84 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



'of the peninsula but only its southern watershed, though Port Royal, 

 mentioned by name in the treaty, was admitted to Ijelong to the 

 'English. Naturally these claims influenced the attitude of the Aca- 

 'dians, who must have believed that all of the present 'New Brunswick 

 'belonged without question to ï'rance, and that very probably all of 

 the Bay of Fundy slope of the peninsula, including most of the impor- 

 tant Acadian settlements, belonged to her also. Further, the failure 

 bf EiUgland to colonize Acadia, the recollection of the numerous times 

 that their country had been returned to France after English con- 

 quests, the influence of their leaders who hoped for, and doubtless 

 expected, its ultimate restoration, and their natural ties of kinship, 

 language and religion all combined to make them loath to accept 

 British rule, while their intense devotion to their native Acadia made 

 them equally loath to leave the Province. On the other hand the 

 English, believing fully in their right to the entire country, and con- 

 vinced that it was to be permanently British, expected the Acadians 

 to become British subjects. This became the more imperative in their 

 minds not only because the country needed the Acadians as settlers. 

 Taut' also and espeeiaOly because the intensity of their attaichment to 

 France in conjunction with their great numerical strength (now several 

 thousands), made them a standing menace to British rule in Acadia 

 in case war shoaild again break out between the two nations. Thas 

 the British naturally attempted to make the Acadians genuine British 

 subjects, and, just as naturally under the circumstances, the Acadians 

 attempted to evade this result; and hence the two races in Acadia, 

 instead of coming closer, drifted farther apart. Finally the disputed 

 points as to the boundaries of Acadia were referred to a commission, 

 pending whose decision England left France in undisturbed possession 

 of the mainland, and during which time the Acadian settlements were 

 extending slowly on the St. John, (locations not known) and more 

 rapidly north of the IVIisseguash, resulting in the foundation of 

 BeauMJour, Westcock, Free des Bourques, Free des Richards, Tiniamarre, 

 La Coupe, Le Lac, Fortage, Baie Verte. The French endeavoured to 

 "make good their claim by the construction of flve forts, at St. John, 

 Nerepis, Beauséjour, Gaspereau and Shediac. But the boundary com- 

 missioners were unable to agree, and, England and France being one 3 

 more at war, the English in 1755 captured all the French forts and 

 thus took forcible possession of the mainland, including all of the 

 ■present Now Brunswick. 



g. The emigration of the Acadians. The friction engendered 

 'between the British and the Acadians through the refusal of the 

 latter to become British subjects, led, towards 1749, to some emigra- 



