<P> In 1762 the earliest of the Fuadaich nan Gàidheal ( Scottish Highland Clearances ) forced many Gaelic families off their ancestral lands . The first ship loaded with Hebridean colonists arrived on `` St. - John 's Island '' ( Prince Edward Island ) in 1770 , with later ships following in 1772 , and 1774 . In 1773 a ship named The Hector landed in Pictou , Nova Scotia , with 189 settlers , mostly originating from Lochbroom . In 1784 the last barrier to Scottish settlement -- a law restricting land - ownership on Cape Breton Island -- was repealed , and soon both PEI and Nova Scotia were predominantly Gaelic - speaking . It is estimated more than 50,000 Gaelic settlers emigrated to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island between 1815 and 1870 . </P>
when did the ship hector arrived in pictou
1773