Acadiensis/Volume 1/Number 1/Arrest du Conseil d'Estat Du Roy
ARREST
DU CONSEIL D'ESTAT
DU ROY.
Qui permet aux Sieurs Bergier, Boucher, Gautier, & de Mantes, d'etablir une pêche le long de la Côte de l'Acadie & de la Riviere Saint Jean, & leur accorde plusieurs privileges.
Du dernier jour de Fevrier 1682.
The above is the heading and title of a document, published in Paris in 1720, the original, from which our reproduction is taken, being the property of Prof. W. F. Ganong. It forms one of his collection of "unpublished documents, relating to the history of New Brunswick," and was, by him, placed in the hands of Rev. W. O. Raymond for publication. To the last named gentleman we are indebted, for permission to reproduce the design, by which it is headed, the reproduction being about one-third less in size than the original.
The document was printed on three pages of a quarto leaflet, at Paris, in 1720, and this design is a good example of the style of ornamentation, much followed by French publishers of that period. As the title indicates, the leaflet contains an extract from the Registers of the Council of State of France, a concession of fishing privileges on the St. John river in 1682.
In that year, 1682, M. de la Valliere was in command in Acadie, under an appointment made by Count Frontenac, the Governor of Canada. About this time, the King of France made the grant or concession of fishing privilege, to which we have alluded, to Sieurs Bergier, merchant of la Rochelle, Gautier, Boutier, and de Mantes, "the lands which they shall find suitable along the coast of Acadie and the river St. John," for the establishment of the shore fishery. Bergier came to Acadie and proceeded to organize fishing establishments on its coast, but he found his operations very much impeded by the English, who had been fishing on these coasts for years and were not easily to be restrained.
La Valliere, the Commandant, who resided at St. John, was openly accused of being in league with these enemies of his country, and it was stated in memorials written to the French government of that day, that he had licensed the English vessels to fish on the coasts of Acadie, for money payment. Whether these accusations were correct or not, it is certain that the difference between Bergier and la Valliere continued to increase in violence; and finally the latter, with something of piratical violence, seized several of Bergier's vessels, and confiscated their cargoes of fish and hides.
In 1684 la Valliere was removed from the governorship of Acadie, and was succeeded by M. Perrot, who was in his turn succeeded in 1687, by M. de Menneval.
To us in Acadia, this document is of much antiquarian interest; not only on account of its local application, but, from an artistic standpoint, for the beauty of the design with which it is embellished, as well as the excellence of the workmanship with which the design is executed.