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A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

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1745-1747.] SHIRLEY AND THE ACADIANS. 177<strong>in</strong> strictures aga<strong>in</strong>st everyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> everybody, was<strong>of</strong> op<strong>in</strong>ion that the Acadians, hav<strong>in</strong>g broken theirneutrality, ought to be expelled at once, <strong>and</strong> expressesthe amiable hope that should his Majesty adopt thisplan, he will charge him with execut<strong>in</strong>g it.^Shirley's energetic nature <strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>ed him to trenchantmeasures, <strong>and</strong> he had noth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> modern humanitarianism;from the cruelty <strong>of</strong>but he was not <strong>in</strong>human, <strong>and</strong> he shrankforc<strong>in</strong>g whole communities <strong>in</strong>toexile. While Knowles <strong>and</strong> others called for wholesaleexpatriation, he still held that it was possible toturn the greater part <strong>of</strong> the Acadians <strong>in</strong>to safe subjects<strong>of</strong> the British Crown ;2 <strong>and</strong> to this end headvised the plant<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> a fortified town whereHalifax now st<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> secur<strong>in</strong>g by forts<strong>and</strong> garrisonsthe neck <strong>of</strong> the Acadian pen<strong>in</strong>sula, where thepopulation was most numerous <strong>and</strong> most disaffected.The garrisons, he thought, would not only imposerespect, but would furnish the Acadians with whatthey wanted most, — ready markets for their produce,1 Knowles to Newcastle, 8 November, 1746.2 Shirley says that the <strong>in</strong>discrim<strong>in</strong>ate removal <strong>of</strong> the Acadianswould be " unjust " <strong>and</strong> " too rigorous." Knowles had proposed toput Catholic Jacobites from the Scotch Highl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>in</strong>to their place.Shirley th<strong>in</strong>ks this <strong>in</strong>expedient, but believes that Protestants fromGermany <strong>and</strong> Ulster might safely be trusted. The best plan <strong>of</strong> all,<strong>in</strong> his op<strong>in</strong>ion, is that <strong>of</strong> " treat<strong>in</strong>g the Acadians as subjects, conf<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gtheir punishment to the most guilty <strong>and</strong> dangerous among'em, <strong>and</strong> keep<strong>in</strong>g the rest <strong>in</strong> the country <strong>and</strong> endeavor<strong>in</strong>g to makethem useful members <strong>of</strong> society under his Majesty's Government."Shirley to Newcastle, 21 November, 1746. If the Newcastle Governmenthad vigorously carried his recommendations <strong>in</strong>to effect, theremoval <strong>of</strong> the Acadians <strong>in</strong> 1755 would not have taken place.VOL II. — 12

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