Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1854-03-02

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the real mother. Providence, by means, Of
". Piequet, restored to her the son of which
she had been unjustly deprived. still remained
several days in the environs of the fort, where
my ministry was not fruitless, perhaps, to some
OF the prisoners, whose chains | was happy
enough to break, and perhaps towards some Of
the French officers, who had been menaced
some days by the drunken savages, but whom |
saw put into shelter.
Such were the circumstances of this unhappy
expedition, which has dishonored the yalor
shown by the savages during the whole coarse
of the siege; which has rendered even their
services "a burden to us. They pretended to JUS
tify it, the Abnakis in particular, by the right
of rcprisals; allodging that more than once,
even in the midst of peace, or in the pareys,
such as that of the past winter, their warriors
had found their graves, under the blows Of
treachery, in the English forts OF Nova Scotia.
| have neither the light nor knowledge to Judge
a nation which, although our enemy, is not for
that reason less respectable. As for the rest,
know not but, in the course of this relation,
somc particulars may have escaped me which
may be able to weaken the certainty, and still
less be able to persuade me that malignty is
able to discover single trait which authorizes
the baseness of this event to be imputed to the
French nation. The consent of the savagas was
obtained to the treaty of capitulAtion, but was
it possible to prevent its inlraction There had
been assigned an escort of four hundred men to
the enemy in order to insure the safety of his
retreat some of whom had been the victims of
too great zeal to repress the disorders. Could
then, the niraction of the treaty been efficiently
prevented! In time the English were redeemed
with money out of the hands Of the savag.s 50
that near four hundred were at Quebec, ready
to embark for Boston. Was it possible to repair
more sincerely the violation of the treaty. These
proofs of sincerity, it seems to Inc, cannot be
disputed. The sayages then are alone RESPONSE
BILE for violating the laws of nations, and tho
cause can only be attributed to their Unsuitable
ferocity, and independence.
The news of this fatal execution spread thro'
all the English colonies, and filled them with
such desolation and terror that a single savage
dared to carry away prisoners, even at the gates
of Orange, without being disturbed either in
his expedition Or his retreat. The enemy has
not undertaken any expedition against us since
the capture of the fort Nothing, however,
could be more critical for us than the situation
of the French army. The savages, except the
Abnakis and the Ncpistinsues, who were near,
had all disappeared since the day of the unhap-
lpy execution; twelve hundred men werc occsr
pied in demoishing the fort; and near thou
sand were employed in transporting the i'm
mense stores of ammunition and provisions of
which we had become the masters. There was
hardly handful of people left to face the enc
my, had he placed himself in an offensive atti-
tude. His quietness furnished MS the means of
completing our work. Fort George had been
destroyed, and razed to the ground the ruins
being consumed by fire. 1t was only in such a
confagration that we could comprehend the loss
of our enemies. We found the easements and
hidden sabterranean passages filled with corps ,s,
which for several days furnished new food for
the flames As for our loss, it consisted OF
twenty-one dead, three of whom were savages,
and about twenty-five wounded. This was all.
At last on the day Of Assumption, set ont
in boat for Montreal, the weather being very
rainy and cold. The voyage was marked by a
continuation of storms and tempests, which al
most sunk one of our boats But the suff,rings
were allayed only by the company of the other
missionaries, and also by that of NJ. Fiesch, en-
voy to Montreal, in the quality of hostage.
This officer, Swiss by birth, and formerly in
the French service, is as honest man as can be
found. He has, during his residence among the
colonies, served the nation to which he is bound
with fidelity worthy of all praise
expected on my arrival at Montreal, to take
some necessary repose but the savages there
multiplied my occupations so much, and afford
&c me so little consolation for my ministry, that
hastened my departure for my mission. had
another reason for Fastening myself was
anxious to fulfill a promise made to the English
officers, to spare no pains in this village to in
duce the savages to restore their prisoners. 1t
was time to put my hand to the work. One Of
our Canadians, who had escaped from New
England prison, talked much of the bad treat
ment he had received there He reported even
that an Abnakis, taken in the action of M. de
Dieskau, hadperished from hunger, last winter,
in the prisons of Orange. Had this news been
divulged, it would probably have made many OF
the innocent perish. have managed to keep
it in profound silence, which has been favora-
BILE to the departure of all the English unjustly
detained in chains.
have given you faithful history of all the
events which have signalized the campaign just
terminated You have seen with satisfaction
that French valor has sustained itstlf with eclat
and has worked wonders, You have also seer
that human passions are every where the same
producing everywhere the same devastation, and
that our savages, although Christians, are moi
more blameless in their conduct Their wander.
ing and vagabond life is not one Of the least
causes of their misery. Abandoned to them
selves, and their passions, without being sup.
ported by any external form of religion they
escape the greater part of the year the influence
Of a zeal the most active, condemned during thit
long time to the most sad inaction. am moi
able to make any other efforts in their behalf
than requests, almost always useless and super.
huous. Perhaps merciful God will one day
enlighten these unhappy beings as to thedanger,
of their strange mode of life, and change theil
manners and customs. But if this is an event
which the missionary ia normtted In desra n ;s