20 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

in general over the whole extent of the country had resolved not to take the oath.” To this the Governor replied that by the treaty of Utrecht, all who remained in Acadia became subjects of the Crown of England, and that they were deceiving themselves if they supposed that it lay with them whether they would be subjects to the King or not.

Meanwhile, on the 3rd july, 1755, fifteen deputies from the Acadian settlements appeared before Governor Lawrence at Halifax; he advised them that a very fair opportunity presented itself for them to manifest the reality of their obedience to the Government by taking the oath of allegiance, to which they replied that they did not come prepared for that. Already warned of the consequence which their refusal to take the oath of allegiance would entail upon them, which meant on the one‘ side the full enjoyment of their lands, the free exercise of their religion, and on the other forfeiture of property and exile, they choose the latter, and having done so, there seems no reason why they or their advocates should complain of the misfortunes which were the results of their deliberate choice. The Government, said Lawrence, in his reply to the deputies, have been more lenient to your people than even the settlers themselves could expect. The determination to remove them was then taken, and arrangements were made as seemed neces- sary, so as to prevent them from again molesting the English in colonizing the Province. Thus their persistence—of some forty years—had led them blindly but surely to the summit of a mighty precipice, as it were, and they were placed on board of various transport vessels for conveyance to different parts of the continent. The total number so removed was somewhat in excess of three thousand. Of these some were sent to Boston, others to New York, Pennsylvania. Virginia, Maryland, the Carolines, and some to the British West Indies. They were allowed to carry with them their ready money and household furniture, all other property being confiscated. Of those who landed in the far off south many returned in the course of a few months, others after some years,—-thus the great bulk of the exiles succeeded in reaching the land of their birth and re-settled in the country.

At Chignecto, where the settlers were most numerous, the work of removmg the inhabitants met with no success. When the authoritles tried to collect them together it was found that