Section II., 1911. [23] Trans. R.S. C. 
Colonel Alexander McNutt and the Pre-Loyalist Settlements of Nova 
Scotia. 
By Ven. ARCHDEACON W. O. Raymonn, LL.D. 
(Read May 17, 1911.) 
Introductory. 
This paper may be regarded as a continuation of the one read at 
the last annual meeting of the Royal Society, entitled “ Nova Scotia 
under English Rule: from the Capture of Port Royal to the Conquest 
of Canada.” In the former paper the writer endeavored to show that, 
apart from the establishment of a military post at Annapolis Royal and 
of a small garrison at Canso, little was done for more than a third of a 
century to maintain English prestige in Nova Scotia. So far as the 
French inhabitants were concerned, the cession of Acadia to Great 
Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, effected little more than a 
nominal transfer of political allegiance. Nearly forty years elapsed 
after English sovereignty was acknowledged, before there was any 
real attempt at English settlement. It is true that proposals, more 
or less indefinite, were made at various times looking to the introduc- 
tion of English settlers, but nothing came of the proposals. 
The half-century, from the capture of Port Royal by Nicholson 
to the conquest of Canada, proved a period of unrest both in Europe 
and America and was fraught with momentous issues. Throughout 
this period the English held Acadia by a very feeble tenure, and at 
times it seemed more than probable that the country would revert 
to its former owners. Little was done for its development; indeed, the 
vast majority of the people in England knew little about Nova Scotia 
and probably cared less. The attitude of the ministry reflected in a 
measure the sentiment of the people—it was one of unconcern. There 
was a lack of knowledge of the conditions existing even on the part of 
those who should have been better informed. | 
Misconceptions as to the climate and resources of Nova Scotia 
were perpetuated in the minds of the English people for generations 
by their own historians. In the schools of the maritime provinces 
Sec: FE, 19.778: 
