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WINDSOR: LE riK^OKES STEAM PUIKTIKO HOUSE. <« * < ^2. o ■)»«-/- «» <« '* The Acadians. PART FIRST, » "4 ■fkrt-m 0F THE many who have read Longfellow's Evan- geline with unbounfled delight, how few there are who know that the plnintiff, poetic story of Aca- dia, is but a picture of a real people, illustrating their simple mode of life and their multiple misfortunes. Yet our Nova Scotia once bore that romantic namci and her people were the Acadians of history, romance and song. The story carries us ]> rck to that long ago, when, from the frozen sea to tr 2 tropical gulf, this vast country was a nearly unknown wilderness, its monoto- ny being undisturbed save by a few English colonies on the Atlantic shore of what is now the United States, and like settlements by France in Canada, each claim- ing by assumed right that which belonged to neither, and each fiercely jealous of the acquirements of the other. Thus the two most powerful nations of Europe sought extension of doninion and addition of wealth, while colonists, from various quarters and all classes, endeavored to improve their condition by existing their fortunes in the wilds of the "new world." The experience of all these early pioneers wa«* usu- ally pitiful in theextreme, if not infrequently happen- ing that they fell victims to cold, starvation and dis- ease, to the hostility of neighboring adventurers, or to the tomahawk of the savage, to be finally either en- tirelv (lestroved or as a tattered remnant return to iheir old-time homes. Among those who so early as 1604 cast their lot in the western wilderness was a body of French people from Normandv, who chanced to fix their new homes in Acadia, the peninsula now known as Nova Scotia. This effort proved a failure, especially because of the inroads of settlers from, the English colonies of Vir- ginia, who claimed the peninsula by right of discov- ery, and whose people, led by a freebooter, in the end utterlv destroved the colonv. The French government had given the rugged realm its tropical name, but in the turmoil of the nations, the English obtained possession, and in 1621, with greater fitness, pronounced it to be Nova Scotia, or New Scot- land. But neither tropical nor frigid designation brought settled quietude to its borders. It became the shuttlecock of war and diplomacy. In due time the French became its master, to be overcome by their persistent enemy in 1654. Thirteen years later the French were in power, fickle fortune returning it to the English in 1714. Thus, experience had shown little certainty of tenure, and that the imperious Eng- lishmen so deemed it is amply shown in the fact that the treaty by which it was secured to them contained the galling proviso that their new subjects, the Acadi- ans, or French citizens of Nova Scotia, might enjoy freedom of worship, they being Catholics, while the English government was intensely Protestant, and still more, they were granted immunity from bearing arms, being thus permitted to enjoy the benefits of a pfovernment, and be it protected, without raising a hand even in their own defense. Tliis unprecedented favor may have j)artly risen from the fact that joining the Entflipli forces tliev would be brouirht face to face with lier hereditary foe, and thus be compelled to do battle against personal friends and relatives; but, odi- ous as this tacit citizenship must have been to the haughty English government, it must be stated in jus- tice to it that the treaty pledge was faithfully kept. It seems passing strange that the well-known vicis- situdes and turmoil did not make a bar to immigration. But it did not do so. During each period in which France held the land, her people with consummate pertinacity, sought homes in Acadia; the English, with equal blindness, hurrying to their new Scotland during the time of their possession. This seems all the more wonderful when the fact is recalled, that the varied changes in mastery so briefly noted, were always the results of harassing and bloody struggles, participated in by both French and English regular troops, the milita or citizen soldier of both sides, in every case each party being aided by the blood thirsty savages, who spared neither age or sex, and in whose hands immediate death was usually a desired blessing. The cheek alternately pales with anger and blushes with sHame, as we review the true history of the part taken by either party in these fierce contests for empire, contests that excited the deepest concern in' the great capitals and courts of Europe three thous- . and miles awav. ' The Acadian people not only brought with them the habits of the Norman peasant, but adhered to their pe- culiarities with unyielding tenacity. In consequence of- this, they became noted for simplicity of habits, for patient and persistant toil from which followed remarkable thrift; for devotion to the religion of their fathers, ardent attachment to their fatherland and an unlimited devotion to their new homes. Totally void of those ambitious aims that fires the hearts of other people, they sought nothing beyond their little land possessions, and luxuriant in the com- forts found in their unostentatious habitations. Every impulse of their hearts centered there, no toil was too severe, if it but tended to increase their stock and store. The soil of the low grounds being most fertile, they built dikes, by which the waters were forced back, thus converting marshes into reclaimed fields where the cereals grew in abundance, while thousands of every variety of cattle grazed on the adjacent plains, indulging in none of the vanities that corrodes and impoverishes more pretentious communities, frugality reigned everywhere supreme. Without education, and relyincf on the "cure" for instruction and guid- ance in all essential things, they kept alooft from others, desiring most to be by the boisterous world foirgotten. Absence of ambitious aims circumscribed tlieir wants and rendered possible the existence of such a typical band of brothers, asking only to be permitted to eiijoy their toil, their contentment, neigh- bdrigaind religion. •< ^It wJottld se6m that these meager favors were their due aiid' should. Jtave been accorded them, butinstead they were the* shuttle) ocks of the grim coijitestants^or, power .apd ,i??npire. ,, Lotng. weaij years of contention witii repeated chaii^^e of ruling powers had iat b.st bfbii^Kt ^hfe" 1 1 ea,iifx)^ 1 718' bef br^ i-e'f etred^ t^, -appa r-^ ently brittgingft^iib it^the Ibng'desTrefdrejiOBef .' >' ' ^ « *». 'n <'.'> ♦ • Me Up* Under the Enp;lish regime, in accordance with the terms of this compact, nearly half a century had passed, the Acadians being nominally English subjects, but clinging witli the keenest ardor to old memories, bound in every heart sympathy to those who spoke their native tongue, and who in every way were to them most near and agreeable. In every sense their ru'ers were to them foreign, the name engrnfted on their land cold and eh«erless, their dreams revels in Acadia. Thus the embers of unrest were ever warm in their bosoms, and calm and well disposed as they were, re- quired but little effort to fan it to a brighter glow. To the interior Canadian colonies, conditions were ever piesent promoting to active effort. Nova Scotia, now an English province, occupied a position on their east- ern borders that largely interfered with their access, to the oce;in, which was not only the highway of trade, but the only one through which they could main- tain connection with France. Fierce tribes of Indians, ardently attached to the interests of the Canadian colonies, occupied adjacent lands, and secret emissaries were ever busy fomenting acrimonies in the hearts of both the gentle-souled Acadians and their neighbors, the brutal savages. To the English, the accorded neutral citizenship was extremely distasteful, and when to this was added the unrest wrought by the emissaries of France, it became odious. They were further both vexed and alarmed by the erieotion of a French fort immediately over the line. This was situated at Beausejours and adjacent to the district of Mines-, on a narrow isthmus connecting Nova Scotia with the mainland of Canada and seemed significant, as the Basin of Mines was the most popu- 8 : lous and wealthiest of the Acadian settlements. What- ever the real purpose may have been, the fort and its occupancy by the French troops was a perpetual menace to the rulers of the province. The tempest was slowly but surely gathering. But through all the perplexing situations the Acadian people kept as much aloof from participation as was possible for them to do. Their purpose and intent was to remain true to their obligations as neutrals, but being flesh and blood, and the continued prey of those who by secret persuasion and every possible de- vice, sought to lead them to some measure that would result to the advantage of the Canadian provinces, and through this means to the government of France, what could be expected as the result. With all this they so greatly preferred to till the soil, tend their herds, and live in quietude, that with far fewer exceptions than could be expected they persisted in pursuing their pastoral career. At last the tempest had gathered its forces; a cloud of ill-omen overcast the sky. The drama of turmoil, of battle, of unrest and unchanging rulers, was about to terminate in tragedy. The innocents were again to suffer; the only ones that could be by any means ac- counted guiltless, were to be made the victims of an act that thrills every sensibility of the human heart. The American colonies were in fact a part of Eng- land and represented her interests, in precisely the same sense that the Canadian colonies represented their home government. Through the instrumentality of the -former, an ex-, pedition was fitted out in 1755 to reduce the fort at Beause jours, the ultimate object being, to destroy ALONE IN THE WOODS. 10 Frencli influence in Nova Scotia, thus making it prac- tically and really an English province like themselves. The fleet sailed from Boston harbor, and on arrival near their destination was joined by a force of British regulars under Col. Moncton, who took command of the whole. The negotiations with the English govern- ment and preparation of the expedition had been con- ducted with so much care that the occupants of the fortress were surprised at the appearance of the enemy. Their consternation quickly extended to the Acadians who, with instinctive French predilections, required only a threat from the commandant of the French forces to lead many to cast their fortunes with them. Not knowing what was really involved, believing their all to be in peril at the hands of practical free-bootcrs, they accepted the only apparent chance for self-pres- ervation. Rendered desperate by the gloomy outlook, some three hundred joined the troops in the fort, while many, being undecided to the last moment what was best to do, finally hid their families in the woods and fought the invader from any cover they could find. Heroic but mistaken purpose, idle effort; the hand of fate was upon them, they struggled against destiny. The fort surrendered after feeble resistance, and the misguided Acadians were at the mercy of the English who, having granted them neutrality, now found them traitors. With mock generosity they were pardoned this grave offense, but there awaited them a doom no less griev- ous. It is this doom that every sentiment of human- ity and common decency revolts, stamping the perpe- trators as men worthy the brand of Cain. No claim of ])recedent, no plea of national policy, can be made * 4 » % -^-■v>^. ft 4 » % 11 to hide the infamy of that at which the hearts of all good men revolt. Precedent does not palliate wanton torture, physical or mental, more than it excuses the savage for burning his victim at the stake. The course pursued had not even the manly quality of fair, open dealing, but consisted in a series of schemes, in every one in which a trap was secreted, to the end that turn which way they might, the intended victims must come at last to the same condition. The purpose was per- fectly hidden until the fatal line was passed. Having been forgiven for joining hands with the enemy in the recent contest at the fort of Beause jours, their hearts were sufficientlj" softened by the unex- pected clemency, to respond promptly through their representatives that they were willing to take the oath of allegiance to the British crown, a summonds having been issued to them to determine the matter as to their willingness. These representatives were, how- ever, astounded when informed that the old time treaty proviso, granting them immutiny from bearing arms and especial religious privileges, could no longer be tolerated and would not be permitted. The oath must now be taken in full, without proviso or reserva- tion, as an evidence of complete abandoment of any . former allegiance. This measure was wholly unex- pected and to them shocking to the last degree. The agents could not at once answer for their constitu- ency, in fact could do no less than to go back to them for instruction in a matter so vital to their interests. When they returned for further consultation, the trap set at that point was sprung; it was pro- nounced too late. Accepting the delay as an evi- dence of unwillingness and insincerity, the oath could 13 not How be taken at all or in any form, and their sup- pliants were their government's outcasts. Thus step by step the cords were being drawn (rloser, there be- ing from the beginning no intended method of es(rai)e. Wandering blindly in a desert of doubt, the peasants went on \yith their harvest labor, without a d to take refujje in forests and deserts, with the savages, while others scattered along the shores, where, poor and unnoticed, they earned their living as Acadian fishermen. There, for several years, they succeeded in concealing their existence amid anx- ieties and privations, hiding carefully their small canoes, not daring to till the land, watching, with apprehen- sion, any Englis h sail, and dividing with their friends, the Indians, the supplies due to fishing and hunting. The woodland remains yet, but to-day, under its shade, lives a race different in customs and language. It is only on the dreary and misty shores of the Atlan- tic that vegetate yet a few Acadian peasants, whose fathers came back from exile to die in their native land. In their cabins, the spinning wheel and the loom are yet in motion. The young girls still wear the Nor- man bonnet and petticoat, and in the evening, sitting near the fire, they repeat the history of the Gospel, while in its rocky caAcrns near by the ocean roars and an- swers in a disconsolate tune to the groans of the forest. Since then, like the passing of a terrible storm, leav- ing wreck and ruin in its track, the persecution sub- sided, the Acadians made use of a kind of sufferance to establish themselves openly on the shores that had been their refuge for so many years. A few years after, they were joined in these solitary and wretched parts of the country by a small fraction of those trans- ported by the English in 1*755. Such is the origin of the Acadian population in Canada, that has given its 80 name to tlie parish called Acadia, in the county of St. John, a place made immortal by the beautiful poem of Longfellow, and is known as the home of Evangeline. A memorial of the Bishop of Quebec, dated October 30th, 1767, let us know their number, especially at Cape Sable, where a Catholic Missionary comforted and sustained them against English persecutions; this missionary had been called by them, and o/t'ered to defray his own expences. A certain number still remained scattered in differ- ent places, living miserably in the remotest cantons. In 1763, permission was granted to Acadians that had been transported into Massachusetts to establish themselves on the southwest shoi-e oi their old country, near St. iVfary's Bay. The township of Clare, Digby connty, was at the time a rough and jaggad place, remote from all hab- itation and accessible only by sea. The Acadians, who seem to possess as an essential characteristic, a constant energy and indomitable perseverance, were ready to re-commence the struggle and work without loss of courage. They were not long in putting their ehoulder to the wheel when the said inheritance, granted them by the compassion of their oppressors, came back into their hands. Industrious, hard work- ers, they soon cleared the land, built fishing boats, and created in this deserted country a sufficient thrift. All the authqrs are in accordance in their testimony as to the preservation of the language, national char- acter and vigilance to maintain old customs. Mr. Halliburton, Judge in Nova Scotia, had written the following in 1829: "While Germans have a tend- ency to disappear in the English population, the Aca- dian» live together as much an poflsible, keeping their religion, language and peculiar customs. They never intermarry with their Protestant neighbors. Among themselves they speak but French." This great man's friendship for the Abbot Sigogoe continued to the period gf his election for the county of Clair, which includes St. Mary's parish. Those two men of super- ior talent in their different careers, understood one another at their iirst meeting, The author of Sam Slick took great interest in conversing with this French Priest, whose life, ideas and habits contrasted so strangely with his surround- ings. On his part the priest felt a warm friendship for this briglU, intelligent, sensitive, sarcastic, f ree-of - all prejudice Protestant, and he did not hesitate to notify his party that they could depend on hi« influ- ence in favor of religious independence; and was one of the first to ])ropose the abolition of the test oath, which barred all Catholics from holding a public office. Father Sigogne was one of the first promoters of the emancipation act, presented and unanimously adopted by the Legislature of Nova 'Scotia—thanks to the masterly speech by Halliburton in 1827 — the most remarkable part of which was his eulogy of the Aca- dians, of whose manner and habits he had made a special study during his residence in Annapolis, from 1822 to 1824. Says Beamish Murdock, refering to it, "it was the most magnificent and eloquent oratory that I ever heard." Halliburton was then mentally and physically in the prime of his life. The bracing air of his native home, Windsor, gave him a robust appearance, although his figure was still young and spare. On this occasion he literally carried his au- at • dience with him by the force of his eloquence, aided by his classical and historical studies, and by hi» ap- peal to the tenderest feelings of human nature. This speech is too closely allied to our subject to pass without citing a few passages. After informing them that he represented a greatnumber of Catholics, and that for several years he had been an intimate friend of their venerable pastor. Father Sigogne, "for what rea'ion," he asked, "does the Protestant and Catholic mix in the same social reunions and live in perfect harmony? Why does the Catholic weep at the death of a Protestant friend he has loved while living? Why does he act as pall-bearer to his last resting place and mingle his tears with the dust that covers his friend? If in Great Britain there is an evident feeling of hostility, it must be for other causes than a simple difference of religion. Ireland offers the saddest spectacle. While the Catholic is in duty bound and naturally inclined to support his Priest, he is obliged by the laws of the country to pay tithe to the Protestant minister. Then you see churches with- out believers, ministefs without congregations and bishops enjoying immense salarys without any duty to perform. These Catholics must be more or less than men. If they suffer all this withont complaint they feel it and murmur. The Protestants on their part are continually clamoring against them and de- clare them as a bad class of people. All Catholic church property has passed into the hands of the Protestant clergy, also the tithe, lands and domains of the Monasteries. Who can contemplate without regret those Monasteries, venerable even in their ruins? What has become of those scientific, charitable and V • » A m • 35 4 • # • hospitable asylums, where the pilgrim, weary from a long journey, or tlie harassed traveler, stopped for rest and received a hearty welcome; where the poor received their daily food and implored with a heart full of gratitude the benedictions of the pious and good men that fed them. Those asylums where knowledge held her assizes and science plunged her flaming hand into the darkness of bar- barism and ignorance. "Allow me, Mr. President, to linger as T often liave in times long ago during hours and days, amidst those ruins; you also must have lingered to contemplate those desolated ruins. Tell me while contemplating those cloisters, and while your foot tread their mosaic paths through which the grass grows, have you not im- magined hearing the solemn tread of the Monks in their holy procession? Have you not immagined hear- ing the chimes of the bells pouring forth in the eve their soft and melancholy sounds through the quiet and solitary valley? Have you never heard the Sera- phic choirs diffuse the harmonious chant of their hymns through immense waves or aerial arches? Do not those columns in ruins, those Gothic arches, those cracked and ivy covered walls appeal to you, while reminding you of the spoilers, at least to shed a tear in the memory of those great and good men w^ho founded them? It has been said that Catholics were the enemies of liberty, but that assertion, like m^ny others brought against them, is utterly false. Who established the grand chart? w^ho established our judges, our jury system, our magistrates, our sheriffs, etc? It was the Catholics. It is to -those slandered people that we owe everything of which we are proud wms:. to-day. Were they not loyal and brave? Ask the green hills of Chrystler's Farm; ask at Chateauguay; ask the hills of Queenstown. They will tell you they cover the loyal and brave Catholic, the ashes of heroes who died for their country. Here their sentiments had full sway, because there was no cause for dissen- tion and no properties to dispute. They were looked upon as good subjects and good friends. Friendship is natural to man's heart. It is like the ivy searching the oak, twining around its trunk, embracing its branches, surrounding them with beautiful wreaths and climbing to the top, balances its magnificent ban- ner of foliage above, as though proud of having con- quered the king of the forest. "Look at the township of Clare. There you see a magnificent spectacle, a whole nation having the same habits, speaking the one language, and united in the one religion. It is a spectacle worthy of the admiration of man and the approbation of God. See their worthy pastor, the able Sigogne, at the rising of the sun sur- rounded by his people, rendering thanks to the Author of all gifts. Follow him to the sick bed; watch him diffuse the balm of consolation on the wounds of the afflicted. Follow him in his field, showing an example of industry to his people; in his cabinet instructing the innocent youth. Follow him in his chapel; ■yon will see the savage from the desert with all ]^is fierce and untamed passions. You will see him conquered and submissive in the preset ^p of the Holy Man. You will hear him tell the Indian to recognize God in the calm and the solitude of the forest, in the roar of the cataract, in the splendid order of the plane- tary system, in the regular order of day and night, the M m>^ssm 38 Indian does not forget to thank God in his own dialect for the revelations the white man has taught him. Mr. Halliburton next recited the dispersing of the Aca- dian s^then as representative of the descendants of those people. He demanded of the deputies the abolition of the test oath not as a favor, as he would not accept it through compassion, but from their justice. "Any man," said he in conclusion, "who puts his haild on the New Testament, and says this is my Book of Faith, be he Catholic or Protestant, whatever may be the differ- ence of opinion on certain doctrines, he is my brother, and I embrace him. We are traveling differ- ent paths to the same God. In my pathway of life I meet a Catholic, I salute him, travel with him, and when we arrive at the term "flammantia lumina mundi," when this time comes, as it surely must, when this tongue that to-day expresses my thoughts will chill in my mouth ; when this breast that now breathes the pure air of Heaven will refuse longer to serve me; when these earthly clothes will return to the earth from whence they came and will mingle with the dust of the valley, tnen with the Catholic I will turn a long, languishing look at the past, I will kneel with him, and instead of saying like the presumptions Pharisien: "Grace to God, I am not like this papist," I will pray that being both of the same blood we will both be par- doned, and being brothers, we shall both be received above." Such language from a Protestant, addressed to a Protestant audience, could not fail to produce its effect. At the same time he showed the impressipn of the holy life of the Abbot Sigogne had on all his surroundings. The Catholics of Nova Scotia, and particularly the w « ft • 9 « ft • • • * w 39 Acadian s, have placed beside the name of Halliburton the name of Mr. Uniacke, one of the most noted mem- bers of the Legislature, who supported the Deputy of Clare, if not with the same eloquence, at least with, the same spirit of justice. With this victory dropped the last chain of the Acadians and opened an era of liberty that has made them one of the happiest nations on earth. Providence granted the Abbot Sigogne seventeen years of life from that date to strengthen the good he had done in the midst of this population, becoming more and more docile to his voice and examples. He died of old age in 1844, at the age of eighty-five, taking with him the regrets of all his people and everything that shows a man that life is worth living for, and the conviction of having accomplished his duty and deeds that never die. If ever you cross St. Mary's Bay you will see Abbot Sigogne's tomb sur- rounded with honor and respect. You will there see kneeling the children whose parents he baptized, and of whom he made more worthy of the confessors of the last century. With the Abbot Sigogne died in Acadia the generation of Apostoical men that the tempest of '93 had scattered over her surface, divided then in three provinces, namely. New Bumswick, Novia Scotia and Prinee Edward's Isle. The small knots of families the missionaries had discovered on the verge of being lost that they organized, disciplin- ed, to whom they gave a part of their lives and vir- tues, have to-day became ;legions, full of brave and courageous people on whom we can depend. After increasing on their own merit by doubling every twenty-one years from 1*785 to 1827 th6y doubled 40 every twenty-two years from 1827 to 1871. The last official census of 1881 states that there is to day 56,635 Acadians in New Brunswick, 41,219 in Nova Scotia, which forms part of Cape Kreton, 10,767 on Prince Edward's Isle. Those figures do not include the Acadian population of the Magdelena Isles which numbers over three thousand^ nor those north of the Gulf and the Bay Dex Chalems, Newfoundland and the State of Maine belonging to the Madawaska group which will raise about twenty thousand souls, giving the Acadian population of all these regions a total of over 130,000 souls. As I said before the Acadians are represented by men of their own race. In the Senate and House of Commons they have their deputies and even their local legislators. Men educated and noted among aJl classes of 80ci(?ty, we no longer count the number of their schools, at the head of which stands Memramcook's classical college, without a doubt the best Catholic institution in the Martime Provinces. They have several convents devoted to the instruction of youth in each of the Provinces, and as far as the Magdelena Isles they control the election in many counties. They have their French papers that teach them their rights, their attachment to their language and to France, at the same time declaring their entire fidelity to England. In fact they possess all the ele- ments of progression possible to wish. The reunion of the British Provinces in Confederation strengthen- ed them, at the same time binding them more closely to their brothers in Canada. In fifty years they will number half million, and will be a power in the mari- time Provinces, as the Canadians are to-day in the Confederation. ii n 41 France has been, till the middle of the last centuary, one of the greatest colonial powers in the world. The moment seems propitious to present to the public the researches we publish here. It is sad, indeed, in ex- hibiting the national character, to call back the pain- ful end of efforts which, at their beginning, raised so legitimate and bright hopes; but we must overcome the natural repulsion generated by misfortune, and fix our minds on these sad recollections of the past, to derive from our disasters useful information to guide and strengthen our conduct in the future. We know that it is not without concern for us to follow the French peo- ple, abandoned in our old possessions, and to show what has become of their posterity, through the difficulties and trials of a foreign domination. France seems to have forgotten, that in the dark hours of her history, important populations of her own blood, and in spite of misfortune, faithful to their origin, were forsaken by her. Who remembers to-day Acadia, Canada, Louisiana, or even Mauritius, though so recently lost? Who has . any recollection of places illustrated by so many heroic fights, and the devoted patriotism of their inhabitants? It is hard to awaken remembrances of our past glory, and to point out that France has been the first to com- mence this wonderful development of civilization in North America, while losing, through her carelessness , the generous children she did not know how to defend. Courageous colonists, who with energetic persever- ance have faced persecutions and abandonment, you have kept everywhere, not only the tradition, but also the religion, customs, language and love of your coun- try. Has not the time arrived to depart from that selfish indifference with which we rewarded their" affection? rmmm 42 Tliose to whom the greatiioss and prospeots of France are yet worthy of consideration will understand that to call attention to tlie national question is to attend to the future eventually laid up for the French race. Five hundred and seventy-nine miles in twenty -four hours by the Intercolonical road from Quebec to St. John, New Brunswick. The train, as usual, on that line was just late enough to enable you ^o miss the boat maki, j three trips per week between St. John, Digby and Annapolis. Compelled am I to wait until night for the steamer from St. John to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Those delays are so frequent that gossip says there is an understanding between the railroad conductors and St. John hotel keepers, the latter having the reputation of charging exhorbant prices to travelers. My experience at the Royal Hotel will confirm the above statement. Far away to the south the blue shores of Novia Scotia, seperated here by the narrow but high chain of mountains, with a suspension bridge a hundred feet above the gorge, at the bottom of which the St. John Rives percipi- tates itself in . a foaming cataract of elegance and strength. From this point can be witnesssd one of nature's greatest wonders on the continent. The tide that rises as high as twenty-six feet in this vicinity engulfs itself in this gorge, repulses the current and permits for a few minutes vessels to mount above the cataract. In 1634 Baron La Tour, a Huguenot gentle- man, built a fort on Point Carleton opposite Navy Island, a few rods above the cataract, where he done a profitable business in pelts and trading with the Indians. This fort, now entirely demolished, wit- nessed one of the most tragical events in the annals • f <» t f> • tH«ri.'.i>Jii.»t-. ,,,■,, ■.i^jc.ali^uji^y^. . - t ; t V 9 f> • 'id ^ 48 of America. Leaving Paris with his son Charles Amador, then fourteen years of age, Claude La Tour at first thought of settling in Acadia, near Fort Royal. Seventeen years later Charles La Tour was elected Governor of Acadia through the death of Biencourt, son of Poutrincourt, whom he suceeded. Claude De La Tour being taken prisioner by the English some time previous was conducted to London, where he was surrounded by caresses, mnde Baronet, and married to the first Maid of Honor of Queen Henriette of France, wife of Charles the I The same Princess that was immortalized by Bossuet Claude De La Tour offered the King of England to secure him the keys of Fort St. Louis, the ably fortified post held by the French in Acadia. He sailed with two frigates for America and anchored under the walls of Fort St. Louis, of which but a few ruins re- main, and proposed to his son to deliver the place to them. In return he assured him the greatest honors awaited him in London, and the supreme Government of Acadia in the name of the King of. Great Britan. The father answered Chas. De La Tour indignantly: "You are greatly mistaken if you think I would de- liver this fort into the hands of the enemies of this State. I will defend it for the King, my master, as long as I have a breath in my body. I highly esteem the position offered me by the King of England, but will never purchase them at the price of treason. The Prince I serve is able to recompense inc, but should he forget me, in my fidelity I will find the best of all rewards." Seeing there was no alternative he landed his troops and cannons and attacked the fort, where he was gallantly repulsed and forced to retreat. mmJtitm 44 |}<;comiiig at the Hame time :i traitor to France and the cause of a disaster to En<)rland, the poor unfortu- nate dared not return to Europe He advised his wife to return with the vessels to England, for there was nothing left him but shame and misery. "Never,'* assured this noble woman; "I have not espoused you to abandon you at the first reverse of fortune. Where- ever you will conduct me, and no matter to what misery you may be reduced, I will always be your faithful companion. My happiness shall always be to share your grief." La Tour then turned to his son, whose grandeur of soul he began to understand, and asked for clemency. The hero did not belie himself, but taking his father and family, gave them a house and a bountiful supply of everything necessary, on condition that he and his wife should never put their foot inside the fort, where they lived in peace and comfort several years. FINIS* 8' (jfc ACASIAS §E€©LLE€?i©iS By Mde. Mobel Db La Durantaye. PART THIRD. The writer of this, being a descendant of the Aca- dian exiles^ ventures to offer a contribution to their sad history, partly derived from records and partly from impressions made by recitals of those among whom she was reared. It was true that those who made the terrible journey through the wilderness had been gathered by death before my birth, but I well remem- ber seeing and conversing with their children, born after their departure from their original homes, some on board the vessels that carried them to the English colonies, others in the forests during their wanderings in search of a place to rest. Some of these people, then very old, had been nursed by their mothers all through the long, weary waj', as in terror they fled they knew not where. The sorrowful stories were so burned into my young heart, that in my after- joumeyings through the prov- ince, I have eagerly listened to repetitions by their descendants, who tell, with touching pathos, the inci- dents handed down in families, from generation to generation. The length of time that has elapsed makes it impossible to now give primitive exactitude, and, therefore, this record must bear somewhat the form of legends of my native village, where my story begins. 46 Going backwarerty. They were then informed that they eould not either sell their property or leave the country. They then returned to tlieir tiresi«le, some in despair, others waiting in hopes, but not one would swear alle- a^iance to England and raise his arm against France. Then began the tyranny of the English administration ; then those poor but heroic people by stealth left their native home, carrying nothing with them but their ha- FROM MONTREAL TO LA PRAIRIE. tred for their persecutors. They left one after another, men and women holding on their arras their aged fathers and mothers. Their conversations were held in low tones and ceased entirely on the threshold, the head of the family first, then followed all the represen- tatives of a third generation, each with a load of some kind. The procession started silently through the darkness to the harbor, where lay the ship awaiting their embarcation and transfer to the Canadian shore. They left unnoticed by any one, as they feared arous- ing the authorities, who were already on the alert. Arrived upon the beach amidst darkness, and blinded W&M ■MMH y 50 with tears, tl»ere was, of course, some confusion; peo- ple could be heard in low voices callins: one another, and sailors letting go their lines, but soon all noise ceased. Occasionly you would hear a few between their sobs, bidding good-bye to their country, never to return. The anguish was general, even little babes woke from sleep and cried, as a cold breeze would pass over their face; they knew it was not their mother's caressing breath. The boat began to rock; they felt it was not the rocking of their cradle, and theirs were the last cries borne back to Acadia. Go, now, you barbarous instrument of politics; go and distribute on other shores your missions of tyrrany and outrage. Hidden in the forests, on the beaches^ and in the midst of solitude are your victims. Do not flatter yourself with the hope that their voices are silenced forever; that their footsteps will :5ever again return to their native soil; that their stories will never reach the ears of the civilized world; that God and the world will leave them eternally without justice, and that you will continue your reign of destruction with- out punishment. No! the voice of these children shall not be hushed; it will outlive these courts upheld by the tears and suffering of a nation, rocked in the cradle of their misery and cries of anguish. Go, ye tyrants; the calumny will fall upon your memory and follow you to your tombs. a M m: ^I* » .,« ^ m 51 A MiDNiGFT Poem. While writing at midnight with four in the room, ^y brain, as the morning dawned weighing, With thought.) of the little ones now left alone. And their grief my mii^d was portraying— Bereft to-uight of their Icind father. Sorrow comes to young and old— I was thinking of the daylight And the news which must be told, When with daylight they'd awaken And with one accord all rush For the first fond kiss from papa. And I— how sad— their hearts must crush! Tes, to his eternal rest he is gone forever. From the ones who loved him well, Who will forget him never— Shall we ever meet again? Yes, the splendor will be greater. For when we meet, 'twill be above. And there see our Creator! We can no longer watch and mourn For him— the loved one. Whose life on earth to us was but a charm. We can but hope that his soul will be As welcome in heaven,- As the parting was sad for me. When we four will have passed away Will some one remember us. And will the rememberanca be as sad As the one who has gone to-day f Will we be remembered By friends once near and dear; Or will we be forgotten. As though we never had been here? Memory, sad memory, With aching hearts so sore, Comes sorrowing and sorrowing Alike to rich and poor ; Though his image I will always keep, Defy years to efface; 'Twill keep my pathway clear and bright And in heaven I may also find The true and only light. ^ uv % i 'V-S. "^ '^^' i^' 't. i 1 ^..•=^