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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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338 APPENDIX.<strong>of</strong>Utrecht, <strong>and</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g Improvements on their L<strong>and</strong>s forone or two Generations, <strong>and</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g grown up <strong>in</strong>to such aNumber <strong>of</strong> Families, to drive 'em all <strong>of</strong>f their Settlementswithout farther Inquiry seems to be liable to many Objections.Among others it may be doubted whether imder theCircumstances <strong>of</strong> these Inhabitants it would clearly appearto be a just Usage <strong>of</strong> 'em; it is true that the Notion <strong>of</strong>their Neutrality (which seems tohave been enterta<strong>in</strong>'d forsome time by the English as well as themselves) is illgrounded,<strong>and</strong> does not comport with the Terms <strong>of</strong> theirAllegiance to his Majesty, to which such <strong>of</strong> 'em as chose torema<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> the Prov<strong>in</strong>ce are bound by the treaty <strong>of</strong> Utrecht;whereby the french K<strong>in</strong>g yielded up the Inhabitants aswell as the Soil <strong>of</strong> Accadie, <strong>and</strong> together with their Personstransferred their Allegiance to the Crown <strong>of</strong> GreatBrita<strong>in</strong>; But if it is consider'd that this Notion wasfounded upon an Act <strong>of</strong> the late Lieut' Governour Armstrongthen the resid<strong>in</strong>g Comm<strong>and</strong>er <strong>in</strong> Chief <strong>of</strong> theProv<strong>in</strong>ce, whereby he took upon himself to grant 'em by a"Writ<strong>in</strong>g under his H<strong>and</strong> an Exemption from bear<strong>in</strong>g Armsupon any Account whatever, on their consent<strong>in</strong>g to take anOath <strong>of</strong> Allegiance to his present Majesty, which, whetherit was done by him with, or without Authority, appear'dat least to them to be authentick;it may perhaps be deem'dtoo rigorous a Punishment for their behavior grounded onsuch a Mistake, to <strong>in</strong>volve the <strong>in</strong>nocent with the Guilty<strong>in</strong> the Loss <strong>of</strong> their Estates, <strong>and</strong> the Expulsion <strong>of</strong> theirFamilies out <strong>of</strong> the Country; it is not improbable but thatthere may be many among 'em who would even prefer hisMajesty's Governm*. to a french one, & have done noth<strong>in</strong>gto deserve such a Forfeiture ; Some Allowances may likewisebe made for their bad Situation between the Canadeans,Indians & English, the Ravages <strong>of</strong> all which they havefelt by Turns <strong>in</strong> the Course <strong>of</strong> the War ; dur<strong>in</strong>g which they

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