{{nr||[ 416 ]}}{{lang|en|settle Halifax ; which the French looking upon with jealousy, they made frequent
incursions through our country, in order to annoy that settlement, whereby
we came exposed to many straits and hardships ; yet, from the obligations
we were under, from the oath we had taken, we were never under any doubt,
but that it was our indispensable duty and interest, to remain true to your
Government and our oath of fidelity, hoping that in time those difïiculties
would be removed, and we should see peace and tranquillity restored ; and if,
from the change of affairs in Nova Scotia, Your Majesty had thought it not
inconsistent with the safety of your said Province to let us remain there upon
the terms promised us by your Governors, in Your Majesty’s name, we should
doubtless have acquiesced with any other reasonable proposal which might have
been made to us, consistent with the safety of our aged parents, and tender
wives and children ; and we are persuaded, if that had been the case, whereever
we had retired, we should have held ourselves under the strongest obligations
of gratitude, from a thankful remembranee of the happiness we had enjoyed
under Your Majesty’s administration and gracious protection. About
the time of the settlement of Halifax, General Cornwallis, Governor of Nova
Scotia, did require that we should take the oath of allegiance without the
exemption before allowed us of not bearing arms ; but this we absolutely refused, as being an infringement of the principal condition upon which our
forefathers agreed to settle under the British Government.}}

{{lang|en|And we acquainted Governor Cornwallis, that if Your Majesty was not
willing to continue that exemption to us, we desire liberty to evacuate the
country, proposing to settle on the Island of St. John, where the French
Government was willing to let us have ; which proposal he at the time refused
to consent to, but told us he would acquaint Your Majesty therewith and
return us an answer. But we never received an answer, nor was any proposal of
that made to us until we were made prisoners.}}

{{lang|en|After the settlement of Halifax we suffered many abuses and insults from
Your Majesty’s enemies, more specially from the Indians in the interest of the
French, by whom our cattle was killed, our houses pillaged, and many of us
personally abused and put in fear of our lives, and some even carried away
prisoners towards Canada, solely on account of our resolution to maintain
our oath of fidelity to the English Government ; Particularly Rene
LeBlanc — our public notary — was taken prisoner by the Indians when actually
travelling in Your Majesty’s service, his house pillaged, and himself carried
to the French fort, from whence he did not recover his liberty but with great
difficulty, after four years, captivity.}}

{{lang|en|We were likewise obliged to comply with the demand of the enemy, made for provisions, cattle, etc., etc., upon pain of military execution, which we had reason to believe the Government was made sensible was not an act of choice on our part, but of necessity, as those in authority appeared to take in good part the representations we always made to them after {{corr|anythingk|anything}} of that nature had happened.}}
<references/>
Richard - Acadie, reconstitution d'un chapitre perdu de l'histoire d'Amérique, Tome 3, 1916.djvu/428