The Acadian Exiles | Page 6

house. But one M. le Borny, two or
three years since, by force took it, so that the violence was on Le
Borny's part.' The strife was ended, however, as already mentioned, by
the Treaty of Breda in 1667, in the return of Acadia to France in
exchange for the islands in the West Indies of St Christopher, Antigua,
and Montserrat.
Nearly a quarter of a century passed. France and England were at peace
and Acadia enjoyed freedom from foreign attack. But the accession of
William of Orange to the throne of England heralded the outbreak of
another Anglo-French war. The month of May 1690 saw Sir William
Phips with a New England fleet and an army of over a thousand men
off Port Royal, demanding its surrender. Menneval, the French
governor, yielded his fortress on the understanding that he and the
garrison should be transported to French soil. Phips, however, after
pillaging the place, desecrating the church, hoisting the English flag,
and obliging the inhabitants to take the oath of allegiance to William
and Mary, carried off his prisoners to Boston. He was bent on the
capture of Quebec in the same year and had no mind to make the
necessary arrangements to hold Acadia. Hardly had he departed when a
relief expedition from France, under the command of Menneval's
brother Villebon, sailed into Port Royal. But as Villebon had no
sufficient force to reoccupy the fort, he pulled down the English flag,
replaced it by that of France, and proceeded to the river St John. After a
conference with the Indians there he went to Quebec, and was present
with Frontenac in October when Phips appeared with his summons to
surrender. [Footnote: See The Fighting Governor in this Series, chap.
vii.] Villebon then went to France. A year later he returned as governor
of Acadia and took up his quarters at Fort Jemseg, about fifty miles up
the St John river. Here he organized war-parties of Indians to harry the
English settlements; and the struggle continued, with raid and
counter-raid, until 1697, when the Treaty of Ryswick halted the war
between the two crowns.

The formal peace, however, was not for long. In 1702 Queen Anne
declared war against France and Spain. And before peace returned the
final capture of Acadia had been effected. It was no fault of Subercase,
the French officer who in 1706 came to Port Royal as governor, that the
fortunes of war went against him. In 1707 he beat off two violent
attacks of the English; and if sufficient means had been placed at his
disposal, he might have retained the colony for France. But the ministry
at Versailles, pressed on all sides, had no money to spare for the
succour of Acadia. Subercase set forth with clearness the resources of
the colony, and urged strong reasons in favour of its development. In
1708 a hundred soldiers came to his aid; but as no funds for their
maintenance came with them, they became a burden. The garrison was
reduced almost to starvation; and Subercase was forced to replenish his
stores by the capture of pirate vessels. The last letter he wrote home
was filled with anguish over the impending fate of Port Royal. His
despair was not without cause. In the spring of 1710 Queen Anne
placed Colonel Francis Nicholson, one of her leading colonial officers,
in command of the troops intended for the recovery of Nova Scotia. An
army of about fifteen hundred soldiers was raised in New England, and
a British fleet gathered in Boston Harbour. On October 5 (New Style)
this expedition arrived before Port Royal. The troops landed and laid
siege once more to the much-harassed capital of Acadia. The result was
a foregone conclusion. Five days later preliminary proposals were
exchanged between Nicholson and Subercase. The starving inhabitants
petitioned Subercase to give up. He held out, however, till the
cannonade of the enemy told him that he must soon yield to force. He
then sent an officer to Nicholson to propose the terms of capitulation. It
was agreed that the garrison should march out with the honours of war
and be transported to France in English ships, and that the inhabitants
within three miles of the fort should 'remain upon their estates, with
their corn, cattle, and furniture, during two years, in case they are not
desirous to go before, they taking the oath of allegiance and fidelity to
Her Sacred Majesty of Great Britain.' Then to the roll of the drum, and
with all the honours of war, the French troops marched out and the
New Englanders marched in. The British flag was raised, and, in
honour of the queen of England, Port Royal was named Annapolis
Royal. A banquet was held in the fortress to celebrate the