the conquest of new france-第36章

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The　trial　was　his　punishment。　He　was　acquitted　of　taking　any

share　of　the　plunder　and　so　drops　out　of　history。　Bigot　and　his

gang；　on　the　other　hand；　were　found　guilty　of　vast　depredations。

The　former　Intendant　was　for　a　time　in　the　Bastille　and　in　the

end　was　banished　from　France；　after　being　forced　to　repay　great

sums。　We　find　echoes　of　the　luxury　of　Quebec　in　the　sale　in

France　of　the　rich　plate　which　the　rascal　had　acquired。　There

were；　however；　other　and　even　worse　plunderers。　They　were　tried

and　condemned　chiefly　to　return　what　they　had　stolen。　We　rather

wonder　that　no　expiatory　sacrifice　on　the　scaffold　was　required

of　any　of　these　knaves。　Lally　Tollendal；　who；　as　the　French

leader　in　India；　had　only　failed　and　not　plundered；　was　sent　to　a

cruel　execution。



Under　the　terms　of　the　surrender　and　of　the　final　Treaty　of　Peace

in　1763；　civilians　in　Canada　were　given　leave　to　return　to

France。　Nearly　the　whole　of　the　official　class　and　many　of　the

large　landowners；　the　seigneurs；　left　the　country。　In　Canada

there　remained　a　priesthood；　largely　native；　but　soon　to　be

recruited　from　France　by　the　upheaval　of　the　Revolution；　a　few

seigneurial　families；　natural　leaders　of　their　race；　a　peasantry；

exhausted　by　the　long　war　but　clinging　tenaciously　to　the　soil；

and　a　good　many　hardy　pioneers　of　the　forest；　men　skilled　in

hunting　and　in　the　use　of　the　axe。　Out　of　these　elements；

amounting　in　1763　to　little　more　than　sixty　thousand　people；　has

come　that　French…Canadian　race　in　America　now　numbering　perhaps

three　millions。　The　race　has　scattered　far。　It　is　found　in　the

mills　of　Massachusetts；　in　the　canebrakes　of　Louisiana；　on　the

wide　stretches　of　the　prairie　of　the　Canadian　West；　but　it　has

always　kept　intact　its　strong　citadel　on　the　banks　of　the　St。

Lawrence。　New　France　was；　in　reality；　widely　separated　in　spirit

from　old　France；　before　the　new　master　in　Canada　made　the

division　permanent。　The　imagination　of　the　Canadian　peasant　did

not　wander　across　the　ocean　to　France。　He　knew　only　the　scenes

about　his　own　hearth　and　in　them　alone　were　his　thought　and

affections　centered。



The　one　wider　interest　which　the　habitant　treasured　was　love　for

the　Catholic　Church　of　his　fathers　and　of　his　own　spiritual

hopes。　It　thus　happened　that　when　France　in　revolution　assailed

and　for　a　time　overthrew　the　Church　within　her　borders；　the　heart

of　French　Canada　was　not　with　France　but　with　the　persecuted

Church；　she　hated　the　spirit　of　revolutionary　France。　Te　Deums

were　sung　at　Quebec　in　thanksgiving　for　the　defeats　of　Napoleon。

In　language　and　what　literary　culture　they　possessed；　in

traditions　and　tastes；　the　conquered　people　remained　French；　but

they　had　no　allegiance　divided　between　Canada　and　France。　To　this

day　they　are　proud　to　be　simply　Canadians；　rooted　in　the　soil　of

Canada；　with　no　debt　of　patriotic　gratitude　to　the　France　from

which　they　sprang　or　to　the　Britain　which　obtained　political

dominance　over　their　ancestors　after　a　long　agony　of　war。　To　the

British　Crown　many　of　them　feel　a　certain　attachment　because　of

the　liberty　guaranteed　to　them　to　pursue　their　own　ideals　of

happiness。　In　preserving　their　type　of　social　life；　their　faith

and　language；　they　have　shown　a　resolute　tenacity。　To　this　day

they　are　as　different　in　these　things　from　their　fellow…citizens

of　British　origin　in　the　rest　of　Canada　as　were　their　ancestors

from　the　English　colonies　which　lay　on　their　borders。



The　French　in　Canada　are　still　a　separate　people。　From　time　to

time　a　nervous　fear　seizes　them　lest　too　many　of　their　race　may

be　lost　to　their　old　ideals　in　the　Anglo…Saxon　world　surging

about　them。　Then　they　listen　readily　to　appeals　to　their　racial

unity　and　draw　more　sharply　than　ever　the　lines　of　division

between　themselves　and　the　rest　of　North　America。　They　remain　a

fragment　of　an　older　France；　remote　and　isolated；　still　dreaming

dreams　like　those　of　Frontenac　of　old　of　the　dominance　of　their

race　in　North　America　and　asserting　passionately　their　rights　in

the　soil　of　Canada　to　which；　first　of　Europeans；　they　came。　At

the　mouth　of　the　Mississippi　in　the　Louisiana　founded　by　Louis

XIV；　along　the　St。　Lawrence　in　the　Canada　of　Champlain　and

Frontenac；　with　a　resolution　more　than　half　pathetic；　and　in　a

world　that　gives　little　heed；　men　of　French　race　are　still　on

guard　to　preserve　in　America　the　lineaments　of　that　older　France；

long　since　decayed　in　Europe；　which　was　above　all　the　eldest

daughter　of　the　Church。





BIBLIOGRAPHICAL　NOTE



While　the　present　narrative　is　based　for　the　most　part　on　more

recondite　and　widely　scattered　sources；　the　most　accessible

volumes　relating　to　the　period　are　the　following　works　of　Francis

Parkman　（Boston：　many　editions）：　〃La　Salle　and　the　Discovery　of

the　Great　West；　Frontenac　and　New　France　under　Louis　XIV；　A　Half

Century　of　Conflict〃　（2　vols。）；　and　〃Montcalm　and　Wolfe〃　（2

vols。）。　To　these　should　be　added；　as　completing　the　story；　George

M。　Wrong；　〃The　Fall　of　Canada〃　（Oxford；　1914）　which　dwells　in

detail　on　the　last　year　of　the　struggle。　All　these　volumes

contain　adequate　references　to　authorities。　The　last　of　Parkman's

works　was　published　more　than　twenty…five　years　ago　and　later

research　has　revised　some　of　his　conclusions；　but　he　still

commands　great　authority。　In　〃The　Chronicles　of　Canada〃　（Toronto；

191316）　half　a　dozen　volumes　relate　to　the　period；　each　of　these

volumes；　which　embody　later　research　and　are　written　in　an

attractive　style；　contains　a　bibliography　relating　to　its　special

subject：　C。W。　Colby；　〃The　Fighting　Governor〃　＇Frontenac＇；　Agnes

C。　Laut；　〃The　Adventurers　of　England　on　Hudson　Bay〃；　Lawrence　J。

Burpee；　〃The　Pathfinders　of　the　Great　Plains〃；　Arthur　G。　Doughty；

〃The　Acadian　Exiles〃；　William　Wood；　〃The　Great　Fortress〃

＇Louisbourg＇；　〃The　Passing　of　New　France〃；　and　〃The　Winning　of

Canada。〃　Lawrence　J。　Burpee's　〃Search　for　the　Western　Sea〃

（Toronto；　1908）　deals　with　the　work　of　La　Verendrye　and　other

explorers。　Anthony　Hendry's　〃Journal〃　is　published　in　the

〃Transactions　of　the　Royal　Society　of　Canada；〃　series　iii；　volume

i。　The　latest　phase　of　the　discussions　on　La　Verendrye　are

reviewed　in　an　article　by　Doane　Robinson　in　〃The　Mississippi

Valley　Historical　Review〃　for　December；　1916。　The　material

relating　to　the　discoverer　was　long　scattered；　but　it　has　now

been　collected　in　a　volume；　edited　by　Lawrence　J。　Burpee　for　the

Champlain　Society；　Toronto；　but　owing　to　the　war　it　is　at　the

present　date　（1918）　still　in　manuscript。　Much　of　what　is

contained　in　Mr。　Burpee's　volume　will　be　found　in　〃South　Dakota

Historical　Collections；〃　volume　vii；　1914　（Pierre；　S。D。）。



Additional　references　are　given　in　the　bibliographies　appended　to

the　articles　on　〃Chatham；　Seven　Years'　War；〃　and　〃Nova　Scotia〃　in

〃The　Encyclopaedia　Britannica；〃　11th　Edition。











End