Significant Historical Happenings By Year: 1736-38.

-1736-
§May-June, 1736: Susanna Buckler arrives at Annapolis Royal. The authorities bring the Baltimore (see 1735) around to Annapolis Royal from her winter birth at Pobomcoup. (Pobomcoup was a French settlement near present day Yarmouth.) The Baltimore was pretty well stripped by the Indians.
§Edward How is appointed to sit on Council.
§September 11th, 1736: Lighthouse at Louisbourg burns down: "A fire having done harm to the light house at the entrance" instructions are given to order "624 panes of glass, 9 inches 11 lines high by 7 inches 7 lines wide and 2 lines thick."
§The English law calling for the death sentence for witchcraft is repealed. Nonetheless, the average person was yet full of superstitions; "the mental food of children" was that of fairies and spirits.

-1737-
§April 19th, 1737: At Annapolis Royal we see where Lt. Amhurst's house is burnt down by his young servant, Isaac Provender.
§June 1st, 1737: An English trader, Stephen Jones, captain of the sloop Friends Adventure, while "peacefully trading in a creek in the river Piziquid, is surprised at night by seven or eight persons ("a few Rascally Indians") in an "Audacious & Pyratical manner." This was somewhere up the present day Avon River; "The vessel was taken to Cape Split and plundered there."
§July 17th, 1737: A vessel, the snow, Catherine is wrecked at Sable Island. She was making her way from Ireland to Boston. She was commanded by Robert Walker and had aboard her 201 persons, "men, women and children." From a newspaper accounting (The Boston Weekly News Letter of August 11th, 1737) we see that about half of those aboard made it ashore, the rest perished. Of those who survived were "Archibald & Charles McNeal and their wives, Mrs. Margaret Snell, and two wealthy cloth merchants." They managed to set up camp on the sands of Sable and were able to effect repairs on the ship's long boat that had come ashore. A number of men then managed to sail the long boat to Canso, arriving there after a two day sail on July 22nd. "Waiting on Governor Cosby and some of her gentlemen there, and relating to them the circumstances of their late sad disaster, they compassionately received them, and very readily administered to their relief, presently fitting out Captain Richards in a schooner, to bring off the distressed people from that desolate island; they sailed on Lord's Day the 24th, and the next day they got there, to the great joy of those poor creatures, and having took them all aboard brought them safe to Canso, tho some remaining weak, and others much wounded, were put under the doctor's care." I assume that shortly after, the survivors were to resume their journey to Boston.
§There is a poor harvest at Ile St. Jean. There is hunger at Louisbourg.
§The population: Louisbourg, 1737: Men, 163; women, 157; children, 664; servants, 250; others, 229. Their were 50 chaloupes and 61 vessels. Among the population will be found "five brothers in the hospital, three Recollect friars, and five sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame."
§A young priest steps ashore at Louisbourg; his name is Abbe Jean-Louis Le Loutre; he is to have a large role in the history of Nova Scotia as it unfolded through to the year of 1755.
§The authorities at Louisbourg send a detachment under a sergeant to attend the burial ceremonies of the "Indian Chief of Ile Royale."
§September 11th, 1737: Captain John Jephson, at Canso, is put under arrest by Cosby "for frequent breach of orders and his irregular conduct as an officer."
§December 3rd, 1737: Captain Patrick Heron, at Canso, is put under arrest by Cosby. Heron (commissioned in June, 1730) was tried by a general court marshal at Annapolis Royal on the 22nd November, 1738; apparently, the charges were dismissed.
§At around this time, a Reverend Andrew le Mercier, Minister of the French Church of Boston, having had the misfortune of being shipped wrecked on Sable Island himself, stocks the place with "Horned Cattle, Swine, Sheep and so forth, In Order to Succour, Help and Releive" for those who become ship wrecked. The English governor is seen warning people to leave these animals alone.
§December 28th, 1737: It is charged that the Acadian deputy at Minas, Alex. Bourg has been "very neglectful and careless in the discharge of his duty as rent-gatherer ... particularly in rendering his accounts. Governor-in-Council have therefore thought proper to remove him and appoint Mr. Francis Mangeant in his place."

-1738-
§Westminster bridge is built adding a second road over the Themes. Up to this time the only way was the London Bridge beyond which shipping could not go; below it, "a forest of masts covered the pool of London, with which no scene in the world save Amsterdam could compare."
§ A direction is given, originating at Versailles, that if any French privateers should be sailing from France with the intention of harbouring at Louisbourg, they should not sail with empty holds, as there is famine at Louisbourg.
§ The President of the French Navy Board issues a direction that no more cod is to be shipped in the store rooms of the King's ships.
§April: Cosby is at Canso.
§Several desertions at the English garrisons at both Annapolis Royal and at Canso.
§At Ile Royale there are likely fewer desertions as deserters were faced with the sentence of death. It was common to sell "leaves of absence."
§September 22nd: Le Loutre left Ile Royale to establish his mission among the Micmacs at Shubenacadie (arriving October 1st). At Governor's Armstrong's request, Le Loutre calls on the English governor at Annapolis Royal; he apparently passes inspection. There are mission houses at Maligaouiche and Antigoniche.
§ Abbe Maillard invents a system of Micmac hieroglyphics.
§Louisbourg: Autumn: St Ovide took a ship to return to France to face the Court of Versailles. Charges had been laid that St. Ovide was in a conflict of interest position (he ran businesses on the side). The finding of his guilt is inconclusive, but, at any rate, St. Ovide's 25 years association with the community he helped found, Louisbourg, comes to an end; St. Ovide is retired with a pension.
§November 22nd: Heron is tried by a general court marshal at Annapolis Royal; the charges were dismissed.
§December 13th: Jephson (see under Cosby) is brought before a general court marshal at Annapolis Royal; he was cashiered.

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