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NOVA SCOTIA DOCUMENTS. |
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Your Apprehensions of the Mischiefs & Dangers which might arise from the settling the Acadians in a collective Body in any Part of your Province, are certainly well founded; and I agree with You in Opinion that the safest Method of disposing of them would be to disperse them in small Numbers among the Settlements within Your Government. And this, indeed, seems to be the only practicable Method of disposing of them, for the Removal of those People into the Government of Quebec does not appear to me to be an eligible Measure, neither, as I am inform'd, would it be agreeable to themselves, and Your Proposal of settling them in one of the ceded Islands, can by no means take place, as His Majesty has determined to dispose of all Lands belonging to Him in those Islands by publick Sale.
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With regard to the Information yon have received of the Acadians having applied to the Court of France to be removed out of His Majesty's Dominions, there is great Reason to believe that such Application (if it should be made) would not meet with any Encouragement, as His Most Christian Majesty's Ministers assured me, in Answer to my Remonstrances occasioned by some Intelligence of the same Sort received from Boston in September last, that His Court had no Intentions of Interfering with respect to the Removal of the Acadians.
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His Majesty considers the French Acadians in the same Light with the rest of His Roman Catholic Subjects in America. If they shall be willing to take the Oaths of Allegiance, and to become good Subjects and usefull Inhabitants, it will be Your Care to settle them in such Parts of Your Government as may be agreeable to themselves, and at the same Time consistent with the publick Peace and Security. If, on the contrary, they cannot be prevailed on so to settle, in good Humour and for good purposes, the Liberty of removing Themselves out of the Province, or out of His Majesty's Dominions, cannot be denied to them as Subjects. But you will never suffer them to be carried away by the open Attempts or secret Practises of any foreign Power.
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I am with great Truth and Regard
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Sir
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Your most Obedient
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humble Servant
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DUNK HALIFAX.
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