[siebert] SETTLEMENT OF LOYALISTS AT MACHICHE, P.O. 409 



two were men, ten, women, and one hundred and seventeen, children. 1 

 Three weeks later there was still room for forty persons in the little 

 settlement; and Haldimand directed Carleton to send down from 

 Montreal this number chosen out of the Niagara party. For some 

 reason, however, these persons were not sent, but were allowed to 

 remain under Carleton's supervision. That apartments at Machiche 

 continued unoccupied for even a longer period appears from the Gov- 

 ernor General's orders of February 8, 1779, to Brigadier General Powell 

 at St. Johns (Quebec) to forward some distressed Loyalists who 

 had arrived at that post to Machiche and to Sorel. 2 



Meanwhile, Captain Twiss was instructed to return to Machiche 

 to assist Gugy in choosing a site for a saw mill ; and the Seignior 

 wrote to Haldimand of the growing need of a school house and an 

 assistant to the schoolmaster, in view of the fact that there were 

 already eighty pupils, and that certain gentlemen, including Captain 

 Munro of Sir John Johnson's corps, were on the point of sending 

 their boys to Machiche to receive instruction. A month later, that 

 is, early in April, 1779, Gugy was already well along with the building 

 of nine new houses, instead of the six previously contemplated, and 

 towards the middle of August he wrote that the number of Loyalists 

 had been much augmented by the different parties sent in from time 

 to time, and that the additional houses would soon be ready for the 

 accommodation of others. That he was not beforehand in thus 

 increasing the accommodations for refugees is proved by the figures 

 showing the number to whom he issued free provisions during the sum- 

 mer and fall of this year: at the end of June the number was one 

 hundred and ninety-six, but by October 20 it had mounted to four 

 hundred and forty-two. On December 3, Captain Daniel McAlpin 

 was reported as having departed from Machiche with "other volun- 

 teers," his place being taken by Captain (Gersohm) French; but a 

 party of Butler's Rangers had come in, whose families were said to be 

 in dire need of clothing. Among these people from Niagara Gugy 

 found some disreputable characters given to what he called "brigan- 

 dage," which naturally caused complaints on the part of the "habit- 

 ants." 3 Ten months later the Seignior received an application on 

 behalf of several families belonging to a party conducted by Captain 

 Bird from Detroit to Montreal. At the latter place Bird's party 

 had to be encamped on St. Helen Island, while a message was sent 

 to Machiche asking accommodations for thirty persons, constituting 

 six families. As winter was approaching a supply of clothing was for- 



1 Haldimand Papers, B. 62, pp. 308, 309; B. 166, p. 2. 



2 Ibid., B. 62, pp. 344, 367; B. 164, p. 26: B. 135, pp. 22, 23. 



3 Ibid., B. 164, pp. 26, 133, 134, 58, 88, 75; B. 166, pp. 9-15, 31 ; B. 81, 

 pp. 82, 83. 



