The Seigneury of Chipody. A Chapter in the History of Albert County: The Seigneur of Chignecto Claims Chipoudy (Continued.)

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Year
1886
Month
7
Day
15
Article Title
The Seigneury of Chipody. A Chapter in the History of Albert County: The Seigneur of Chignecto Claims Chipoudy (Continued.)
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Page Number
2
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Article Contents
The Seigneury of Chipody. A CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF ALBERT COUNTY, The Seigneur of Chignecto Claims Chipoudy. (Continued.) When Thibedaux landed at Port Royal he was not a little astonished at the charges made by De Villeu that he was a trespasser at Chipoudy, after the understanding he had had with M. De Villebon; but as he was a man of resolution and not readily intimidated, without being much alarmed, he sought his son-in-law, Des Gouttins, the Commissioner of the Marine Department, and the latter undertook to write at once to M. De Villabon about the matter. Des Gouttins succeeded Budrot as Judge at Port Royal in 1688 — the latter's age and infirmities having disqualified him from service. Des Gouttins was invested with a sort of paternal authority; he was instructed to secure an amicable termination to legal proceedings by reference if possible; to examine into the resources of the colony for the purpose of adding to its industries and increasing its population; to encourage the people in their agricultural enterprises, and to take an annual census. He quarrelled with De Menneval, who was appointed Governor the year previously, for carrying on a trade with the English for his own profit. Des Gouttins also accused the priests of being in league with De Menneval; their houses were the receptacle of English goods, which were landed at night, and taken past the sentinels, who were forbidden to raise an alarm. It was De Menneval also surrendered Port Royal to Sir Wm. Phips in 1690. Des Gouttins was a man of strong purposes and was probably too honest to participate in those "underground" methods of enriching himself, that were familiar to too many of the French officials of Acadia. He did not hesitate to strike at De Villabon, the ablest leader of this period, and of Brouillan's death ho wrote to the French Government a passage that has passed into history: "The public were unable to conceal their joy at his loss." The negotiations dragged along during the winter 1699 and 1700, and Thibedaux in the interval ordered at Boston machinery for a grist mill and a saw mill for Chipoudy. Communication with France was so difficult, rare and uncertain, that it was often necessary to trade with the English colonies, and the necessities of the case induced the French authorities to close their eyes to a trade that was considered clandestine. However, the dispute continued; Thibedaux and his friends urged with reason that therivers of Chipoudy and Peticoudiak [Petitcodiac], flowing in one fork of the bay, were totally apart from the Seigneury, and could not be comprised within its borders; on the other part, M. De Villeu asserted that his father-in-law had always considered that district as included in his trading posit and seigneury, that the formal annexation of it had been promised him, and that he had always sent his agents there to trade with the Indians. Time was passing, and to cut the matter short Thibedaux and Blanchard, like prudent and practical men, offered to accept the final concessions emanating from Monsieur De LaValliere, that they would submit, if he was recognized Seigneur of the place, that they should receive nothing if the Government recognized the legitimacy of his pretentions, they would prefer a sacrifice to delay and to losses long postponed, but De Villieu, who was a haughty and troublesome man, in place of recognizing the moderation of their proposals, and would only grant thorn concessions of land ridiculously small for such an enterprise. The negotiation was then broken off, and Thibedaux, as well as Blanchard, demanded directly of the Royal Government that it would grant to them in fief the Chipoudy river, with two leagues of frontage, on the Bay of Beaubassin; they cited the example of Mattieu Martin, to whom had been conceded in fief the Cobequit river. They quoted the expenditures they had made, the labours they had undertaken, and the resources of every kind that they had gathered, in order to carry on successfully an enterprise that interested so strongly the whole Province. As the Governor, Villibon, resided always at Pentagoet, as besides he had given his assent to the projects of Thibedaux. Des Gouttins, who acted as administrator at Port Royal, sent forward himself it memorial in support of them; ho assured these courageous pioneers of the possession and enjoyment of the lauds they had worked, and asked them to wait with patience and confidence the results. It is certain he had an interest himself in the success of these reclamations, on account of his relationship to Thibodaux, but it is not the less certain that the whole colony could only gain by the firm establishment of these now settlements. "William Blanchard and other inhabitants of Port Royal have been here two days," writes Des Gouttins, "to make a compromise with Sieur De Villeu, the agent of Sieur De La Valliere, but the latter, not wishing to give them only two acres of a front for pasture, and land sufficient to raise eight hogsheads of wheat, nothing has come out of it." (To be Continued.)