enrich  our  colonies  with  them."  Unfort-
unately for  the  poor  people,  some  of  their
best  men  presented  a  petition  to  the  gov-
ernor at  Halifax.  He  would  not  receive
it,  and  demanded  that  they  should  imme-
diately take  the  oaths  required  before  the
council.  "  We  will  do  as  our  people  may
determine,"  they  meekly  replied,  and  asked
permission  to  return  home  and  consult
them.  The  next  day,  perceiving  the  peril-
ous position  of  their  people,  they  offered
to  take  the  oaths.  "  By  a  law  of  the
realm,"  said  the  governor,  "  Roman  Cath-
olics who  have  once  refused  to  take  the
oaths  cannot  be  permitted  to  do  so  after-
wards, and  are  considered  Popish  recu-
sants." They  were  cast  into  prison,  and
the  chief-justice  decided  that  all  the
French  inhabitants — hundreds  of  innocent
families  who  were  ignorant  of  all  these
proceedings— were  "rebels  and  Popish  re-
cusants," and  stood  in  the  way  of  "  Eng-
lish interests"  in  the  country,  and  that
they  had  forfeited  all  their  possessions  to
the  crown.  So  their  doom  was  sealed.
See  Longfellow's  Evangeline.
Accault,  Michael,  explorer;  was  with
La  Salle  when  the  latter  discovered   the


Acland,   John  Dyke,  military  officer;


MAJ.  JOHN  DYKE  ACLAND.
was    with    Burgoyne    in    his    invasion    of


Mississippi    River.     Later,    with    Louis    northern  New  York  in  1777,  and'  at  the

14


ACQUIA    CREEK— ACQUISITION    OF    TERRITORY


CHRISTINA    HARRIET   ACLAND.
same  time  he  was  a   member   of   Parlia-
ment.    In  the  battle  of  Saratoga   (Oct.  7,


1777)  he  was  severely  wounded — shot
through  the  legs — and  made  a  prisoner.
