland in 1864 to become the first director of the Geological Survey of Newfoundland...
and James Patrick Howley
James Patrick Howley
James Patrick Howley was a naturalists and geologists, one of the first Europeans to visit the interior of the Island of Newfoundland at Bay du Nord River system....
. On 22 July, Cormack wrote Lord Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
, the British colonial secretary, enclosing a sketch of the interior of the island and a short account of the route followed, drawing particular attention to the state of the Beothuks and expressing his intention to pursue further inquiries into their condition, as well as to examine further the natural resources of the colony.
Cormack did not give up on his plan to rescue the remnants of the tribe from extinction. To solicit community support and funding he founded the Boeothick Institution on 2 October 1827, while at Twillingate
Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador
Twillingate is a town of 2,448 people located on the Twillingate Islands in Notre Dame Bay. It is located off the northeastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was incorporated on September 30, 1965. The town is about north of Lewisporte and...
. The purpose of the institution was to open a communication with the Red Indians of Newfoundland, to promote their civilization, and to procure an authentic history of this native group. Many prominent citizens subscribed. Cormack subsequently set off with three native guides, a Canadian Abenakis, a Labrador Montagnais and a young Mi'kmaq from the island to explore the area around the Exploits River
Exploits River
The Exploits River is a Canadian river in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It flows through the Exploits Valley in the central part of the island of Newfoundland....
and Red Indian Lake
Red Indian Lake
Red Indian Lake is located in the western interior of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The downstream end of the lake drains into the Exploits River. This winds through the interior of the island and eventually exits into the Atlantic Ocean through...
but found the country deserted. As a last resort, a native search party was sent to the region of Notre Dame Bay
Notre Dame Bay
Notre Dame Bay is a large bay in Newfoundland, Canada. To the south it adjoins the Bay of Exploits.The name, French for Our Lady Bay, dates to at least 1550, and is possibly a French translation of an earlier Portuguese name....
and White Bay
White Bay (Newfoundland)
White Bay is a large bay in Newfoundland, Canada....
under the auspices of the Boeothick Institution. No Beothuk were encountered and it was feared that they were on the verge of extinction.
Although Cormack found much evidence of Beothuk culture, his attempt to locate and save them from extinction proved unsuccessful.
In January 1829, when Cormack’s business ventures failed, he left Newfoundland. Apart from occasional visits to Britain, and another brief visit to Newfoundland in 1862, Cormack’s later years were spent in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Cormack died, unmarried, at New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster, British Columbia
New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....
.
In Newfoundland, a granite cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
marks the spot at which Cormack and Sylvester crossed what is now the Bay d’Espoir Highway on their way across this vast island. Cormack
Cormack, Newfoundland and Labrador
Cormack is a farming community on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.-Foundation:Cormack was originally created following World War II by the Commission of Government as an agricultural settlement for the relocation of returning war veterans...
, and an inland agricultural community on the banks of the Humber River
Humber River (Newfoundland)
The Humber River is a river in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is approximately 120 kilometers long, flowing through the Long Range Mountains, southeast then southwest, through Deer Lake, to the Bay of Islands at Corner Brook. It begins near Hampden, Newfoundland. Taylor's...
, established in 1947, bears his name. Another monument marks the spot of the beginning of the journey at Milton
Milton, Newfoundland and Labrador
Milton is a small former logging community on Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Situated on the shores of the inner reaches of Smith Sound the community is on Route 230-A, which starts at Clarenville and continues to the...
in Smith Sound, Trinity Bay.