THE CRISIS AND THE CONVOYS, 1656-1688 79 



Bay of Bulls, and Petty Harbour in revenge for English attacks 



upon Dutchmen in West Africa, and in 1673, when De Boes 



raided Ferryland immediately after his short-lived re-conquest 



of New York. Newfoundland was regarded as a pawn in 



the European war-game, and it was within reach of the least 



of the combatants. The very places which were attacked — 



St. John's, the Bay of Bulls, Petty Harbour, and Ferryland — 



were the very places which Kirke's foresight had fortified, 



and a remark by De Ruyter, that six cannon would have 



prevented him from entering St. John's Harbour, coupled 



with the unaccountable disappearance of Kirke's cannon, 



turned men's thoughts to forts and garrisons. But the Dutch 



danger was transitory and remote, and a new, nearer, and 



more deadly danger began to loom on the political sky. 



France, which was now the boldest and strongest competitor 



for empire, annexed and occupied Placentia. 



In 1660 a Royal Commission appointed Sieur Gsivgot, t^e French- 



who was the captain of the fleet which went every year from ^^^^havmg 



^ ■' ■^ occupied 



France to Canada, Governor of the Port of Placentia.^ In piacentia 



1662 Du Mont, then on his way to Quebec with the soldiers "^ ^^^^' 



and colonists for whom Pierre Boucher had asked (1661), 



landed at Placentia, proclaimed it French territory, fortified 



it, and left a garrison of thirty soldiers and a priest behind 



him as he went on his way.^ In the same year an Irish (?) 



inhabitant of St. Mary Bay, and some Indians from the 



continent who were poaching beavers near Cape St. Mary, 



were arrested by an English bailiff ; but French allies of the 



Indians came on the scene, declared that France was now 



sovereign of the south ports of the island, arrested the bailiff, 



and took him prisoner to Placentia.^ In 1663 Gargot was 



ordered to take out certain families and stores from La 



1 Charlevoix, History of New France, ed. J. Shea, vol. iii, pp. 146-7. 



2 Calendar of State Papers, Colonial iVnVx, April 15, 1668 : Colonial 

 Papers, vol. xxii, Nos. 65-7. 



=* Br. Mus. Egerton MSS. 2395, fol. 471, Jan. 27, 1670. The 

 context implies that the Indians were continental. 



