Page:Richard - Acadie, reconstitution d'un chapitre perdu de l'histoire d'Amérique, Tome 3, 1916.djvu/197

Le texte de cette page a été corrigé et est conforme au fac-similé.

cas des terres endiguées, il y avait beaucoup moins de ces prairies ainsi conquises sur la mer, cinquante ans après la déportation qu’à l’époque même où elle était survenue ; et cependant, les travaux d’endiguement faits par les Acadiens avaient pu être partiellement utilisés^[1]. Lorsqu’on 1765, les colons établis dans cette partie du pays désirèrent refaire ou réparer ces digues, ils s’adressèrent au gouverneur Belcher pour en obtenir la permission de faire exécuter ces travaux aux frais du gouvernement par les Acadiens, et ces mêmes colons avaient cependant eu l’avantage de s’établir sur des terres déjà défrichées^[2]

Les Acadiens étaient simples et ignorants, mais ils vivaient à une époque où l’ignorance était presque générale chez les gens de leur classe. Il serait injuste de ne pas tenir

↑ Le MS. original renvoie : « Voir Haliburton. Hist. of Nova Scotia. » II, 114 et seq.
↑ Note du MS. original : « The Mémorial of the Inhabitants of King’s County, etc. That the Acadians who have hitherto been stationed in this county have been of great use as laborers, in assisting the carrying on our business in agriculture and improvements in general, but particularly in the repairing and making dykes, a work which they are accustomed to, and experienced in, and we find that without their assistance many of us cannot continue our improvements, nor plough, nor sow our lands, nor finish the dyking still required to secure them from sait water, and being convinced from expérience that unless those dyker lands are inclosed we cannot with certainty raise bread for our subsistance. »
John Burbidge, Samuel Willoughby, Handly Chipman, Elisha Lathrop, Nathan de Wolf, Robert Denuison, Judge Deschamps, Moses de Les Derniers, W. Tonge, Henry Denson, Joseph Wilson, Joseph Baly, Benj. Sanford. In behalf of the inhabitants of Cornwallis, Horton, Windsor, Falmouth and Newport.

Cf. Can. Archives. Nova Scotia, 1765. March March, 23. Mémorial of the Inhabitants of King’s County, that the Acadians may he allowed to remain for the summer, to assist in carrying on agriculture and improvements. B. M. Add. 19071. Fol. 215. C. F. Doc. in. II. 93.

[1] Le MS. original renvoie : « Voir Haliburton. Hist. of Nova Scotia. » II, 114 et seq.

[2] Note du MS. original : « The Mémorial of the Inhabitants of King’s County, etc. That the Acadians who have hitherto been stationed in this county have been of great use as laborers, in assisting the carrying on our business in agriculture and improvements in general, but particularly in the repairing and making dykes, a work which they are accustomed to, and experienced in, and we find that without their assistance many of us cannot continue our improvements, nor plough, nor sow our lands, nor finish the dyking still required to secure them from sait water, and being convinced from expérience that unless those dyker lands are inclosed we cannot with certainty raise bread for our subsistance. »
John Burbidge, Samuel Willoughby, Handly Chipman, Elisha Lathrop, Nathan de Wolf, Robert Denuison, Judge Deschamps, Moses de Les Derniers, W. Tonge, Henry Denson, Joseph Wilson, Joseph Baly, Benj. Sanford. In behalf of the inhabitants of Cornwallis, Horton, Windsor, Falmouth and Newport.

Cf. Can. Archives. Nova Scotia, 1765. March March, 23. Mémorial of the Inhabitants of King’s County, that the Acadians may he allowed to remain for the summer, to assist in carrying on agriculture and improvements. B. M. Add. 19071. Fol. 215. C. F. Doc. in. II. 93.

[1]

[2]