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NOVA SCOTIA DOCUMENTS. |
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Governor Mascarene to Governor Shirley.
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ANNAPOLIS ROYALL Decr 1744.
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SIR, —
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I have in the Course of this Summer given You an acct. of the different states this Garrison has been in butt as I was oblig'd to write always in haste, from the nature of our business and the dispatch necessary to be given to the Vessells; I could not give you a right notion of our Circumstances. The Enemy being now att last withdrawn there is time for recollection and therefore I shall give you a larger detail of the several Enterprises made against this Place and how they have been baffed and att last ended to our advantage.
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On the 18th of May I found a sudden pannick had seiz'd the whole lower Town where several OfIicers and Soldiers familys were quarter’d, every body removing their goods to the Fort. Upon enquiry I found a rumour had spread that one Morpin a famous commander of a privateer in the last Warr, was up our River with five hundred French and Indians. Whatever inquiry I could make I could not find the author of this report, and tho' We were assur'd the next day that this piece of news was false, the impression it had made would not however be taken off from most peoples minds.
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The Massachusetts Galley arriv’d soon after with the Chief Engeneer and brought us an acct. that by a printed paper seen in Boston it appear'd Warr was declar'd against France tho' the Government there had no orders as yet from Home to proclame it. This made several officers take the resolution to send their familys to New England and the Galley took accordingly as many as she would conveniently carry and a little while after two Vessells more were freighted with part of those remaining and yet we had within this little while above seventy women and children left and quarter'd within the Compass of the Fort.
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Our Fort as to its Ramparts and Parapets was in a ruinous condition, the few materiels we had proper to repair them had been imploy'd in patching the most dangerous Places, upon the first notice I had by the Circular letter of their Excellcys. the Lords of the Regency. The orders for rebuilding the Fort with masonary having made the Old to be for several years totally neglected. The Chief Engeneer therefore, till he could procure proper materials to repair the old went on with the project of the new building, for which stones, Bricks
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