Throughout this period, the chief interest lies in the shifting fortunes of one family. Claude de St. Etienne, Sieur de la Tour, a ruined Huguenot gentleman of Champagne came out early in the 17th century, with his son, Charles Amador, a boy of 14, to better himself in the new colony. After Arran's raid, the two lived for years like Indians among the Indians. Their stronghold was Fort Saint Louis at Cape Sable, on the inlet now known as Port Latour. In 1627, Charles petitioned Louis XIII to be made commander of the coasts of Acadie, and his father took the petition to the French Court. On his return voyage the next year, he was captured by Kirk's fleet and taken prisoner to England. Here he became a friend of Sir William Alexander, married a maid of honor to Queen Henrietta Maria and was made a baronet of Nova Scotia, as well as his son, with large grants of land to support their titles. With two men-of-war, he came back to Cape Sable, where Charles held the one solitary post for France in Acadie. By persuasion, and at last by force, he strove to win his son over. Failing in both, he begged permission to live in Acadie, rather than return to England in shame, or to France and lose his head. This Charles granted, and Claude with his bride, his effects, two valets and two femmes de chambre disembarked. In 1635 Denys the historian found them living there in comfort.
Louis XIII rewarded Charles' loyalty by making him his lieutenant-general in Acadie. In 1632, Isaac de Razilly took possession of the province in the name of France; his chief officers were La Tour the younger and D'Aul nay Charnizay. On the death of de Razilly in 1636, the territory was divided between the two; La Tour established himself in baronial state at the mouth of the Saint John, with his Huguenot bride, while D'Aulnay made Port Royal, across the bay, his headquarters. D'Aulnay intrigued against his rival at the court of France and procured his recall to answer charges of fraud upon de Biencourt, his former commander. La Tout refused to go to France, and tried to enlist the Puritans of Boston on his side. Failing them, he obtained help from Rochelle; the city of the waters)) sent him supplies, munitions of war and 140 soldiers in the Clement. When the Clement arrived in the spring of 1643, she found Fort Saint John closely beset by D'Aulnay and 500 men. Being closely La Tour and his devoted wife slipped through the blockade by night, reached Boston safely, returned with reinforcements and drove D'Aul nay back to Port Royal. But D'Aulnay's hate was not easily tired. He went to France to raise another force against his enemy. At the same time, Madame La Tour went to Rochelle, to gather aid for her husband. D'Aulnay heard of her presence there and tried to have her arrested, but she escaped to England. On her return voyage, she almost fell into his hands a second time, but at last she reached Saint John again in safety. In April 1645 D'Aulnay be sieged her here, while La Tour was in Boston. After a gallant defense, the fort was taken by treachery. D'Aulnay, to his everlasting shame, broke the terms of surrender, hanged the garri son and forced Madame La Tour to witness the death-struggles of her faithful soldiers, with a rope about her neck. Three weeks later, the
heroine died of a broken heart. La Tour became a wanderer on the face of the earth, exploring and border-fighting in New France, while his rival ruled his province unchecked and built it up with a strong hand until he was drowned in the Annapolis River in 1650. La Tour hastened to France, confuted the old charges against him and obtained his former possessions in Acadie. Returning he married the widow of. D'Aulnay and seemed about to enjoy a period of prosperity, when the prov ince was once more taken by a Cromwellian fleet, in 1654. Undismayed by the sudden change of fortune, La Tour sailed for England and secured a joint grant of the territory with two English colonels, Crowne and Temple, to whom he soon sold out his interests. At the Restoration he was made a baronet of Nova Scotia, and closed his chequered and adventur ous career in 1672.
In 1667 Acadie was again restored to France by the Treaty of Breda. The story of the French administration is not a pleasant one. It is a tale of incompetence, corruption, petti ness and is told at length in the pages of Park man. The priests accuse the officials, the officials accuse the priests. The luckless colony was raided time and again by pirates, and by expeditions from New England to avenge the Haverhill and Deerfield massacres. Canada could only be reached by long and dangerous traverse of the wilderness, but Acadie was only a few days' sail from Boston.
French rule came to an end during Marl borough's wars. In September 1710 a force from Boston, chiefly of provincial troops, under Col. Francis Nicholson, took Port Royal after a brief but gallant defense by Subercase. Port Royal at once became Annapolis Royal, in honor of the reigning sovereign, but it was not until 1713, by the Treaty of Utrecht (q.v.), and sorely against the will of Louis XIV, that Acadie became finally a part of the British Empire.
From 1710 to 1749 a small British garrison at Annapolis Royal held the province tena ciously for England. The fort, though well placed, and a Vauban plan, was ruinous; the earthen walls were always crumbling into breaches; the gun-carriages would not bear the guns; the barracks were roofless; for years the men were without bedding, stockings, great coats or medicines. Supply-ships from England came once a year and brought provisions for nine months instead of 12. The hostile population would not take New England money for their corn and cattle; the home authorities would not honor the governor's drafts; the Boston merchants refused credit. During Walpole's long peace England seemed to forget the lonely garrison, while the French priests were agents of the French government, under mining English authority. From um on, Louisburg, the new French city on the island of Cape Breton, was yearly growing in power, millions of livres were spent on its defenses, for France was bound to win back her lost province. All the time, convinced of its im portance to the empire, one discouraged Eng lish governor after another held doggedly to his post.