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and a person named Clavery, who shortly after become 

 store-keeper at Quebec. Cadet was to purchase wheat 

 in the parishes, have it ground at a mill he had leased ; 

 the flour to be sent abroad, secretly. Pean, too, had a 

 large warehouse built, at Beaumont, some say. Cargoes 

 of grain were thus secretly shipped to foreign ports in 

 defiance of the law. Breard, the Comptroller-General, 

 for a consideration winked at these mal-practices, and 

 from a poor man when he landed in Canada, he returned 

 to France in affluent circumstances. 



The crowning piece of knavery was the erection of a 

 vast shop and warehouses near to the Intendant's 

 Palace. Clavery had charge of this establishment, 

 where a small retail business was carried on as a blind. 



The real object was to monopolize the trade in provi- 

 sions and concentrate it here. Clavery was clerk to 

 Estebe, Boyal store-keeper at Quebec. In this ware- 

 house were accumulated all such provisions and sup- 

 plies as were wanted annually, and ordered from France 

 for the King's stores at Quebec. 



It was the practice of the Intendant to send each 

 summer the requisitions to Paris. Bigot took care to 

 order from France less supplies than were required, so 

 as to have an excuse to order the remainder in times of 

 want, at Quebec. The orders were sent to Clavery's 

 warehouse, where the same goods were sold twice over, 

 at increased rates. Soon the people saw through the 

 deceit, and this repository of fraud was called, in con- 

 sequence, La Friponne. " The Knave." 



Want of space prevents me from crowding in photos 

 of the other accomplished rogues, banded together for 

 public robbery during the expiring years of French 

 domination in Canada. 



It is singular to note how many low-born (1) para- 

 sites and flatterers surrounded Bigot. 



(1) Servants, laquais and nobodies were named store- 

 keepers, " leur ignorance et leur bassesse ne fur ent point un 

 obstacle ", say the Hftmoires, 1749-60. 



