and was, in fact, a measure
repugnant to that spirit of toleration in religious matters, of which
they boast, and to which it must be owned they constantly adhered, as to
these people, both in speculation and practice.

[Might not this dilemma have been removed, by procuring for them
priests, since priests they must have, from neutral nations, such as the
Flemings, the Roman Swiss Cantons, &c. whom a very small matter of
reward and encouragement would, it is probable, have fixed in the
English interest? At least, they could not have the same motives for
fomenting rebellious principles, as the French priests, who were set on
by that government.]

None of the Acadians were ever molested purely for their religion; and
even the priests of our nation were always civilly treated by them,
whenever they had not reason to think they meddled in temporal matters,
or stirred up their parishioners to rebellion. I have seen many of their
own letters that acknowledge as much; so that upon the whole, I do not
see that the English could do otherwise than they did, in expelling
their bounds a people, who were constitutionally, and invincibly, a
perpetual thorn in their side, whom they could at best look on as secret
domestic enemies, who wanted nothing but an occasion to do them all the
mischief in their power, and of whom, consequently, there could not, for
their interest and safety, remain too few in the land.

In the mean time the French took special care to appear at least to
receive with open arms those _refugees_, whom their fear or hatred of
the English drove out of that country; they gave them temporary places
of habitation, both for them and their cattle, besides provisions, arms,
tools, &c. till they should fix a settlement in some part of the French
dominions here, which they recommended especially in the island of, or
on the banks of the river of St. John; but they were at first very loth
to come to a determination. And surely, these unfortunate victims of
their attachment to the French government deserved all the reparation in
its power to give them, for what they had quitted for the sake of
preserving allegiance to it, even after their country had been
transferred to another sovereign. I cannot, however, consistently with
truth say, they were received as kindly as they deserved, which probably
bred that undetermination of their's to fix a new settlement, as they
were pressed to do by the French government. They retained s