The First Nova Scotian

Olaf Uwe Janzen is an associate professor of history at Memorial
University and reviews editor of The Northern Mariner.

This is a book about the attempt in the 1620s to establish a Scottish
colony in what is now Nova Scotia. The colony was the brainchild of Sir
William Alexander, a Scottish poet, courtier, and close friend of James
I and Charles I of England. It was not a success. After a couple of
false starts in the early 1620s, the only colonization venture actually
undertaken was in 1629–30, under the personal command of Alexander’s
son. It quickly fell victim to undercapitalization, lack of adequate
preparation, court jealousies, and priorities of state. Anyone
acquainted with the French and British ventures at Port Royal,
Jamestown, and Ferryland will find the story familiar, at least in broad
detail, since most colonization attempts in this period suffered from
the same deficiencies and hardships. Anyone interested in the particular
events that imbued Nova Scotia’s name, flag, coat of arms, and so
forth with a Scottish character will also enjoy Mark Finnan’s
rendering of the tale.

Yet it could have been better told. (An excellent—and probably
sufficient—account appears in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.)
As well, a number of inaccuracies mar the narrative. Finnan seems not to
know that William Vaughan had abandoned his Newfoundland colony by 1622;
that George Calvert became Lord Baltimore only in 1625; that you do not
cross the Cabot Strait after passing Cape Race; that the Iroquois were
not present in Nova Scotia; or that the Portuguese were not in Brazil
before 1494. Also unfortunate is Finnan’s desire to link Alexander in
particular, and overseas exploration and settlement in the 16th and 17th
centuries generally, to the Masonic Order. What a shame Finnan did not
make more of Alexander’s associations with the Kirke family or with
Charles LaTour. Both have attracted a considerable historical literature
in their own rights (though Finnan cites almost none of this), and their
association with Alexander suggests that the North Atlantic was a
smaller world than we in the 20th century are often inclined to believe.