At Troyes, Marguerite Bourgeoys had been equally successful, having
received the co-operation of three workers, Edmée Chastel (Aimée
Chatel), Catherine Crolo, and Marguerite Raisin. Mademoiselle Catherine
Gauchet de Belleville also joined the party. She was the cousin of M.
Souart and came from the parish of St. Sulpice in Paris. She was then
sixteen years old. In 1665 she married Migeon de Brausaat. At La Flèche
three Hospitalière Sisters of St. Joseph were chosen: Judith Moreau
de Brésoles, Catherine Massé and Marie Maillé, with Marie Polo, their
servant, and the departure of the party from La Flèche was fixed for
May 25th.
[Illustration: DEPARTURE OF THE THREE HOSPITALIERES FROM LA FLECHE FOR
CANADA]
But they did not leave peaceably, for there was a party at La Flèche,
which had resented the previous consignments of "pious young girls"
that had been previously taken to Montreal through the instrumentality
of M. de la Dauversière, it being alleged that this enthusiast, as
he was thought, had done it against the wishes of their parents.
Open persecution broke out against him. Dollier de Casson tells us
that there was a popular resentment; each one murmured, "M. de la
Dauversière is leading these girls away by force; we must stop it."
In their anxiety many could not sleep that night; but next morning,
May 26th, M. Robert Saint André, an admirer of M. de la Dauversière,
who, with his wife, was returning to Montreal, forced, with the
assistance of other gentlemen, a way on to the ship for the girls,
at the point of the sword. On reaching Rochelle M. Dauversière's
party was met by agents from Mgr. Laval, who wished to restrain their
departure on the ground that they were not wanted in Canada, as one
institute of Hospitalières was sufficient. We have seen that even M.
de Queylus was of this opinion. But M. de la Dauversière's resolution
was unshaken. "If they do not go this year they will never go." The La
Flèche institute had been founded for Montreal; the departure of the
Hospitalières had been delayed several years. He now carried his point.
New embarrassments arose. The owner of the ship, doubtless influenced
by the agents, refused to weigh anchor without the passage money being
paid in advance; he appears even to have profited by this circumstance
to raise the price. But Jeanne Mance, never to be taken by surprise,
immediately obtained the money from a merchant in consequence of a
contract which she made with a group of colonists who were coming "en
famille." These latter obliged themselves, on June 5th, before Notary
Demontreau, as a body to reimburse their debts to her in two years. In
addition they were indebted to Jeanne Mance for 199 _livres_ 8 _sols_,
which she turned over for hotel expenses to Daniel Guerry, mine host of
the Grâce-de-Dieu.[82]
The above money was not to be paid, however, till ten years after, when
Mademoiselle Mance gave them a deed of acquittance in 1669, made out by
Maître Basset, the town clerk.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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