in his dominion." They believed that to give an unqualified oath of allegiance would be to expose them to the revenge of the Micmacs, who would resent their friendship for the enemies of the French and the Indians.
Evidence cited by a recent writer[1] indicates that Philipps, who was Governor in 1720, opposed the departure of the Acadians, who had repeatedly expressed themselves as willing to forsake their well-nurtured farms rather than bind themselves to take up arms against their own countrymen. Philipps wrote: "We cannot let them go just now; their departure would render our neighbours too powerful; we need them to erect our fortifications, and to provision our forts till the English are powerful enough of themselves to go on, and they must not withdraw before a considerable number of British subjects be settled in their stead. . . . What is to be apprehended in the resettling of these farms is disturbance from Indians, who do not like the Acadians going off, and will not want prompting mischief."
Eventually the Neutrals of Annapolis and Minas were promised that it should not be required of them to bear arms against any one and that they should be free to withdraw whithersoever they thought fit. In return they gave their pledge to be faithful to His Majesty the British King. Mascarene, a Huguenot who became a naturalised
- ↑ See the History of Grand Pré, by John Frederic Herbin.
