For the Indian atrocities, to which some of them gave support, we cannot hold the people as a whole responsible. In view of these con siderations the Acadian people must be regarded as unfortunate and misled, and their condition as a conquered people, torn from their com patriots and coreligionists by the fortune of war, as they hoped only temporarily, must be considered. As in the case of ignorant popu lations generally, it is their leaders and advisers Le Loutre, Jonquiere and the bishop of Quebec who must be held responsible. 'Re garding Le Loutre, although his character of the peculiarly savage and relentless fanatic led him into acts which place him among the class of murderous criminals, his guiding motives appear to have been a distorted patriotism and allegiance to his religion. These are in a dif ferent class from the mean duplicities and false quibbles of La Jonquiere and the French min istry, who were well aware both of the untruth of their pretensions concerning the extent of Acadia, and of the dangerous position in which they were placing the Acadian people. When we examine the motives of the British side, we have to deal with practically only Lawrence and his council at Halifax. A state of war existed, and in their judgment desperate meas ures were necessary for the safety of the little British colony. The British settlers were greatly outnumbered and held but a small part of the country. Le Loutre and the French authorities were pursuing a treacherous course of savage murder against them, with Acadian participation. The entire people absolutely re fused to take a simple oath of allegiance, al though repeatedly and plainly warned of the consequence. In Lawrence's judgment no othef
course than deportation then seemed safe; and although a harsh measure, like its modern ana logue, Reconcentration, it proved effectual in removing all doubt respecting the security of the colony. Harsh and drastic as his measures were, he is entitled to be judled, in part at least, as a military man boun to perform a duty; and his freedom of discretion at a diffi cult juncture must be respected even if it may have been badly used. On the side of France, two instances of a similar deportation policy are cited in defense the proposal of Governor de Callieres, endorsed by the French King in 1689, to seize the province of New York and deport all the Protestant population (Doc. Hist. N. Y. Vol. I, pp. 285-97) ; and the actual de portation of the English settlers from the island of Saint Kitts in 1666, to the number of 2,500, an occurrence marked by the striking of a medal by Louis XIV, inscribed 'Ang. Ex Insula St. Chtistoph Bibliography. Abbe Raynal, 'Histoire des Indes,) 2d ed.; Haliburton, (History of Nova Scotia' (1829) ; Rameau, (La France aux Col onies' (1859) 'Une Colonie Feodale en Amerique (186) ; Murdoch, of Nova Scotia' (1865) ; Akins, 'N. S. Archives' (1869) ; Campbell, (History of Nova Scotia' (1873) ; Moreau, 'Histoire de l'Acadie) (1873) ; Hannay, (History of Acadia' (1879) , and (The Story of Acadia' (1904)i Smith, (1884) ; Casgrain, (Pelermage au Pays d'Evangeline (1888) Parkman, (Mont calm and Wolfe' (1884) ; Hart, (Fall of New France) (1888) , Richard, 'Acadia) (1894). See also NOVA SCOTIA - History.