The scheme for settlement at Chebucto is said to have originated with the people of Massachusetts,[1] who, in calling the attention of Government to the claims and encroachments of the French, suggested the necessity for, as well as the great commercial advantages to be derived from such an undertaking; and it has also been asserted that a committee of influential citizens had been formed in Boston for the purpose of more effectually advocating the design. No authentic information on the subject, however, has been found beyond the suggestions contained in Governor Shirley's letters to the Secretary of State, in 1747 and 8, in which one extensive plan of British colonization throughout Nova Scotia is proposed and details suggested, many of which, however, did not receive the approval of Government.[2]
A plan for carrying into effect this long-cherished design was, however, matured by the Board of Trade and Plantations, in the year 1748, and submitted to Government in the autumn of that year, and being warmly supported by Lord Halifax, the President of the Board, advertisements soon appeared under the sanction of His Majesty's authority, "holding out proper encouragement to officers and private men lately discharged from the Army and Navy, to settle in Nova Scotia." Among other inducements was the offer to convey the settlers to their destination, maintain them for twelve months at the public expense, and to supply them with arms and ammunition for defence, and with materials and articles for clearing the land, erecting dwellings and prosecuting the fishery. The encouragements appeared so inviting, that in a short time 1176 settlers, with their families, were found to volunteer, and the sum of £40,000 being appropriated by Parliament for the service, the expedition was placed under the command of Col. the Honble. Edward Cornwallis, M. P., as Captain General and Governor of Nova Scotia, and set sail for Chebucto Bay, the place of destination, in May, 1749.[3]
The fleet consisted of 13 Transports and a Sloop of War. The following is a list of the vessels, with the number of settlers.[4]
| Sphinx Sloop of War, with Gov. Cornwallis and Suite. | Tonnage. | Number of Passengers. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transports. | Captains. | ||
| Charlton Frigate | Richard Ladd | 395 | 213 |
| Winchelsea | Thomas Cornish | 559 | 303 |
| Wilmington | Thomas Adams | 631 | 340 |
| Merry Jacks | —— Granger | 378 | 230 |
| Alexander | Samuel Harris | 320 | 172 |
| Beaufort | Elias Brennan | 541 | 287 |
| Rochampton | Samuel Williamson | 232 | 77 |
| Cannon Frigate | Andrew Dewar | 342 | 190 |
| Everly | S. Dutchman | 351 | 186 |
| London | John Barker | 550 | 315 |
| Brotherhood | .... | .... | 27 |
| Baltimore | Edward Cook | 411 | 226 |
| Snow Fair Lady | Isaac Foster | .... | 10 |
| 2576 | |||
The total number of males, exclusive of children, was 1546; of this number above 500 were man-of-war sailors.[5]
The names of the principal settlers, with the rank and calling as they appear in the register, are as follows:
Leonard Lockman and Ezekiel Gilman, Majors in the Army; John Lemon, Foot Major and Commissary; Otis Little, Edward Amherst, Thomas Lewis, Benjamin Ives, Frederick Albert Strasburger, and Francis Bartelo, Captains in the Army; David Lewis, George Burners, George Colly, Richard Partridge, Thomas Newton, John Collier, Robert Ewer, John Creighton, Thomas Voughan, John Galland, Richard Reves, William Joice, Joseph Wakefield, Augustus Graham, Alexander Callendar, David Haldame, Robert Campbell, William Bryan, and T. Vaughan, Lieutenants in the Army; James Warren, Thos. Reynolds, and Henry Wendell, Ensigns; John Hamilton, Adam Cockburn, and Wm. Williams, Lieutenants in the Navy; John Steinfort, Dennis Clarke, William Neil, Gustavus Mugden, and John Twinehoe, Lieutenants of Privateers; Chas. Mason, Robert Beatie, Charles Covy, Samuel Budd, John Ferguson, Nicholas Puxley, William Watson, Joseph Tomwell, Henry Chambers, Nicholas Todd, Roger Lowden, Joseph Gunn, John Thompson, Robert Young, Thomas Burnside, Timothy Pearce, Richard Drake, Newbegin Harris, William Vickers, Richard Cooper, Richard Mannering, Thomas Dumster, and Robert Cockburn, Midshipmen in the Royal Navy; John Jenkins, Cadet; Rene Gillet, Artificer; John Grant, John Henderson, Edward Gibson, William Hamilton, and William Smith, Volunteers; Lewis Hayes, Purser; John Bruce, Engineer; William Grant, Robert White, Patrick Hay, Mathew Jones, Thomas Wilson, M. Rush, James Handeside, H. Pitt, George Philip Bruscowitz, Cochran Dickson, Joshua Sacheveral, Thomas Inman, John Wildman, David Carnegie, and John Willis, Surgeons; John Steele, Lieutenant and Surgeon; William Lascells, Augustus Carsar Harbin, Archibald Campbell, John Wallis, John Grant, Daniel Brown, Timothy Griffith, Henry Martin, Robert Grant, and Alexander Hay, Surgeon's Mates and Assistants; Robert Thorckmorton, Surgeon's Pupil; Mr. Anwell, Clergyman; John Baptiste Moreau, Gentleman and Schoolmaster; William Jeffery, Commissary; William Steele, Brewer and Merchant; Daniel Wood, Attorney; Thomas Cannon, Esquire; John Duport, and Lewis Piers, Gentlemen; Archibald Hinshelwood, John Kerr, William Nisbett, and Thomas Gray, Governor's Clerks; David Floyd, Clerk of the Stores.[6]
On the 21st June, 1749, old style, the Sloop of War, "Sphinx," arrived in the Harbor of Chebucto, having on board, the Honourable Edward Cornwallis, Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of the Province of Nova Scotia, and his suite. They had a long and boisterous passage, and did not make the coast of Acadia until 14th. They had no one on board acquainted with the coast, and did not meet with a pilot until the 20th, when they fell in with a Sloop from Boston, bound to Louisburg, with two pilots for the Government of that place. Governor Cornwallis' intention was first to proceed to Annapolis, but the wind not serving for the Bay of Fundy, and the officers assuring him that in case of foggy weather setting in they might be a long time in getting to Annapolis, he concluded on proceeding at once to Chebucto, rather than risk the possibility of being separated for any length of time from the fleet. He also felt, that by so doing, he would save the Governor of Louisburg the bad and long navigation to Annapolis, and accordingly, he dispatched a letter to Governor Hopson, by the Sloop, apprising him of his intention and desiring him to transport his garrison to Chebucto as soon as possible. The "Sphinx," before making Chebucto, first came to anchor in Malagash Bay, where they found several French families, comfortably settled, who professed themselves British subjects, and had grants of land from Governor Mascarine; they had tolerably good wooden houses covered with bark, and many cattle, and expressed themselves greatly pleased on hearing of the proposed new settlement. It happened that the same day on which Cornwallis arrived in the Harbor of Chebucto, a sloop came in from Louisburg with a letter from Hopson in expectation of meeting him. Hopson was in great perplexity, the French having arrived to take possession under the terms of the treaty, and there were no vessels to embark his troops. It appeared he was fully under the expectation that the ships which were to bring out the settlers would arrive in time to be sent down to him for that purpose, and he had made no other arrangements. On receiving the letter, Governor Cornwallis immediately dispatched the Sloop to Boston, with letters to Apthorp & Handerik, whom Hopson recommended for the purpose, to hire vessels with all expedition to transport the garrison of Louisburg to Chebucto; also a letter directed to Governor Mascarine in case they should meet at sea with a vessel bound to Annapolis. At the same time, a Frenchman, acquainted with the country, was dispatched overland by Minas to Annapolis, with orders to Mascarine to come down with a quorum of his Council as soon as possible, that the new commission might be opened and another Council appointed in accordance with the Royal Instructions.[7]
Governor Cornwallis' first dispatch to England, after arriving at Chebucto, was sent via Boston, and bears the date 22nd June, the day after his arrival. In this letter he says: "The coasts are as rich as ever they have been represented; we caught fish every day since we came, within 50 leagues of the coast. The harbour itself is full of fish of all kinds. All the officers agree the harbour is the finest they have ever seen. The country is one continued wood; no clear spot is to be seen or heard of. I have been on shore in several places. The underwood is only young trees, so that with difficulty one is able to make his way anywhere." "D'Anville's Fleet have only cut wood for present use; they cleared no ground, but encamped their men on the beach. I have seen but few brooks, nor as yet have found the navigable river that has been talked of. There are a few French families on the east side of the bay, about three leagues off. Some have been on board."
Governor Mascarine having received Cornwallis' letter on the 26th, on the following day, ordered Captain Davis to make ready his galley and go round to Chebucto with fresh provisions. Mascarine was waiting the arrival of the new Governor at Annapolis, as appears by his letters to Governor Hopson on the 14th and 26th June, in which he says: "Get ready supplies for the new Captain General who will be here, but the fleet will be at Chebucto." The "Snow Fair Lady" arrived shortly after the Sphinx, and was dispatched to Annapolis to afford Mr. Mascarine the means of transporting his council and part of his garrison to Chebucto. On the 26th, the "Fair Lady" was in the harbour of Annapolis ready to receive Governor Mascarine and suite. On the 27th, the transport began to make their appearance off the harbour of Chebucto, and by the 1st July, they had all arrived. As their passage had been extremely good, and none of them had in the least suffered, the Governor found himself in a position to afford vessels to Colonel Hopson the moment the settlers should be put on shore.[8] Accordingly having countermanded the order to Boston for transports, he dispatched to Louisburg the ship "Brotherhood" on the 1st July, and on the 5th, the "London," "Wilmington," "Winchelsea," and "Merry Jacks." On the 8th he received from Louisburg, copies of letters from Governor Shirley of Boston, to Governor Mascarine, giving an account of the French having commenced a fort at the mouth of the River St. John, and on the following day sent Captain Rouse in the "Albany" and a small sloop to attend her, with orders to the commanding officer at Annapolis to furnish him with troops if required, and to proceed immediately to the River St. John, Governor Shirley having previously sent the ship "Boston" to Annapolis for the same service, there to await orders. It appears that the French had fitted out an expedition, under M. Ramey, for this purpose, a short time before the arrival of Cornwallis, and the vessel with ammunition, arms and provisions, bound to St. John River, had passed Malagash Bay a few days before the arrival of the "Sphinx" there; but having put into Port Mouton on her way, the information of their designs was communicated to the authorities of Annapolis.