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Abitibi: lake in northern Ontario, river flowing into Moose River, and also territory in Quebec.

Abitibi is an Indian word meaning “half-way water”. It is derived from abitah meaning “middle, half-way” and nipi, “water”. The name was originally used by the French to designate an obscure band of Algonquin Indians living hereabout, half-way between the trading posts on Hudson Bay and those on the Ottawa River.

Abinger: township in Addington county, Ontario, formed in 1859.

It was named in honour of Sir James Scarlett, Baron Abinger, of Abinger, in Surrey, England. The family was somewhat distinguished for public service. One of the Baron’s sons, Sir James Yorke Scarlett, had command of the heavy cavalry in the Crimean War, 1854-’56. His command made the famous charge at Balaclava, and on the same day covered the return of Lord Cardigan’s light brigade from its heroic charge. Tennyson made each of these bold feats the subject of a glowing, picturesque poem.

Acadia: name given by the early French settlers to the present province of Nova Scotia. The word was used also in a loose way to include New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the eastern part of Quebec and Maine.

The origin of the name is uncertain. Several solutions have been put forward but none is approved by all archæologists.

Some writers derive the name from the Micmac word akade meaning “the place of plenty” or “the inhabited place”. Among these are Sir William Dawson and Sir John Bourinot. They point to the fact that seventeen names in the Maritime Provinces have the termination acade.

Vétromile derives the name from the Micmac word academ or tedlacadem meaning “This is our village.”

Potter thinks the name a French corruption of the Indian word Aquoddiauke which is formed from aquoddie meaning “whiting or cod fish” and auke, “place”, “the home of the cod fish”.

Others derive the name from La Cadie in France. There is still a village called Lacadee, near D’Orthez, lower Pyrenees, France. This may be the correct derivation. Emigrants are partial to the name left behind and set to work with lighter heart to create a namesake on new shores.

The name is preserved in Acadia College, a flourishing Baptist institution, at Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Addington: county in Ontario.

It was named in 1792 after Henry Addington, Lord Sidmouth, who was speaker of the British House of Commons from 1789 to 1801, and afterwards Prime Minister of the Empire. He was a favourite of King George III. Doubtless the county was named by Lieut.-Governor Simcoe in honour of his friend.

Adelaide: township in Middlesex county, Ontario, was formed in 1830.

It was named in honour of Amelia Adelaide Louisa Theresa Caroline, eldest daughter of George, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Meiningen, and wife of King William IV. of England.

Adjala: township in Simcoe county, Ontario, formed in 1822.

The origin of the word is uncertain. Tradition gives Adjala as the name of a daughter of Tecumseh. On the other hand Tecumseh’s biographers state he had no daughter, and only one son, Pugeshashenwa, “crouching panther”.

Admaston: township in Renfrew county, Ontario. It was erected into a separate municipality in 1843.

The township was named in honour of Admaston village in Stafford county, England.

Adolphustown: township in Lennox county formed in 1784.

It was named after Prince Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge, seventh son of King George III. His son, Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, became Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the Empire. Queen Mary, wife of George V., is the great-grand-daughter of Prince Adolphus.

Airy: township in Nipissing, Ontario, formed in 1872.

It was named after Sir George Biddell Airy, an eminent British scientist, Astronomer Royal, 1835-’81. He discovered the optical disorder called Astigmatism and furnished a remedy for it.

Albemarle: township in Bruce county, Ontario, formed in 1855.

It was named in honour of General George Thomas Keppel, sixth Earl of Albemarle, who fought with distinction at Waterloo with the 14th regiment. The name was no doubt suggested by his son, Viscount Bury, afterwards seventh Earl of Albemarle, when he was Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Canada, 1854-’56. He negotiated a treaty that opened up the Saugeen reserve for settlement. The first Earldom of Albemarle was conferred by King William III. and takes its name from a town and territory in Normandy.

Alberni: city in British Columbia.

It takes its name from the Alberni Canal, named in 1791, after Pedro Alberni, Commander of the military force under Lieut. Francisco Eliza sent by the Viceroy of Mexico in 1790 to take possession of this coast.

Alberta: province of Canada. This area was created a district in 1882, enlarged and erected into a province in 1905 by the Federal Government of Canada.

It bestowed the privilege of naming this new district on the Marquis of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada, 1878-’83. He named it Alberta in honour of his wife, H.R.H. Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.

Albion: township in Peel county, Ontario.

It is an ancient name for England, a favourite of poets.

Oh! would thy bards but emulate thy fame, And rise more worthy, Albion, of thy name! What Athens was in science, Rome in power, What Tyre appeared in her meridian hour, ’Tis thine at once, fair Albion! to have been Earth’s chief dictatress, ocean’s lovely queen. Byron in English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.

Originally Albion (from the Latin albus, white, referring to the white cliffs of the southern shore) included the whole island, Britain, but gradually became restricted to England, and the variant Albyn to the Highlands of Scotland.

And wild and high the “Cameron’s gathering” rose! The war note of Lochiel, which Albyn’s hills Have heard, and heard, too, have her Saxon foes. Byron in Childe Harold.

Aldborough: township in Elgin county, Ontario, formed in 1792.

It is named after Aldborough in Suffolk, England. Aldborough was the birthplace of Rev. George Crabbe, 1754-1832, a poet of distinction at this time. The Aldborough writer’s themes were social and attracted the attention of Simcoe and his staff, who suggested so many of the place-names of Upper Canada.

Alexandria: historic town in Glengarry county, Ontario, incorporated on January 1st, 1903.

The disbanded regiment of the Glengarry Fencibles, accompanied by their chaplain, Father Alexander MacDonell, settled in this locality in 1803. One of the first buildings erected in what is now the town of Alexandria was the grist-mill built about the year 1821. It was the project of Father MacDonell who was the second priest in the district and who was afterwards the first Bishop of Kingston, the first Roman Catholic Bishop in the Province. The place was known for some years as Priest’s Mills. It was afterwards changed to Alexandria derived from the Reverend Father’s Christian name.

Alfred: township in Prescott county, Ontario, formed in 1798.

It is said to have been named after Prince Alfred, a son of George III., who died in youth.

Algoma: district in northern Ontario.

The origin of the name is a debated question but it is generally held to be derived from the Indian word Algonquin, spelled Al-gom-me-quin by Champlain in 1632. An official aboriginal map of 1857 shows the whole of this district to have been Algonquin territory. Mr. Hugh Ray of the Legislative Library, Toronto, an Algonquin scholar, derives the word from Ah-ga-mic, meaning “the other side of the water (lake)”, describing its relation to Manitoulin Island.

Algona: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, formed in 1857.

This word is compounded from parts of two Indian words, Algonquin and Akee or ace, meaning earth or land, “the land of the Algonquins”. It is common in Indian compounds to make a part of a word carry the meaning of the whole.

Algonquin: National Park of Ontario. It is situated in Nipissing district and was set aside for this purpose in 1893 by the Legislature of Ontario. The Park comprises nearly 2,000 square miles of forests, lakes and streams. The forests are alive with deer, moose, beaver and wild fowl of many kinds. The lakes and streams abound in shining fish. Algonquin is paradise for the wildings of the wood.

The Park took its name from the Algonquins who excelled most of the Indian tribes in arts and other attainments. By the Iroquois they were called Adirondacks, that is “bark-eaters”, in derision. In sober Indian they were called Odis qua gume, that is “people at the end of the water”. They are supposed to have been at the head of a northern confederacy and to have descended the Ottawa at the close of the 10th century and to have occupied the left bank of the St. Lawrence. This family of Indians received the generic name Algonquins from the French, formerly thought to have been contracted from Algomequin, meaning “those on the other side”, but now generally believed to be derived from the Micmac Algoo-making, meaning “at the place of spearing fish”.

Alice: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, formed in 1855.

It is supposed to have been named after Princess Alice Maud Mary, second daughter of Queen Victoria. She was, perhaps, the best loved and most popular of the Queen’s daughters. Princess Alice married Louis IV., grand Duke of Hesse, in 1862. Her family were afflicted with the dread disease of diphtheria in 1878, and in the agony of death the Princess mother kissed one of her children. It proved the kiss of death.

Allan: township in Manitoulin, Ontario.

It was named after Hon. G. W. Allan, a Senator of Canada. His father, Hon. William Allan, settled in York, Upper Canada, during Governor Simcoe’s regime. In 1857 Senator Allan presented Toronto with five acres of land which now is known as the Horticultural (Allan) Gardens.

Allandale: town, Simcoe county, Ontario.

The place was named Barrie Station on the completion of the Huron, Ontario and Simcoe Railway (now C.N.R.), to this point in 1854. When a spur was constructed to Barrie the name was changed to Allandale in honour of Hon. G. W. Allan who owned land in this vicinity and was a friend of those who promoted and constructed the Railway. See Allan.

Allenby: mount, 9,500 feet, in the Rockies, Alberta.

It is named after Field-Marshal Lord Allenby of Megiddo and Felixtowe, captor of Jerusalem in the Great War, 1914-’18. For the title of Megiddo, see Judges (Bible), v. 19, and for Felixtowe, see Suffolk, England.

Alliston: town in Simcoe county, Ontario.

It was founded by William Fletcher in 1850, who was the first settler to locate where the town now stands. He named it after his birthplace, Alliston, a village in Yorkshire, England, according to some authorities. The gazetteers do not list an English Alliston.

Almonte: town in Lanark county, Ontario.

The place was originally (1821), known as Shipman’s Falls. Later a post office was opened up under the name of Ramsayville. Still later rival village sites were surveyed in adjoining territory. On the suggestion of Lieutenant-Colonel Gemmill, a citizen of great personal popularity and a large property owner, all were united under the name of Almonte in honour of the Mexican General of that name. This was between 1850 and 1860.

General Juan Almonte was a natural son of the famous priest Morelos, one of the many patriotic churchmen who fought and gave their lives for the liberation of Mexico from the Spanish yoke. He was executed in 1815 after trial before the Holy Inquisition. Almonte’s mother was Indian.

Information from J. T. Kirkland, D.C.L., Police Magistrate, Almonte.

Alnwick: (pronounced Annick), township in Northumberland county, Ontario, formed in 1798.

It is called after Alnwick, the county town of Northumberland, England. The castle of Alnwick is celebrated in British history. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland. The town of Alnwick takes its name from the river Alne which flows near by and old English “wick” meaning “a dwelling-place or village”.

Alton: village on Credit River, Peel county, Ontario.

This locality was settled by families from the Niagara district about 1880. Several years later—about 1848—a public meeting was called to select a name for the place. Williamstown was chosen at first after a member of the McClellan family of the district. On further consideration a Mr. Meek suggested Alton. He had been reading of Alton in Illinois, a place resembling the Canadian situation in many respects.

The city of Alton, Illinois, is on a high limestone bluff, somewhat hilly, 200 feet above the waters of the Mississippi River. In all probability the name Alton was derived from the Latin altus, a, um, meaning “high” and English “town”.

Amabel: township in Bruce county, Ontario, formed in 1855.

It was named after Henrietta Amabel Yorke, daughter of Rev. Philip Yorke, of Ely, and sister of Anna Maria Yorke, wife of Sir Edmund Walker Head, Governor-General of Canada, 1855-’61.

Amaranth: township in Dufferin county, formed in 1821.

It is called after a genus of plants having several species. The flower is small and inclines to a purple colour. The term amaranth is derived from a Greek word meaning “unfading”. The flower retains its colour so long that it is applied in poetry to an imaginary flower that never fades.

Immortal amaranth! a flower which, once In paradise, fast by the tree of life Began to bloom. Milton in Paradise Lost, Book III.

Ameliasburg: township in Prince Edward county, Ontario, formed in 1787.

It was named after Princess Amelia, youngest child of George III. It is said that her early death in 1810 at twenty-seven years of age, affected the King’s reason.

America: Canada of to-day and Newfoundland were known generally as British America from 1763 to 1867, and are still frequently so designated.

The word America is derived from the Christian name of Amerigo Vespucci (latinized form Americus Vespucius) who sailed westward on an expedition of exploration, according to his own account, in 1497 and on June 6th of that year reached the coast of what is now known as Dutch Guiana in South America. During the next four years Amerigo made two more voyages, reaching the coast of Brazil. On his return he published an account of what he had seen, the first printed description of the mainland of the Western Hemisphere.

A German professor of Geography, named Waldseemuller, teaching in St. Die College,[1] read Amerigo Vespucci’s account and in 1507 he printed a little book in Latin entitled An Introduction to Geography. In this work occurred this sentence, “And the fourth part of the world having been discovered by Amerigo or Americus, we may call it Amerige or America”. This pamphlet on geography made its way into the schools of Western Europe and the schoolmaster’s newly-coined word was permanently stamped on the Western Hemisphere.

Whether Amerigo Vespucci is entitled to the honour or not, no man has such a monument as he, for his name is written across the map of two continents. If he saw the coast of the main land on June 6th, 1497, he discovered America eighteen days before John Cabot, who reached it on June 24th of that year, and more than a year before Columbus saw the mainland, third voyage, August 1, 1498. Many historians, however, dispute Amerigo’s claim, believing he did not make his first voyage until 1499, and that John Cabot was the true discoverer of the continent of America.

Amherst: city in Nova Scotia; island, eastern end of Lake Ontario; and burg or town in Essex county, Ontario.

They were named after Field-Marshal Sir Jeffery Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of the British forces at the capture of Louisburg in 1758. He took part with Wolfe in the taking of Canada from the French, and compelled Montreal to surrender in 1760. He was the first Governor-General of Canada. Amherst was also Governor of Virginia. In 1768 he opposed the Stamp Act for which he was dismissed.

Amundsen: gulf, south of Banks Island, Franklin district, named after Roald Amundsen who sailed his ship, the Gzoa, through the North-west Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 1903-’06. Amundsen and his four Norwegian countrymen discovered the South Pole, Dec. 15, 1911.

On his non-stop flight from Kings Bay, Spitzbergen, to Teller, near Nome, Alaska, May 11-12, 1926, Amundsen crossed the North Pole. The flight was taken in the air-ship Norge, an Italian-built dirigible. On board were Amundsen (Norwegian), Ellsworth (American), Nobile (Italian), Commander, Larsen (Norwegian), navigator, and a crew of thirteen. They dropped three flags on the Pole, Norwegian, American and Italian, representing all nationalities on the air-ship. The cargo of the Norge weighed twelve tons. Point Barrow on the coast of Alaska, some 2,500 miles from Kings Bay, was sighted in forty-six hours after the start.

Captain Roald Amundsen with René Guilband, a French airman, and four others in a seaplane joined in the search for General Umberto Nobile and party of the Polar dirigible Italia wrecked on its return to Spitzbergen from the North Pole in June, 1928. While General Umberto Nobile and some members of his expedition were rescued by the Swedish pilot Lieut. E. Lundborg, no trace of Amundsen or any of his companions has been discovered.

Ancaster: township in Wentworth county, Ontario, formed in 1792.

It was named after the district called Ancaster in Lincolnshire, England. Many Roman remains have been found in this neighbourhood, bearing evidence that it was one of their strong military camps. This word is probably derived from the Latin particle an signifying important and castra a camp.

Anderdon: township in Essex county, Ontario, formed in 1837.

It is an English family name, members of which were conspicuous at that time both in church and state. It is uncertain, however, after what particular member it was named.

Anglesea: township in Addington county, Ontario, formed in 1822.

It was named in honour of Henry William Paget, Earl of Uxbridge and Marquis of Anglesea. During the French Revolution he served in Flanders under Prince Frederick, Duke of York, and in the Peninsula under Sir John Moore. At Waterloo he was second in command to the Duke of Wellington, commanding the allied cavalry. In this battle he lost one of his legs. His title was taken from the Isle and County of Anglesea in North Wales. The Saxons gave the island this name, Anglesey, that is “Englishmen’s Island”.

Anglin: township in Nipissing district, formed in 1887.

It is named after Hon. Timothy Warren Anglin. In 1867 he was elected to the House of Commons for Gloucester, N.B., and in 1874 was chosen Speaker. After the defeat of the Mackenzie Government in 1878, Mr. Anglin became an official of the Ontario Government.

Annapolis: county and town in Nova Scotia.

When Port Royal was taken from the French in 1710 by the British led by Commander Francis Nicholson, he renamed the place Annapolis in honour of Queen Anne. The word is formed from English Anne and Greek polis “a city”.

Port Royal was founded by De Monts in 1605. Romantic memories cluster about the little town, more thrilling than any in Canada with the exception perhaps of Quebec. A fort and village were here three years before a white man had built on the site of Quebec. The first conversion of natives to Christianity occurred at Port Royal. Here the first vessel built in North America was launched, the first wheat and root crops grown, and the first flour mill constructed.

Anson: township in Haliburton, Ontario, formed in 1858.

It is named after a distinguished English family. One member, George Anson, was Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in India where he died of cholera in 1857. He served at Waterloo with the Scots Fusilier Guards.

Anstruther: township in Peterborough county, Ontario, formed in 1861.

It is named after a town in Fifeshire, Scotland. The name is sometimes contracted to Anster. In British history there have been several distinguished statesmen and soldiers by the name of Anstruther. Lieut.-Col. A. W. Anstruther, who commanded the Royal Artillery at Halifax, N.S., in 1890, was descended from a Fife family that traced its lineage back to the Norman Conquest.

Anticosti: large island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Most authorities derive the word from Montagnais Indian, Natiscotec, by clerical transposition. The meaning of the Indian term is “where bears are hunted”. Some think the word has a Spanish origin, anti, “before or beyond”, and costa, “coast”.

Antigonish: county, town and harbour in Nova Scotia.

It is a Micmac Indian word, meaning, according to most authorities, “broken branches”. It is said that beech trees used to grow in exuberance here and bears used to frequent the spot to procure beech-nuts from the branches which they broke down.

Some give the meaning, “River of fish”, descriptive of the abundance of fish in the creek emptying into Antigonish harbour.

Appin: pleasant village in Middlesex county, Ontario.

It took its name from Appin in Scotland. As parish, mountainous district, village, or valley the name occurs in Argyleshire, Fifeshire and Perthshire.

Appin signifies “abbey lands”, that is an estate annexed to the Church. The word is derived from the Gaelic abaid meaning “abbey”.

Arichat: island, town on the island and village on the mainland, Richmond county, Nova Scotia.

The town of Arichat is a seaport, having a fine harbour, and the centre of business for the county. On some maps the island is marked Isle Madame, in honour of Sainte Marie.

The word is Micmac Indian, a corruption of Nerichat meaning “the camping ground”. Another Indian name for the island was Liksake, meaning “worn rocks”. Arichat is the see of a Roman Catholic bishop.

Armstrong: city in British Columbia.

Named in 1892 after Hector Armstrong of London, England, who negotiated the bonds for the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway.

Arnold: river flowing into Lake Megantic through Spider River, Quebec.

It is named after Col. (afterwards General) Benedict Arnold of the United States Army. It was down this river that he marched against Quebec city in October, 1775, after ascending the Kennebec River from the Atlantic Ocean and crossing the intervening height of land.

Arnprior: town in Renfrew county, Ontario.

The place was named after a priory on the Arn River in Northern Scotland. It was probably called Arnpriory at first and abbreviated later to its present form.

Aroostook: village and important tributary of the St. John River, New Brunswick.

The word is Maliseet Indian but its meaning is uncertain.

Dr. W. F. Ganong states it may be a corruption of Woolastook, the Maliseet name for the St. John, which means “good river” (for navigation).

M. Maurault translates this word “a river whose bed or channel is composed of tinsel, handsome river.”

Arran: township in Bruce county, Ontario, formed in 1850.

It is named after the island of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, from which presumably early settlers emigrated.

Arras: mountain, 10,180 feet high in the Rockies, B.C.

It was so named to commemorate the battles of Arras, France, in the Great War, in both of which the Canadian forces participated: first battle, April, 1917; second battle, August, 1918.

Artemisia: township in Grey county, Ontario, formed in 1822.

It is a Greek word meaning “worm-wood” derived from Artemis, the Greek Diana, to whom worm-wood was dedicated. Diana translated literally means “the divine female”. Doubtless gallantry suggested the appellation.

Arthabaska: county in Quebec, and also a canton in this county and the county of Megantic, erected in 1802.

The word is Iroquois Indian meaning “a place obstructed by reeds and grass”. The term was applied in the first instance to the water-ways of the district.

Arthur: township in Wellington county, Ontario, formed in 1835.

It was named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, the saviour of civilization at Waterloo.

For this is England’s greatest son, He that gained a hundred fights, Nor ever lost an English gun. —Tennyson.

There is also a mount by the name of Arthur in New Westminster district, B.C. It was named after our hero by Capt. Richards, Admiralty Surveyor, in 1860.

Ashby: township in Addington county, Ontario, formed in 1857.

It is said to have taken its name from Ashby de la Zouche, a town in Leicestershire, England. In it is an old castle in which Mary, Queen of Scots was once confined. There are fifteen villages in England having the name of Ashby. The ancient family of the Zouches acquired this manor in Henry III.’s reign.

Ashfield: township in Huron county, Ontario, formed in 1840.

It was called after the village of Ashfield in Suffolk, England, the home of the somewhat distinguished family of the name of Thurlow.

Ashuapinuchuan: lake and river in the Lake St. John district, Quebec.

It is Indian in origin, meaning “where we watch for the deer”.

Asphodel: township in Peterborough county, Ontario, formed in 1821.

It is the Greek name of a plant of the lily family, resembling the daffodil. The beauty and profusion of these plants hereabout, no doubt, suggested the name to the surveyor.

Assiginack: township in Manitoulin Island, formed in 1864.

It was named after a well known local Indian of the period, a great drunkard in his youth, but was converted to Christianity and baptized Jean Baptiste Assiginack. He rendered military service to the British in 1812, later he acted as interpreter and assistant to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. He was so voluble of tongue, but intelligent withal, that he was known in the island as Black Bird. He died in 1866, aged ninety-eight.

Assiniboine: river in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, emptying into the Red River.

It takes its name from the Assiniboine Indians who originally dwelt in this region. The word means “stone-roasters”, from their custom of heating stones for cooking.

Athabaska: river in Alberta, emptying into Lake Athabaska.

It is a Cree Indian word, meaning “where there are reeds”. Reeds grow in great profusion in the muddy deltas of the river and the rich soil shallows of the lake.

Athens: village in Leeds county, Ontario.

The original name was Farmersville. It is an educational centre, having had a flourishing High School for many years. The residents of the village desiring a more ambitious name in keeping with their chief interest, had its appellation changed a few years ago to Athens, after the capital city of Greece.

Athens has also the distinction of having held the first fair or exhibition in the province of Ontario in 1830 under the direction of the South Leeds Agricultural Association. It has been held every year since within the limits of South Leeds, for many years now at Delta. The management is planning for a centenary celebration this year, (1930).

Atherley: thriving village, situated on Lake Simcoe, three miles from Orillia, in the County of Ontario, Province of Ontario.

This village was named after the township of Azerley (Atherley) in the municipality of Ripon, Yorkshire, England. The name was derived from Atzer, a man’s name, and ley (lea) meaning “a meadow”, that is, Atzer’s meadow.

Athol: township in Prince Edward county, Ontario, formed in 1835.

It took its name from Athol in Perthshire, Scotland, of which John Murray was fourth Duke. This Duke of Athol was grand master of the Masons in England, and gave a charter to Provincial Secretary Jarvis of Upper Canada.

Atlin: lake in the Cassiar district, B.C., and the Yukon Territory.

The name is Indian in origin and means in English “lake of storms”.

Augusta: township in Grenville county, Ontario, formed in 1787.

It takes its name from Princess Augusta Sophia, second daughter of King George III. She is said to have been very shy, never married, a skilled musician. When the Irish poet Tom Moore, visited the Royal family, Augusta played for him on the piano some new airs she had composed to his songs.

Great George’s children are my great delight, The sweet Augusta and sweet Princess Royal, Obtain my love by day, and prayers by night. —Peter Pindar (John Wolcott).

Aurora: charming town in York county, Ontario. Its first settlers arrived in 1804. It was incorporated as a village in 1863 and as a town in 1888.

Aurora is a Latin word meaning “the golden hour”, “the dawning of the morning”. In mythology Aurora is the goddess of the morning, represented as riding in a rose-coloured chariot, scattering roses from her hand and preceded by the morning star. This name was given to the town in allusion, no doubt, to the colourful beauty of the site on a summer morning.

Ava: inlet, Hudson strait, Franklin district.

It was named after Lord Ava, son of Lord Dufferin, who was killed in the South African War, 1899-1902.

The title Ava was taken from the city of Ava, Burma, India, of which Lord Dufferin was for several years the Viceroy.

Aylesworth: mount, 9,340 feet high, close to the international boundary British Columbia and Alaska.

It is named after the Hon. Sir Allen Aylesworth, member of Alaska Boundary tribunal appointed in 1903.

Aylmer: lake and town in Quebec.

They are named after Matthew, fifth Lord Aylmer, Governor-General of Canada, 1831-’35. There is also a town in Elgin county, Ontario, named in his honour.

Ayr: village in Waterloo county, Ontario.

It is named after Ayr in Ayrshire, Scotland. The word is derived from old Norse eyri meaning “a tongue of land, gravelly bank”. The beach of the town of Ayr is covered with sand and gravel. It is a favourite resort for bathing.