Significant Historical Happenings By Year: 1688-90.
- -1688-
§September, 1688: Father Trouve (b.1644), a Sulpician priest, born and educated at France, ordained at Quebec by Bishop Laval in 1668, comes to Beaubassin. He has with him, as his assistant, a younger priest (ordained in 1685), a Father Beaudoin.
§The French Government sends two war vessels to the coast of Acadia in the Autumn of 1688, which captured six English ketches and a brigantine, which were engaged in fishing.- -1689-
§February 13th, 1689: William and Mary come to the throne of England.
§James (VII of Scotland and II of England) is defeated in Ireland at the Battle of the Boyne and the reign of William and Mary begins.
§Matthieu Martin (b.1636), a life long bachelor, having received one of the few signeuries ever given out in old Acadia, plants a settlement on the River Wecobequitk (Cobequid, the present day Truro).
§Marie Leneuf de La Valliere granted seigneury at Shubenacadie.
§The population at Minas picks up from the 57 reported in 1686 to 164 in 1689; this at the expense of Port Royal which went from 592 to 461; Chignecto (Beaubassin) was also, for some reason, down from 127 to 78.
§October 5th (6th), 1689: De Saccardy, fresh from France, arrives at Port Royal from France in the frigate L'Embuscade in order to build a larger fort which hardly even got started before De Saccardy heads back to France for further instructions.
§November 1st 1689: De Saccardy departs Port Royal in the L'Embuscade.
§December 17th, 1689: War (France & England) is declared in Boston.- -1690-
§"Boy" Henry Kelsey, from the western shores of Hudson Bay, paddled his way up the Hayes River and pierced his way through to Lake Winnipeg, and beyond, to become the first European to see the Canadian plains.
§May 20th, 1690: A fleet from New England, under Phips, comes into the Basin of Port Royal to lay seige against the French.
§After the capitulation of Port Royal Phips sent Captain Cyrian Southack up along the coast of Nova Scotia to wreck the French establishments at La Heve and Chedabucto; Southack, though having a little difficulty at Chedabucto carries out his orders and leaves not a thing standing for the French.
§June: Villebon, having come from France with stores, returned to Port Royal and reestablish the French presence in Acadia; he arrives at the ruins of Port Royal just after the forces of Phips had left the place.
§Sensing danger, Villebon stayed but a few days at Port Royal. On June 18th, he sailed over to take up a position on the banks of the St John River.
§Baptiste the Acadian privateer is busy working out of St John River capturing New England shipping.
§Frontenac sends three war parties out from Canada: from Montreal, Three Rivers, and Quebec. Their destinations, respectively: New York, New Hampshire and Maine. The blood of innocent English settlers along the western and northern borders of New England flows; men, women and children are hacked to death.
§Father Louis Petit (1629-1709) comes to Acadia (Port Royal). - -1689-