hen the capture of la Tour's fort was known at the court of
Versailles the young king was well pleased. He confirmed Charnisay's
authority in Acadia and even extended it--on paper--from the St.
Lawrence to Virginia. He could build forts, command by land and sea,
appoint officers of government and justice, keep such lands as he
fancied and grant the remainder to his vassals. He had also a monopoly
of the fur trade and with Fort la Tour, the best trading post in
Acadia, in his possession, the prospect for the future was very
bright. Charnisay possessed the instincts of a colonizer and had
already brought a number of settlers to Acadia. Everything at this
juncture seemed to point to a growing trade and a thriving colony; but
once again the hand of destiny appears. In the very zenith of his
fortune and in the prime of manhood Charnisay was drowned on the 24th
day of May, 1650, in the Annapolis river near Port Royal.

With Charnisay's disappearance la Tour reappears upon the scene. His
former defiant attitude is forgotten, he is recognized as the most
capable man of affairs in Acadia and in September, 1651, we find him
again in possession of his old stronghold at St. John. The king now
gave him a fresh commission as lieutenant-general in Acadia with ample
territorial rights. Disputes soon afterwards arose concerning the
claims of the widow of d'Aulnay Charnisay; these disputes were set at
rest by the marriage of the parties interested. The marriage contract,
a lengthy document, was signed at Port Royal the 24th day of February,
1653, and its closing paragraph shows that there was little sentiment
involved: "The said seigneur de la Tour and the said dame d'Aulnay his
future spouse, to attain the ends and principal design of their
intended marriage, which is the peace and tranquillity of the country
and concord and union between the two families, wish and desire as
much as lies with them that in the future their children should
contract a new alliance of marriage together."

There is no evidence to show that la Tour's second marriage proved
unhappy, though it is a very unromantic ending to an otherwise very
romantic story. His second wife had also been the second wife of
Charnisay who was a widower when he married her; her maiden name was
Jeanne Motin. Descendants of la Tour by his second marriage are to be
found in the families of the d'Entremonts, Girouards, Porliers and
Landrys of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

La Tour