Nova Scotia Archives

Acadian Heartland

Records of the Deportation and Le Grand Dérangement, 1714-1768

344

NOVA SCOTIA DOCUMENTS.

they were collected from most parts and transported to Boston, in order to prevent the imminent danger to which this Province must have been exposed, from the aid and assistance the French would have received from them, in case they had made any attempts on it. This measure, My Lord, was communicated to General Amherst, and he was at the same time acquainted, that the Masters of the Transports had directions implicitly to obey his orders in regard to the future disposal of those people; on whose arrival at Boston, he writes that he would apply to Governor Bernard for their reception. Then indeed, the General says, that he could have wished that those who inhabited the back parts of the Province, had been sent to Canada agreeable to Governor Murray's request, by which means you would not only have saved the expence of bringing them down the country, at this time, but have been eased of any dread from that quarter, which is the first time I am informed, that he made any mention of this measure, his whole attention being perhaps employed on the important matters of Martineco, the Havannah, and Newfoundland; he had not leisure to reflect that no movement could have been made of any of these people, without his express orders sent here for that purpose. This is all the information which I can gain as to this point, and as I could not set forth the reasons on which the execution of this measure was laid aside, I have endeavoured to show your Lordships how perhaps it failed. "

The number of these people is very considerable as your Lordships will observe from the enclosed return, which shews the different parts of the Province in which they are at this time. The chief means of their support is from the provisions they receive on the Military list, in proportion to their age and number in each family; and they supply themselves with clothing by the wages they get for their work; but they are far from being an industrious or laborious people. The price they demand for their labour is high, and in the work of a day, they fall short of the Settlers, even when they exert themselves; so that few persons can afford to employ them. I have already represented in my letter to your Lordships of 10th Decr., that they are most inflexibly devoted to France and the Romish Religion, and being much connected with the Indians by intermarriages, their power and disposition to be mischievous is more to be dreaded. And as they flatter themselves with some favourable revolution from another War, I conceive they would never sincerely submit themselves to His Majesty's Government, Tho perhaps, they might preserve"