Nooks and Corners of the New England CoastDrake, Samuel Adams
History
Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast
Drake, Samuel Adams
New England -- Description and travel
The Plymouth people kept possession until 1635, when they were
dispossessed by an expedition sent from La Have, in Acadia, commanded by
the Chevalier Charles de Menou, or, as he is usually styled, D'Aulnay
Charnisay. The chevalier's orders from Razilly, who had then the general
command in Canada, were to expel all the English as far as Pemaquid.
Plymouth Colony endeavored to retake the place by force. A large ship
for that day, the _Hope_, of Ipswich, England, Girling commander, was
fitted out, and attacked the post in such a disorderly, unskillful
manner that Girling expended his ammunition before having made the least
impression. Standish, the redoubtable, was there in a small bark, fuming
at the incompetency of the commander of the _Hope_, who had been hired
to do the job for so much beaver if he succeeded, nothing if he failed.
Standish, with the beaver, returned to Plymouth, after sending Girling a
new supply of powder from Pemaquid; but no further effort is known to
have been made to reduce the place.
The Pilgrims then turned to their natural allies, the Puritans of the
Bay; but, as Rochefoucauld cunningly says, there is something in the
misfortunes of our friends that does not displease us. They got smooth
speeches in plenty, but no help. It is curious to observe that at this
time the two colonies combined were too weak to raise and equip a
hundred soldiers on a sudden call. So the French remained in possession
until 1654.
An attempt was made by Plymouth Colony to liberate their men captured at
Penobscot. Isaac Allerton was sent to demand them of La Tour who in
haughty terms refused to deliver them up, saying all the country from
Cape Sable to Cape Cod belonged to the king, his master, and if the
English persisted in trading east of Pemaquid he would capture them.
"Will monseigneur deign to show me his commission?"
The chevalier laid his hand significantly on his sword-hilt. "This,"
said he, "is my commission."
I have mentioned three Frenchmen: Sir Isaac de Razilly, a soldier of the
monastic order of Malta; La Tour, a heretic; and D'Aulnay, a zealous
papist.
Razilly's commission is dated at St. Germain en Laye, May 10th, 1632. He
was to take possession of Port Royal, so named by De Monts, from its
glorious harbor, and ceded to France under the treaty of 1629. This was
the year after the taking of La Rochelle; so that we are now in the
times of the great cardinal and his puissant adversary, Buckingham. The
knight of Malta was so well pleased with Acadia that he craved
permission of the grand master to remain in the country. He was
recalled, with a reminder of the subjection exacted by that
semi-military, semi-ecclesiastical body of its members. Hutchinson says
he died soon after 1635. There is evidence he was alive in 1636.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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