I have been thinking again about ideas of emigration and migration. The people of Handa emigrated at a time of famine and arrived in Nova Scotia/ Cape breton at a time of famine also.

'Disaster struck parts of Cape breton between 1845 and 1849 when potato blight ( or rot ) devastated its crops. As ever it was the newly arrived , with the worst land who suffered the most'

After the Hector the scottish pioneers of Nova scotia and Cape Breton

hungry birds do not set off on migrations if food supplies diminish they may move to find a better source of food

a bird needs a reserve of fat in its body to be able to travel long distances especially those on non stop or very long flights

Sir John Harvey wrote to Earl Grey the colonial secretary explaining that this 'province is in no respect prepared for the reception of poor people....'the intervention had emmediate impact . while large numbers of destitute Scots arrived at Pictou in the following year, they avoided Cape Breton.

I am wondering if people from Handa managed to avoid the famine or arrived before this.