Louisbourg Connection      At about the same time, cargoes of coal were being exported from Cow Bay to Boston, even though direct trade between the French and English colonists was forbidden. Notwithstanding this, the New Englanders carried on an active clandestine trade with Louisbourg, receiving French products in exchange for bricks, lumber and provisions. In early 1724, no less than 14 English trading vessels were to be found in Louisbourg, one of which had just finished loading coal in Cow Bay, destined for Boston.      The exemption from French customs duties, which was repealed in 1726, was again applied in 1729. The coal mines were, thus, given the same preferential treatment as the cod fishery. With the reduction in duty, a suggestion was made to open a new mine half a league from L'Indienne (Lingan), using soldiers to work it. However, this plan was rejected since it was said that the new mine would interfere with the progress of settlement at Louisbourg. The export of coal was further hampered by unfavourable mineralogical tests and by a prohibition on the shipment of coal in naval men-of-war or supply ships due to the danger of spontaneous combustion. The explosion of the French ship Profond was said to have been caused by its cargo of coal. However, merchant vessels were still willing to ship coal to the West Indies.      From the time of the English conquest in 1745 to its return in 1749, Louisbourg was supplied with coal from new mines opened at Burnt Head and at the Little Entrance to the Bras d'Or. During this period, one of the English Governors, Colonel Hopson, wrote in April 1748 to the Duke of Newcastle that he feared an attack by Indians loyal to the French on the colliery at Burnt Head. A block house was built surrounded by a ditch and garrisoned by 50 soldiers. In July 1748 the attack came. The fort and colliery were not assaulted, but some dwellings were razed and several vessels used in the transport of coal to Louisbourg were lost.      The most important aspect of the British occupation concerning the coal mines was the fact that new mines were opened. Prior to this the French had been overly occupied with the immediate needs of the colony, and they also did not have the resources to fully exploit the potential of the coal seams. With the return of Isle Royale to France, there was a renewed interest in the coal mines. Various offers were made to work them (some by English merchants), but all were rejected. The Crown was to run the mines. There was no objection to the sale of coal to the local inhabitants but there were to be no sales to foreigners. Paris gave the local authorities the responsibility of deciding upon supplying the numbers of soldiers needed to work the mines and on the prices paid for the coal.      This interest in coal was sparked by several reasons. There was a greater need for coal in Louisbourg in the 1750s especially for the military. The new barracks, built during the English occupation, had been constructed for coal consumption alone. By 1754 a suggestion was made that all barracks use coal. Another factor was the attempt to increase the local manufacture of building materials, a lime kiln and brickyard were located at the Baie des Espagnols (Sydney) where the coal from L'Indienne (Lingan) was used. The final factor was the prospect of a flourishing trade in coal suggestions were made for coal sales to both the French West Indies and the New England colonies.      However, despite this enthusiasm on the part of French officials, the coal mines were faced with difficulties. Transport was a problem from L'Indienne (Lingan) since it was a difficult spot for loading. The working of these mines was also handicapped by a fire in 1752 that was set by some mutineers. In the fire, the English-built fort was destroyed. The fire in the mine itself did not burn out until 1764.      While the grandiose designs for developing the coal seams existed only as ideas, there was a definite increase in the quantity of coal produced. In the five-years between 1751 and 1756, the coal output had increased by about 400 percent. The French limited themselves to working the L'Indienne (Lingan) areas, and possibly the Baie des Espagnols area to a small extent. However, the scarcity of skilled labour and the amount of work required made a full-scale effort to exploit the coal deposits on a commercial basis impractical.

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