[RAYMOND] PRE-LOYALIST SETTLEMENTS OF NOVA SCOTIA 27 
Those who were responsible for the expulsion had hoped to sub- 
stitute almost immediately a loyal population for one they had declared 
to be hopelessly disaffected; but they failed for some time to find set- 
tlers for the vacant lands. The Lords of Trade imagined that many 
of the New England soldiers, who had served at the siege of Beauséjour 
and assisted at the deportation, would upon the expiration of their 
period of service gladly become the occupants of the lands from which 
the former owners had been removed. But in this they were dis- 
appointed. The men were too anxious to get back to their firesides to 
tarry in Nova Scotia till the lands were surveyed and terms of settle- 
ment arranged. At the same time they were doubtless greatly im- 
pressed with the fertility of the soil and the natural resources of the 
country. 
Before any definite plan had been decided on for the re-settlement 
of the lands, war with France broke out afresh. This was the beginning 
of the final struggle for supremacy in America. It ended with the 
downfall of Quebee and Louisbourg and left England in undisputed 
possession of Canada and Acadia. Governor Lawrence and the Lords 
of Trade therefore were free to turn their attention to the best and 
speediest way of making Nova Scotia a strong and loyal colony. 
I1.—Biographical Sketch of Colonel Alexander McNutt. 
In view of the important part Colonel McNutt played in promoting 
the settlement of Nova Scotia in the days of Governor Charles Law- 
rence and his successors, it is surprising that so little has appeared in 
print concerning the man or his antecedents. Haliburton, our first 
Nova Scotia historian of note, terms him “an enthusiastic adventurer 
from the North of Ireland.” This statement is a little misleading, as 
will presently appear. Many writers affirm that he spent his declining 
years on the island at the mouth of Shelburne harbour, which still bears 
his name, and that he was drowned in crossing from the island to the 
mainland. The story of Colonel MeNutt’s death by drowning has no 
warrant in point of fact. How it originated no one seems to know; but, 
like many a tradition, it has become so firmly established in the minds 
of those who live in the vicinity that it will in all probability continue 
to be believed and the story to be told in spite of all evidence to the 
contrary. Tourists will come, in ever increasing numbers, to view the 
attractions of ancient Shelburne, will admire its beautiful harbour, 
listen to the story of its mournful past and be solemnly told that MeNutt’s 
Island is the spot where the famous old colonizer sleeps his last sleep! 
