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61
To His Excellency
Sir John Harvey Lieutenant Governor in and over the Province of Nova Scotia and its dependencies &c &c &c

The Petition of the undersigned Indians of [Ascaonie?] on the North shore of the East Arm of the Great Bras, dor County of Cape Breton

Most Humbly Sheweth

That your Petitioners enjoy the rights and previleges [privileges] of
British subjects we are now few in number the remnant of the
Micmac Indians ( once a powerful tribe) occupying a sequestered
part of the East Arm of the Brasdore called Ascaonie our manners
informed by civilization and [ameliorized?] by the influences of
Christianity disqualify us from our unskilled habits of our natural
conditions. Your Petitioners have erected comfortable dwellings
in imitation of the Scorch who are now our neighbours and
are maintaining our families by cultivating the soil we
have also erected houses of worship in which we assemble
to praize the (Lord of Hosts the maker and giver of all things
in whoom [whom] we live and move. Your Excellencys petitioners
are few in number and owing to the failure in the crops
all over the Province we had often to combat with famine in
all its various forms which time after time stared us in the
face- The Ermine and other inhabitants of the woods
have for some time past disappeared from being destroyed
or driven from their natural haunts by the whites- and
now no resourse [resource] left for Your Excellencys Petitioners but
by cultavating [cultivating] the soil but being yet backward in husbandry
we can hardly raise more than half we consume and
the remainder we purchase for coopering &c Having a few
Years ago commenced building a Chaple [Chapel] which was some
time ago completted outside _ but the interior is yet in
its rough form from Your petitioners unability to finish it
Your Excellencys petitioners therefore pray that the sum
of fifty pounds will be granted [?to - erased] us which will enable us
the Poor Indians to finish our Chaple interiorly _
We Your Excellencys petitioners are aware of Your wisdom