hip, as soon as the ice
breaks, to carry such supplies as we can furnish them. Unless some
assistance is sent by sea, the lands, cattle, and effects hidden in
the woods must all be sacrificed, and the Acadians obliged to go
elsewhere."

At the beginning of the year 1756, the governors of Massachusetts and
Nova Scotia discussed the situation of affairs on the St. John river,
and agreed that steps must be taken as soon as possible to dislodge
the French.

In one of his letters to Governor Lawrence, Shirley observes, "I look
upon dispossessing the French of the St. John River, and fortifying
it, to be necessary for securing the Bay of Fundy and the Peninsula
against attempts from Canada. * * * If I am rightly informed, nothing
hath yet been done towards it, except making a visit up the River as
far as the lower Fort, near the mouth of it, upon which the French
abandoned it, having first destroyed the stores and burst the cannon,
and there still remain the settlements they have above that Fort, by
means of which they keep the Indians inhabiting it in a dependence
upon them, and have a passage across a carrying place into the River
Patcotyeak (Petitcodiac) whereby a communication may be maintained
between St. John's River and Cape Breton across the Gulf of St.
Lawrence." In another letter Shirley wrote that it was essential the
French should be dislodged from the St. John and their settlements
broken up, since, if suffered to remain, they would soon be very
strong and able to maintain communication by the river with Canada,
depriving the English of the fur trade upon it and maintaining
absolute control of the Indians.

The Indians were at this time decidedly hostile to the English and
Lawrence determined to wage against them a merciless warfare.
Accordingly, with the advice and approval of his council, he issued a
proclamation offering a reward of L30 for every Indian warrior brought
in alive, a reward of L25 for the scalp of every male Indian above the
age of sixteen years, and for every woman or child brought in alive
the sum of L25; these rewards to be paid by the commanding officer at
any of His Majesty's Forts in the Province on receiving the prisoners
or scalps.

This cold-blooded and deliberately issued proclamation of the chief
magistrate of Nova Scotia and his council can scarcely be excused on
the plea that the Abbe Le Loutre and other French leaders had at
various times rewarded their savage allies for bring