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18 - History of New Brunswick by Peter Fisher · History of New Brunswick

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  Speaker 1: Section eighteen of History of New Brunswick. This LibriVox recording
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  Speaker 1: is in the public domain recording by Roger Moline. History
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  Speaker 1: of New Brunswick by Peter Fisher, Section eighteen a narrative
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  Speaker 1: of the proceedings of the first settlers at the River
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  Speaker 1: Saint John. Under the authority of the Government of Nova Scotia.
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  Speaker 1: In the year seventeen sixty one, a number of persons
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  Speaker 1: from the County of Essex, Province of Massachusetts presented a petition,
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  Speaker 1: through their agent to the Government of Nova Scotia for
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  Speaker 1: a grant of a township of twelve miles square at
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  Speaker 1: the River Saint John. They received a favorable answer and
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  Speaker 1: obtained full authority to survey attract of that dimension wherever
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  Speaker 1: it might be found fit for improvement. In consequence, many
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  Speaker 1: of the applicants proceeded in the course of the winter
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  Speaker 1: and spring following to prepare for exploring the country and
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  Speaker 1: to survey such township. They provided a vessel for that purpose,
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  Speaker 1: and on the sixteenth of May seventeen sixty two embarked
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  Speaker 1: at Newburyport and arrived in three days at the harbor
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  Speaker 1: Saint John. The nineteenth the party amounted to near twenty men,
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  Speaker 1: exclusive of two families who took passage in the same vessel,
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  Speaker 1: one of whom shipped a small frame for a dwelling
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  Speaker 1: and boards to cover it with a small stock of cattle.
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  Speaker 1: The frame and stock was landed the day of their arrival.
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  Speaker 1: On the third day, the house was finished and inhabited.
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  Speaker 1: The exploring and surveying party then proceeded to view the
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  Speaker 1: lands round the harbor and Bay of Saint John in
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  Speaker 1: a whale boat they brought with them, for they could
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  Speaker 1: not travel on the land on account of the multitude
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  Speaker 1: of fallen trees that had been torn up by the
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  Speaker 1: roots in a violent gale of wind wind nearly four
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  Speaker 1: years previous. The same gale extended as far up the
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  Speaker 1: river as the Oromocto, and most of the country below
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  Speaker 1: that place was equally encumbered with the fallen trees. After
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  Speaker 1: making all the discoveries that could be made near the harbor,
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  Speaker 1: it was the unanimous opinion that all the lands near
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  Speaker 1: that part of the country were unfit for making any
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  Speaker 1: settlements at that time, and in about ten days from
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  Speaker 1: their first arrival, they set out to view the country
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  Speaker 1: as far as Saint Anne's ninety miles up the river,
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  Speaker 1: where they expected to find an extensive body of clear
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  Speaker 1: land that had been formally improved by the French inhabitants.
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  Speaker 1: On their way to that place, they landed wherever they
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  Speaker 1: saw any appearance of improvement. All such small spots as
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  Speaker 1: far up as Milk Creek were supposed not to exceed
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  Speaker 1: one hundred acres, most of which had been very roughly cleared.
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  Speaker 1: On the arrival of the exploring party at Saint Anne's.
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  Speaker 1: They lost no time in making a shelter for themselves
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  Speaker 1: nearly opposite the river at Nashualk, as it was then
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  Speaker 1: pronounced by the Indians, but since with some variation, as
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  Speaker 1: there is in the original names of diverse other rivers, lakes,
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  Speaker 1: and names by which the tribes were distinguished. And they
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  Speaker 1: commenced their survey at the small gravelly point against government House,
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  Speaker 1: with an intention to survey a township to terminate twelve
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  Speaker 1: miles below that place, And after surveying the courses of
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  Speaker 1: the river about four miles downward, a large company of
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  Speaker 1: Indians came down about nine miles from their priest's residence
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  Speaker 1: with his interpreter, all having painted faces of divers, colors
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  Speaker 1: and figures, and dressed in their war habits. The chiefs,
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  Speaker 1: with grave countenances, informed the adventurers that they were trespassers
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  Speaker 1: on their rights. The country belonged to them, and unless
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  Speaker 1: they retired immediately, they the Indians would compel them. This
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  Speaker 1: gave no small alarm to a few men in the
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  Speaker 1: heart of an Indian country, most of whom had never
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  Speaker 1: beheld a wild Indian, but had all their lives heard
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  Speaker 1: of their savage cruelties and murders. The reply made to
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  Speaker 1: the chiefs was to this effect that the adventurers had
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  Speaker 1: received authority from the Governor of Halifax to survey and
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  Speaker 1: settle any land they should choose at the River Saint John.
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  Speaker 1: That they had never been informed of the Indians claiming
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  Speaker 1: the village of Saint Anne's, but as they then declared
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  Speaker 1: the land there to be their property, though it had
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  Speaker 1: been inhabited by the French, who were considered entitled to
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  Speaker 1: it till its capture by the English, they would retire
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  Speaker 1: further down the river. In answer to this, the chiefs
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  Speaker 1: suggested that the whole country belonged to the Indians. They
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  Speaker 1: had some time ago had a conference with Governor Lawrence,
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  Speaker 1: and had consented that the English should settle the country
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  Speaker 1: up as far as the Grimros. From this acknowledgment of
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  Speaker 1: the chiefs, the adventurers were a little relieved from the
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  Speaker 1: shock they received at first, and said they were unwilling
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  Speaker 1: to dispute, and would in a few days remove their
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  Speaker 1: camps toward Grimross. This answer did not appear fully to
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  Speaker 1: satisfy the Indians, yet they made no reply. The surveying
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  Speaker 1: party removed their camp, according to their promise, almost as
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  Speaker 1: far down as the lower end of the Orimacdo Island
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  Speaker 1: on the east side of the river. Whence they finished
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  Speaker 1: the survey twelve miles below the first mentioned bounds, and
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  Speaker 1: returned to Fort Frederick twenty eight fifteen, where there was
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  Speaker 1: a vessel bound direct to Halifax, and took passage in
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  Speaker 1: her with an account of all their discoveries and surveys,
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  Speaker 1: and with a plan of their township they had laid
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  Speaker 1: out into lots, but they were so unfortunate as to
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  Speaker 1: arrive at that place. Just at that time accounts were
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  Speaker 1: received that the French had sent out a large fleet
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  Speaker 1: and a body of land forces, and had taken Saint
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  Speaker 1: John's Newfoundland, and were almost hourly expected to attack Halifax,
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  Speaker 1: where at that time was only one man of war
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  Speaker 1: the Northumberland, and very few troops. The militia called out,
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  Speaker 1: public offices shut and nothing to be seen but bustle
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  Speaker 1: and preparation for the defense of the town. That being
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  Speaker 1: the situation of government, the agents and surveyors for the
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  Speaker 1: adventurers were obliged to return without giving any account of
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  Speaker 1: their proceedings, or obtaining any confirmation of their former order
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  Speaker 1: for surveying a township, or any instructions to govern their
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  Speaker 1: conduct in carrying on the intended settlements. This disappointment was
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  Speaker 1: in the autumn of the same year, followed by one
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  Speaker 1: still greater. Commissioners were sent to Fort Frederick to inform
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  Speaker 1: the former applicants for grants of lands that the space
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  Speaker 1: they had surveyed would not be granted to them. On
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  Speaker 1: receiving this distressing information, they sent a petition to the
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  Speaker 1: King stating the expense they had been at in full
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  Speaker 1: confidence that all the promises and encouragements they had received
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  Speaker 1: from government would be confirmed. This petition was sent under cover,
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  Speaker 1: addressed to the then Agent for the province, most earnestly
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  Speaker 1: soliciting his influence in obtaining a speedy answer for their petition.
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  Speaker 1: He took a lively interest in their cause, and in
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  Speaker 1: a short time obtained an order to the governor to
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  Speaker 1: grant all such shares in the tract they had laid
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  Speaker 1: out as should from time to time be settled. And
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  Speaker 1: the same gentlemen advanced a considerable sum for the proprietors
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  Speaker 1: to defray the expense of obtaining such order, And the proprietors,
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  Speaker 1: as a mark of their gratitude and esteem of their patron,
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  Speaker 1: gave their town his name with a small addition to it,
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  Speaker 1: and grants were made to all the resident proprietors in
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  Speaker 1: or about the year seventeen sixty five. The Indians had
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  Speaker 1: remained peaceable from seventeen sixty two to seventeen sixty five.
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  Speaker 1: In this year they assembled together and gave threats of
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  Speaker 1: immediately commencing a new war against the English. And the
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  Speaker 1: inhabitants of all the frontiers of the province were greatly alarmed,
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  Speaker 1: and the commander of Fort Frederick doubled his sentries on
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  Speaker 1: the occasion. The pretexts of the Indians were well known
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  Speaker 1: to be mostly false and frivolous, and the commandant and
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  Speaker 1: inhabitants residing near the garrison took great pains to persuade
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  Speaker 1: the chiefs to lay their complaints before the Governor at
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  Speaker 1: Halifax before they engaged in a war that would eventually
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  Speaker 1: prove ruinous to themselves, which might be prevented by their
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  Speaker 1: stating to government all the grounds of the injuries they
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  Speaker 1: complained of. After little consideration, they agreed to the proposal,
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  Speaker 1: and soon after set out for Halifax, accompanied by one
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  Speaker 1: of the inhabitants. Their business on their first arrival was,
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  Speaker 1: without loss of time, made known to the Governor, who
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  Speaker 1: appointed a time and place to give the chiefs a
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  Speaker 1: hearing of their complaints. They on examination, could not in
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  Speaker 1: any degree support their heaviest charges, and in the end
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  Speaker 1: they admitted they had been misinformed, so that the result
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  Speaker 1: of their complaints amounted to nothing more than that the
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  Speaker 1: inhabitants had frequently killed some beavers, moose, and other animals,
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  Speaker 1: but not far from their houses, which the chiefs alleged
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  Speaker 1: was their exclusive property, and that it was of the
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  Speaker 1: condition of a former treaty that the English settlers should
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  Speaker 1: not be allowed to kill any wild game in any
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  Speaker 1: part of the wilderness beyond the limits of their farms
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  Speaker 1: and improvements. The governor informed them in his answer that
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  Speaker 1: all treaties before that time should be strictly observed, and
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  Speaker 1: that if the inhabitants had in any instance done anything
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  Speaker 1: contrary to such treaties, they should be severely reprimanded and
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  Speaker 1: restrained from continuing such practices. The chiefs replied that it
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  Speaker 1: might be out of their power to pacify their young
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  Speaker 1: men unless the damage before done to them should be paid.
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  Speaker 1: This brought on an inquiry of the chiefs what the
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  Speaker 1: alleged damage amounted to. In their answer, they highly overrated,
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  Speaker 1: as the inhabitants made it clearly appear from their statement
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  Speaker 1: of the number of animals that had been killed. The chiefs,
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  Speaker 1: finding themselves detected in having alarmed the country without reason,
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  Speaker 1: and of having thereby put them in distressing fear and
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  Speaker 1: to great expense, appeared ashamed of their conduct, and could
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  Speaker 1: only repeat that the Indians of their tribe would insist
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  Speaker 1: on being paid the damages for the loss of their
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  Speaker 1: wild animals. After a full hearing, a final answer was
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  Speaker 1: given them as follows, that although the grievances that they
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  Speaker 1: had stated were by no means sufficient to justify their
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  Speaker 1: hostile proceedings, yet to do them ample justice, he would
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  Speaker 1: order to be sent them a certain amount in clothing
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  Speaker 1: and provisions amount not remembered, provided they would consider it
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  Speaker 1: full satisfaction for the injuries done by the settlers and
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  Speaker 1: send orders to restrain them from hunting wild animals in
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  Speaker 1: the woods. The chiefs accepted that offer, and the Indians
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  Speaker 1: remained peaceable till the commencement of the Revolt of the
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  Speaker 1: Thirteen Colonies. When they were called upon to aid in
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  Speaker 1: defense of the province, or at least to remain neuter,
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  Speaker 1: they promised to do either one or the other, for
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  Speaker 1: which purpose government gave them large presents in necessary supplies
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  Speaker 1: for their families. They were at the same time equally
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  Speaker 1: solicited by the Americans, and as large or larger presents
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  Speaker 1: made by them, and they continued to live mostly at
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  Speaker 1: the expense of the two parties during that war. In
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  Speaker 1: seventeen seventy nine, the Indians again assembled and threatened to
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  Speaker 1: make war against the English, and went down in as
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  Speaker 1: great a body as they could collect to near Fort Howe,
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  Speaker 1: where they were met by a messenger from the Commandant
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  Speaker 1: and a deputy agent for Indian affairs, who appeased the
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  Speaker 1: Indians with a promise of presents commonly so called, which
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  Speaker 1: they accepted, and the purchase of a continuance of peace,
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  Speaker 1: and they returned to their headquarters at Opage. This was
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  Speaker 1: the last threat of an Indian war. Nopes, notwithstanding all
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  Speaker 1: the obstacles and discouragements before noticed the number of families
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  Speaker 1: at the River Saint John, including a few settlers on
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  Speaker 1: the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay, amounted to between one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and one hundred fifty families prior to the year seventeen
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  Speaker 1: eighty three memo. The French priest, who had been forty
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  Speaker 1: years employed by France as a missionary to the Indians,
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  Speaker 1: was ordered to leave the province in seventeen sixty three,
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  Speaker 1: being suspected of influencing and instructing the Indians to make
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  Speaker 1: extravagant demands on government as commission of their remaining peaceable.
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  Speaker 1: At the same time, all the French families then in
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  Speaker 1: scattered settlements on the north side of the bay were
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  Speaker 1: ordered to leave the province. They all obeyed the mandate,
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  Speaker 1: but in a few years many returned one after another
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  Speaker 1: and became quiet subjects. End of Section eighteen recording by
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  Speaker 1: Roger Molin