[14] This letter appeared in one of the British periodicals for October, 1749.
[15] This allotment book still remains entire in the office of the Provincial Secretary, in Halifax. It was repaired in 1869 by the Record Commission, and a fac-simile copy made for use and the original placed out of the reach of injury.
[16] Note.—These Indians are described in a letter from one of the Settlers, to England, dated 19th August, as quite different from the Indians of the peninsula, their faces all rubbed over with vermillion and across their nose and forehead are regularly drawn black lines. Their ears are bored full of holes and adorned with tobacco pipes and ribbons of different colours; their clothes are of the light homespun grey but intolerably ragged. The French supply them with those articles. Their squaws or women dress equally as gay as the men. They are entire drunkards, and never cease drinking spirituous liquors as long as they can get it. They came on board to the Governor in great form. After the treaty was ratified they received presents and went on board the man-of-war, where they solaced themselves with singing and dancing. As to the songs it is one continued bellowing and noise. Upon their coming off, the man-of-war gave them a salute of 17 guns, as likewise they did on going aboard. They expressed a great deal of satisfaction at the honors done them; so they were discharged and sent in one of Colonel Goreham's sloops to St. John River with presents to the rest of their tribe.
[17] Governor Cornwallis' letter to Secretary of State.
[18] This affair is mentioned in a letter from a gentleman in Halifax to Boston, dated October 2nd, as follows: "About seven o'clock on Saturday morning before, as several of Major Gilman's workmen with one soldier, unarmed, were hewing sticks of timber about 200 yards from his house and mills on the east side of the harbour, they were surprised by about 40 Indians, who first fired two shots and then a volley upon them which filled four, two of whom they scalped, and cut off the heads of the others, the fifth is missing and is supposed to have been carried off."
[19] These men were supplied with hatchets and snow shoes for winter warfare.
[20] A copy of this letter will be found in the [appendix].
CHAPTER II.
The winter of 1749-50, as has been before mentioned, was spent in continual apprehension of Indian and French invasion, and in preparations to receive the enemy. On the 7th January, 1750, a number of the inhabitants petitioned that Martial Law should be declared, but the Governor and Council did not consider the danger so great or imminent as to make it necessary. However, stringent regulations with regard to the militia were enacted, and an ordinance was issued compelling all settlers able to bear arms between 16 and 60, to be formed into 10 companies of 70 men each,[21] and a guard of — officers and 30 men to assemble every evening near the parade to keep guard until sunrise, and all militia men called upon to labour at the fortifications, were to be allowed 1s. per day. Labourers were constantly employed in raising a barricade and continuing it to the water side, and block houses were erected between the forts.