Blupete's History of Nova Scotia

Significant Historical Happenings: 1749.
In Connection With:
Bk. 1, Pt. 5, Ch. 4. - "The Founding of Halifax" (1749).
Bk. 1, Pt. 5, Ch. 5. - "The Return of Louisbourg" (1749).

EARLY IN THE YEAR, 1749:
§ 1749: La Galissonniere, at Quebec, sends Bienville to the valley of the Ohio and Boishebert to Acadia in order to properly stake the corners of France's claims to North America.

APRIL, 1749:
§April 28th: Captain Rous with a small flotilla of three armed English vessels arrive at the mouth of the St. John. An inquiry was made of Boishebert: on what authority did he raise a French flag at this place. Words were exchanged, but no shots.

MAY, 1749:
§Mid- May (OS): Col. Edward Cornwallis, in the naval vessel, the Sphinx, together with his fleet of 13 transports, set sail for Halifax; they depart from the mouth of the River Thames.

JUNE, 1749:
§June 21st (OS): Having cruised the coast for a week Cornwallis' vessel, the Sphinx (20 guns) drops her anchor at Chebucto Harbour (Halifax).
§June 26th: Mascarene at Annapolis Royal receives a message sent by Cornwallis of his arrival at Chebucto.
§June 28th- July 2nd (OS): The transports with the settlers aboard come into Halifax Harbour.
§June, 29th: Charles Des Herbiers, the newly appointed French governor and his entourage arrive at Louisbourg for the official hand back. The returning civilians amounted to just under 2000; soldiers, 1000.

JULY, 1749:
§July 9th: Cornwallis sends Edward How to the St. John River to treat with the Indians located at that place.
§July 12th, Mascarene and five of his councilors arrive at Halifax to officially hand over power to the new English governor.
§July 14th (Friday): First Council deliberates on board the Beaufort, a transport in Halifax harbour.
§July 17th: The second Council meeting is convened, and, it would appear, the first laws in Nova Scotia are passed: no person can leave the province without permission; and, no one is to sell "spirituous liquors" without a license. These laws, to the beat of a drum, are read out to all and sundry.
§July 18th, Justices of the Peace are commissioned at Halifax. (Bruce, Ewer, Collier, and Duport.)
§July, 24th: Cornwallis writes: "The number of settlers men, women, and children is 1400 but I beg leave to observe to your Lordship that amongst these the number of industrious active men proper to undertake and carry on a new settlement is very small -- of soldiers there is only 100 -- of Tradesmen sailors and other able and willing to work not above 200 more -- the rest are poor idle worthless vagabonds ..."
§July, 25th: A settler at Halifax writes that soldiers come in from Louisbourg and have aboard their ships, "milch cows and other stock, besides military stores."
§End of July: A delegation of French deputies came overland to Halifax to pay their respects. One from Canard River (Jean Melanson), one from Grand Pre (Claude LeBlanc) and one from Piziquid (Phillip Melanson).

AUGUST, 1749:
§August, 8th: The settlers draw lots at Halifax, one per family; with single men to form families, four to each family.
§August: Three religious sisters arrive at Louisbourg to reestablish their convent which had been bombed out during the siege of 1745.
§August 13th (Sunday): A settler at Halifax writes: "The St. John Indians arrive with Captain Howe."
§August 15th (Tuesday): The Indians sign a confirmation and ratification of the previous treaties entered into both in the years 1725 and 1727. The ceremony concludes upon the deck of the Beaufort at Chebucto (Halifax) Harbour.
§August 17th: A settler at Halifax writes: "Howe went away with his Indians by water."
§August 24th: Mascarene returns to Annapolis Royal. With him there are "a captain, three Subalterns and hundred men." This force is to drop off at Minas and erect a fort.
§August: Lieutenant Joseph Gorham (John's brother) leaves on the Wren to accompany a party to Canso to cut hay. At Canso the party is "surprised by Indians, who capture the vessel, took twenty prisoners and carried them off to Louisbourg (they were almost immediately released).
§August 26th: Around this date, Peter Carteel is taken into custody at Halifax and charged with murder. Carteel, a settler, had stabbed to death Abram Goodsides, a boatswain's mate on the Beaufort. A court was convened on the 31st and it found Carteel guilty and sentenced him to death.

SEPTEMBER, 1749:
§September 4th: Carteel is hung.
§September 4th: The ratification of the treaty signed at Halifax (August 15th) is signed by the chiefs at the River of St. John.
§September 11th: Edward How is sent up the Basin to construct Fort Sackville.
§September 11th (OS): A fort, Fort George, close to the top of what was to become known as Citadel Hill, is completed.
§September 30th (OS): Indians attack workers at a saw mill situated in the current day Dartmouth. Of the six men who were out cutting wood, four were killed, one was taken prisoner and the other escaped.
§September 1749: Handfield is at Minas where by November is built "a picketed fort containing a blockhouse."
§September 22nd: Edward How arrives back at Halifax from the Bay of Fundy.

AUTUMN, 1749:
§La Jonquiere sends La Corne with a detachment of soldiers to hold Chignecto and prevent the English from settling in that vicinity; La Corne commences the construction of Fort Beausejour. At the other end of the isthmus, at Baie Verte, about 15 to 20 miles away to the northeast, Fort Gaspereaux is built.

OCTOBER, 1749:
§October 5th: La Galissonniere, having sailed from Quebec on board the Leopard on September 24th, arrives at Louisbourg for an official inspection. He, having finally been given permission (May 14th) to return back to France, was commissioned to bring a report on Louisbourg back with him. He left Louisbourg on the 21st of October.
§October 5: Edward How sits at Halifax as a Judge and Commissary of Vice-Admiralty and presides over its first case.
§October 14th: The British war ship Sphinx clears Halifax Harbour and sets sail for Madeira.
§October 14th, Council at Halifax meets for first time on land, in the governor's apartments.
§October 17th: "... two of the stockaded forts about the town [Halifax] had been completed, and a rough barricade of felled trees, logs ... instead of the picketed line originally planned, had been carried around the settlement." "The preparation necessary to the protection of the town against French-Indian hostilities tended to expedite the progress of the settlement; before the middle of October, about three hundred and fifty houses had been completed, two of the square forts finished and the barricade carried all around."
§November 27th: "A party of about three hundred Micmac and St. John Indians" assisted by "eleven of the French inhabitants of Piziquid" attack the fort at Minas.
§December 23rd: A settler at Halifax writes: "The French come down with cattle. Some of them engage again in the works." And, the 29th, "Provisions in plenty from Minas."


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Peter Landry
2012 (2020)