Page 54 - Through an Ocean Storm to the Fortress of Louisbourg, 1750

ISSUE : Issue 67

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1994/8/1

bert to land at the port of Toulouse with our detachment, and make the road by land; but Fremont affrightened him by declar? ing that if he took that course, he would be responsible for the cargo. We were in the meantime quite in a condition to make it, viewing the vile state of the ship and the danger to which we were exposed, if we were driven forward by an adverse wind. In short, having throughout the whole night fme weather, and a Ught favourable wind, we entered into the port of Louisbourg the next moming, the 13th of September, to the great astonish? ment of all the inhabitants of that city, who believed that we had perished. A small vessel left at the same time that we did from Rochelle, on board of which there were embarked Madame Ha- gette and two officers of die colony, which had had a passage of fifty days in place of sixty and sixteen, that we were on the sea, had reported to them the bad state of our ship; and the quays were swarming with people who looked with surprise and admi? ration at the dilapidated state of the "Iphigenie," coming in front of us to congratulate us on our fortunate deliverance. The next day, the crew of our vessel made a procession quite naked, and having nothing but their shirts on their backs, all the way to the church, where grand mass was chanted, without sparing any expense, in consequence of their vows during the storm. They wished to take back the "Iphigenie" to France, but the crew having complained to the Admiralty, they caused her to be inspected, and she was condemned immediately to be cut in pieces. As to Fremont, who had not ceased to give us his impertinence during the whole voyage, the first time that he landed on the shore, I caused him make another procession, along the whole length of the quay, with cudgel strokes, to the great divertise- ment of all the corps of officers of the Royal Isle, but above all to the great satisfaction of my companions of the voyage, who had partaken daily with myself of his foolishness and insolenc? es. This was a laughable scene. He drew at first his sword, but whether it was that he feared that I should break the blade of it with my stick, which was very thick and weighty, or whether that he dreaded receiving the strokes upon his face every time that I lifted the baton, he made a half tum to the right, present- ''Cape Breton YMCA I Enterprise Centre "MAKING YOUR IDEAS TODAY'S BUSINESS" A NEW SPIRIT Is BORN in CAPE BRETON • You may be interested in our ARE YOU UNEMPLOYED? 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Coppinot, staff-major of Louisbourg, who saw us at the beginning, retired aside to leave me at liberty, and did not retum to order me to give up, until he beheved that Fremont had got enough. I applied the strokes with a great deal of force and with good will, as he was the cause of aU the bad blood which we had in this long and painful voyage, by concealing from us at Rochelle the miserable condition of his vessel, so thoroughly rotten that they would have been able to pierce the timbers with their fingers. Before a year's sojourn at Louisbourg, I was plainly convinced of the folly I had committed in accepting a commission of en? signcy, by my submission to the order of M. Puysieulx, and by die hope of patronage. The despatches of the court having ar? rived, there was no mention in them of my promotion, and M. Puysieulx having quitted the department of foreign affairs, his successor, M. de St. Contest, had not immediately put me on the list of annual allowances granted by His Majesty to the Scotch in the suite of Prince Charles Edward. What a strange lot! Having been attached to the artillery, with my company during the expedition in Scotland, in a fixed escort, although my commission of captain did not make mention of that ap? pointment. Prince Edward, in the statement which he gave to the Court of France of his officers, having given me the title of captain of artillery, I received twelve hundred livres in 1746; I had it augmented in 1749 to two thousand some hundred livres; and in 17511 found myself at Louisbourg, the only one of the Scotch fully reduced to an Ensign, through the ignorance of M. Rouille of military affairs, who had sent to the Royal Isle in? competent officers to occupy the vacant companies and lieute? nancies, while he denied me the justice of ratifying my com? mission of captain by Prince Edward, which the Count of Argenson had conceded to all my comrades, not having, at the same time, but four hundred and twenty-four livres per annum, which did not suffice for paying my lodging in the most miser? able garret of Louisbourg. Blind Fortune moves itself in a sin? gular manner, and drives us in spite of ourselves to the lot which she has destined for us. Ross PH: 849-1794 B1A 5V3 ?? FAX: 849-5042 RUDDERHAM PLUMBING & HEATING VENTILATION SYSTEMS SPECIALIZING IN DEPENDABLE PACK-O-MATIC FURNACES Replacements also available in any niake of furnace! 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