ON CAPE BEETON. 187 



world, and took little or no pains to ascertain whether they might not interfere with pre- 

 vious charters. One Le Borgne, who was a creditor of Charuisay, the former rival of 

 La Tonr and governor of Acadie, professed to have obtained authority from the parliament 

 of Paris to take possession of all his debtor's property in the colony. He claimed that 

 Denys was an intruder on the domain over which Charnisay had lordship, and in a most 

 high-handed manner took possession of all the property owned by the former at St. Peter's. 

 On appealing to France, Denys obtained a patent in 1654 from the king, appointing him 

 governor of the extensive country extending from Cape Cançeau to Cape Rosiers [Race], 

 Newfoundland, Cape Breton, St. John and other adjacent islands. Hardly had he obtained 

 this redress from the authorities in France, to whom he at once appealed, than he found 

 himself harassed by the lawless conduct of another commercial rival named Giraudière, 

 who claimed to have received from the Company of New France a grant of the coast in 

 Acadie, which included Denys's concession and fort at Guysboro'. The Canadian Com- 

 pany subsequently repudiated Giraudière's acts and revoked their grant to him, but 

 Denys received no compensation for the losses which he suffered at Chedaboiictou from his 

 rival's treachery and falsehood. He was compelled to give up his post in Acadie, and to 

 retire to Cape Breton, but even here his misfortunes followed him. At last, when his 

 fort at St. Pierre was destroyed by fire, he retired altogether from the island to the Bay 

 of Chaleurs, probably before 1609, and is believed to haA^e returned to France either in 

 16Ï1 or 1672, disheartened and worn out by his struggles in America.' 



Whilst in his native country, Denys published the first book which refers at any 

 length to Cape Breton since its discovery, and gives us some interesting information 

 respecting the natural features of those parts of the island with which he was best 



' ]\Ir. Haiinay, in his history of Acadie, gives a well-written account of this memorable fend which lasted for 

 many years in the early days of Nova Scotia, but ho appears to have fallen into some slight errors with respect to 

 Denys and his difficulties with Lo Borgne. He tells us (p. 187) that Charnisay broke np Denys's establishment in 

 Cape Breton, whereas it was Le Borgne who laid claim to all the former's rights in Acadie as stated above. When 

 Denys first came to Acadie he established a shore fishery at Rossignol (Liverpool) in partnership with De Razilly, 

 then living at La Have, and a merchant of Auray, in Bretagne (Murdoch, Hist, of N. S., i. 87; Denys, Amérique 

 Septentrionale, i.86). On account of the loss of his principal vessel he appears to have left Rossignol and estab- 

 lished himself in the vicinity of Razilly's fort with the intention of carrying on a lumbering busintss, but on the 

 death of Razilly, Charnisay obtained a transfer in his favour of all the latter's estates (Murdoch, i. 90) and forced 

 Denys to abandon hisenterpri.se in disgust (Denys, i. 94-104). Denys then established himself in Cape Breton, 

 and after fonio time was attacked by Le Borgne. Hannay al.so informs us (p. 194) that the latter destroyed 

 Denys's establishment at I^a Have in Nova Scotia, but Ibis does not seem accurate. It appears that after Denj's 

 went to Cape Breton Charnisay or D'Aulnay, as )ie is inditlbrently called, removed the inhabitants of La Have to 

 Port Royal, and according to a French Canadian historian they were the beginning of the French Acadian race 

 (Ferland, i. S.")l, n.; Murdoch, i. 103,114; Denys, 4). La Have, it seems, was again settled after Charnisay had 

 removed the original inhabitants, and Le Borgne's party, after their attack on Denys in Capo Breton, and on their 

 way to Port Royal with him as a prisoner, destroyed the houses, not because Denys had any claim to them, but 

 apparently because Le Borgne did not recognize tlie right of the new people to occupy the place. (Murdoch, i. 

 ll'.") ; Denys, i. 0.) Subsequently Denys obtained his liberty and acknowledgments of Iiis rights, while Le Borgne's 

 son took possession of La Have and constructed a fort of timber for the purpose of carrying on business at that 

 point (iWc/, i. 10). The letters-patent of lGri4, defining Denys's limit of government (Brown, 02, Quebec Doc, i. 

 141) speak of Charnisay having expelled him from his forts, but this must be a mistake for Le Borgne or a refer- 

 ence to Charnisay having driven Denys from La Have. Denys, however, is remarkably obscure in narrating even 

 the facts of his own history, and it is easy to understand why Brown, Hannay and others are often perplexed and 

 misled. I have endeavoured to study out the facts with the results as I have given tlieni above — hesitatingly, I 

 admit. 



