The Acadians 
" They were a simple and very ignorant peasantry, 
industrious and frugal till evil days came to discourage 
them ; living aloof from the world with little of that 
spirit of adventure which an easy access to the vast 
fur-bearing interior had developed in their Canadian 
kindred ; having few wants and those of the rudest ; 
fishing a little, and hunting in winter, but chiefly 
employed in cultivating the meadows along the river 
Annapolis, or rich marshes reclaimed by dikes from 
the tides of the Bay of Fundy. The British Govern- 
ment left them entirely free of taxation. They made 
clothing of flax and wool of their own raising, hats 
of similar materials, and shoes or moccasins of moose 
and seal skin. They had cattle, sheep, hogs, and 
horses in abundance, and the Valley of the Annapolis, 
then as now, was known for the profusion and excel- 
lence of its apples. 
*' For drink they had cider or brewed spruce-beer. 
" French oflScials describe their dwellings as wretched 
wooden boxes, without ornaments or conveniences, 
and scarcely supplied with the most necessary furni- 
ture. Two or more families often occupied the same 
house j and their way of life, though simple and vir- 
tuous, was by no means remarkable for cleanliness. 
Such as it was, contentment reigned among them, 
undisturbed by what modern America calls progress. 
" Marriages were early, and population grew 
apace." 
83 
