,canadian ,institute for ,historical    
,microreproductions4     ,,memoir  ,,of 
,,father ,,vincent ,,de ,,paul1         
,,religious ,,of ,,la ,,trappe3         
,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,original    
,,french  ,,by  ,a4 ,m4 ,,pope1   ,,with
 ,a ,,preface  ,,by  ,,the ,,right      
,,reverend ,,dr4 ,,cameron1  ,,bishop   
,,of ,,arichat4     ,,preface4   ,the   
reply of ,maximilian to the wealthy     
courtier who tendered him a goodly purse
 of gold for a title of nobility1 was   
worthy of that emperor3 ,i can enrich   
thee1 he said1 but only thy own virtue  
can enoble thee ,all true grandeur1     
excellence1 and dignity1 are the        
offspring of virtue4 ,even the most     
renowned oracles of paganism proclaim   
this1 and the very persecutors of       
holiness are often constrained to pay   
homage to their victim4 ,no wonder1     
then1 that whenever we are privileged to
 find one of those rare mortals1 whom   
virtue has unmistakably marked as her   
own1 we lovingly attach an exceptional  

importance to everything connected with 
his history4 ,such assuredly was he     
whose account of what befel him during  
his first ten years in ,america1 is now 
for the first time published in         
,english4 ,a brief sketch of the        
religious ,order to which he belonged1  
of the life he led1 and of the          
,monastery he founded1 may give added   
interest to his own simple and edifying 
narrative4  ,what ,scripture terms the  
world1 and so emphatically denounces as 
such1 is the poisonous source of the    
mother-evils described by ,st4 ,john as 
the concupiscence of the flesh1 and the 
concupiscence of the eyes1 and the pride
 of life4 ,flight from the contamination
 of this threefold inordinate love of   
pleasures1 riches and honors1 being     
essential to salvation1 is most easily1 
most surely and most meritoriously      
achieved by those who1 in answer to a   
,divine call1 consecrate and give       
themselves wholly to ,god1 by the       
practice of the evangelical counsels of 

chastity1 poverty and obedience4 ,those 
who embrace this angelic profession form
 the choice portion of the fold of      
,christ4 ,they rank as ,his spouses1    
and1 by the holy ambition of their      
virgin love1 console ,him for the craven
 defections or the cold indifference of 
so many ,christians4  ,all ,christians  
animated by the spirit of ,jesus are    
religious1 just as they are holy1 and   
kings and priests 7,i ,peter #b1i74     
,such is the unity of the marvellous    
body of ,christ1 the ,church1 whose soul
 is infinite love1 that her every member
 shares1 in some sense and measure1 all 
her sublime prerogatives4 ,but as ,god  
willed that in ,his family some goods   
should be common to all1 so ,he likewise
 decreed that other goods should be     
reserved to comparatively few1 and      
through these chosen and privileged ones
 benefit the rest4 ,hence1 as besides   
this elementary royalty and priesthood  
conferred by baptism1 there are1        
according to the express order of ,god  

superior and official royalties and     
priesthoods1 in like manner besides the 
fundamental religion1 which is the vital
 breath of every soul in a state of     
grace1 there is a religion more eminent1
 more definite1 more perfect4 ,thus as  
there is here below a sacerdotal and    
royal state1 so likewise is there a     
religious state which is confined to    
those only who bind themselves by vows  
to a monastic life4 ,it is evident1     
therefore1 that when ,catholics use the 
expression religious ,order1 or term a  
monk or nun a religious1 they are       
perfectly justified in doing so1 the    
cavillings of ,dr4 ,trench to the       
contrary notwithstanding4  ,each        
religious order is characterized by the 
special purpose for which it was        
founded1 and by the constitution and    
rule which its members are to follow4   
,the observance of the ,benedictine rule
 was greatly relaxed in the monasteries 
of ,france towards the close of the     
eleventh century1 when ,st4 ,robert     

7#ajih7 inaugurated a reform at         
,citeaux1 which resulted in the         
establishment of the ,cistercian ,order4
 ,a monastery of this ,order was        
subsequently 7#aadj7 founded in ,la     
,perche1 ,france1 by the ,count of      
,perche1 and was called ,la ,trappe4 ,in
 #affb the commendatory abbot of ,la    
,trappe1 ,armand ,jean le ,bouthilier de
 ,rance'1 a nobleman who abandoned      
wealth and a brilliant career1 visited  
,la ,trappe1 undertook a new reform of  
the ,cistercian rule1 and thus became   
the founder of that branch of this      
,order which became known as the        
congregation of ,la ,trappe4 ,in        
consequence of the ,revolution of #aghi1
 one of the ,trappist ,fathers1 ,dom    
,augustin conducted twenty-four of his  
brethren from ,france to ,valsainte1 in 
,switzerland4 ,here they decided to     
adopt a rule still more strict than that
 which they had hitherto observed4 ,this
 step occasioned a division in the      
,trappist ,order3 some monasteries      

following the rule of ,valsainte1 others
 that of de ,rance'4 ,an appeal to ,rome
 resulted in a decree dated ,october    
#crd1 #ahcd1 by which all ,trappist     
monasteries were placed under one       
government4 ,the decree not having      
however had the desired effect1 the     
,holy ,see decided in #ahdg to sanction 
two distinct congregations1 one to      
follow the constitution of de ,rance'1  
and the other to observe the rule of    
,st4 ,benedict1 with the primitive      
constitution of the ,cistercian ,order4 
,to the latter congregation belong the  
,trappist monasteries of ,canada and the
 ,united ,states1 whose time-table on   
week days during winter is as follows3--
  ,at two o'clock1 a4 m41 the ,trappists
 rise and proceed to their chapel1 where
 they devote their time to the          
recitation of the ,office1 meditation1  
c41 till #g4de1 when they have ,high    
,mass1 followed by manual labor1 which1 
with the interruption of only half an   
hour given to the recitation of ,office 

and examen of conscience1 continues till
 #b p4 m42 ten minutes more and they    
break their long fast of twenty-four    
hours with the lean and only repast of  
the day4 ,at #f p4 m4 begins spiritual  
reading1 immediately followed by        
compline and other devotional exercises 
till #g1 when they retire to their much 
needed rest on their hard straw         
mattresses4 ,perpetual silence is       
prescribed1 unless in case of necessity1
 so that the ,trappist's whole life is  
one of extraordinary austerity and of   
incessant recollection1 reminding him at
 every turn of the shortness of life and
 the tremendous rigor of judgment4 ,the 
time-table for summer varies in some    
minor practices and observances1 while1 
according to that of ,sundays and       
holidays1 those religious in the latter 
case rise at midnight1 and in the former
 at #a a4 m41 and busy themselves till  
#g o'clock1 p4 m4 during winter1 and #h 
o'clock during summer in the praises of 
the ,lord4  ,james ,merle was born at   

,lyons1 ,france1 the #bith ,october1    
#agfh4 ,his father was a much respected 
physician in that city4 ,on the #gth of 
,april1 #agih1 while the godless        
,revolution was carrying resistless     
devastation over the country1 he        
privately received the holy order of    
priesthood at the hands of ,mgr4 ,c4 ,f4
 ,d4 ,dubois de ,sanzay1 ,archbishop of 
,vienne1 and seven years afterwards he  
entered the ,trappist ,order1 taking the
 name of ,father ,vincent de ,paul1 by  
which he has always since been known4   
,in his memoir ,father ,vincent speaks  
of having bought a large tract of land  
near the sea in ,nova ,scotia1 and of   
having built a house thereon4 ,this was 
in ,tracadie1 where he resided for some 
years previous to his return to ,france 
in #ahbc4 ,in #ahbd he came again to    
,tracadie with another worthy priest of 
his ,order1 ,father ,francis1 a native  
of ,freiburg1 together with three lay   
brothers1 and the house above referred  
to became thenceforth the monastery of  

,petit ,clairvaux4 ,a few years later   
three other lay brothers were admitted1 
two of them from ,halifax1 and one from 
the ,united ,states4  ,until the ,rev4  
,john ,quinn was appointed parish priest
 of ,tracadie1 7#ahcg7 ,father ,vincent 
had pastoral charge of the three        
missions of ,tracadie1 ,havre au        
,boucher1 and ,pomquet1 and the old     
people of the place still recount his   
innumerable acts of extraordinary zeal  
and devotion4 ,he scarcely ever had the 
stole off his neck during ,lent1 is the 
remark of one of them4 ,he also made    
frequent excursions to ,cheticamp1      
,arichat1 and other parts of ,cape      
,breton1 to preach missions there1 and  
to assist the dying4 ,in his memoir he  
speaks of that sublime pilgrimage of the
 heart1 the admirable devotion of the   
,way of the ,cross1 as one especially   
acceptable to ,god2 and no wonder it    
bore marvellous fruit as conducted by   
him4 ,at each station this holy servant 
of ,god did not content himself with    

reading the usual prayers3 he gave      
expression to heavenly thoughts inspired
 by his own burning love of his         
crucified ,saviour1 producing a         
mysterious and lasting echo in all      
hearts4 ,the church was always crowded  
on those occasions4 ,to prepare children
 for their first communion1 he devoted  
six entire weeks of instruction each    
year4 ,his capacity for work was        
immense2 and while hurry never appeared 
in his actions1 he managed to glide     
through them with a masterly ease far   
out-stripping the speediest progress of 
ordinary mortals4 ,a supernatural light 
seemed to supersede the necessity of    
recourse to the usual slow and laborious
 process of reasoning in seeing one's   
way1 and to endow him with an intuition 
excluding all doubt1 and with an        
instinct ever ready in performance4     
,thus for everything he found ample     
time1 because no particle of his time   
was lost4 ,he was a living1 palpitating1
 breathing1 vocal1 acting temple of the 

,holy ,ghost1 and this ,divine          
indwelling was1 in a manner1 visible to 
all4 ,at the altar1 during the holy     
sacrifice which he daily offered1 it    
seemed to transfigure his countenance so
 as to impress his heavenly citizenship 
upon all beholders4 ,in administering   
the sacrament1 in instructing the       
people1 in his incessant endeavors to   
keep or win them from sin1 and to       
provide for all their spiritual wants1  
the same irradiation of holiness        
imparted the most extraordinary efficacy
 to his charity and zeal4  ,so palpable 
was this impress of sanctity in his     
every-day-life1 that no one could come  
in contact with him without perceiving  
it and feeling its inherent power4 ,such
 being the rare effulgence of ,father   
,vincent's sanctity as seen amid the    
dust and darkness of the world1 one can 
more readily realize the transcendent   
perfection and purity of his soul as    
nurtured and revealed in his divine     
communing in his own beloved cloister4  

,no wonder1 then1 that when this        
admirable servant of ,god1 fall of days 
and merits1 was called away to his      
reward on the morning of ,new ,year's   
,day1 #ahec1 all felt that they had one 
intercessor more in heaven4 ,no wonder  
that miraculous cures wrought through   
his mediation began soon to multiply4   
,nor was ,father ,vincent's reputation  
for sanctity confined to ,catholics4    
,even ,protestants not only acknowledged
 the heroism of his virtues1 but also   
sought to possess some earth from his   
grave1 and one of them1 ,j4 ,h41 still  
living1 was restored to health and      
usefulness by the application of this   
relic to his diseased and disabled      
limbs4  ,the next ,prior of ,petit      
,clairvaux was the dauntless and holy   
,father ,francis1 whose advanced age    
obliged him in #aheh to resign his      
office into the hands of the sweet      
,father ,james1 a native of ,belgium1   
and a religious eminently qualified for 
the position4 ,such was the success of  

his administration that in #ahgf the    
community was raised by ,pius ,,ix of   
blessed memory to the dignity of an     
abbey--an abbey1 which1 with its        
forty-one fervent religious1 now wisely 
governed by the worthy ,abbot ,dominic1 
presents an example of heroic           
abstinence1 mortification and prayer1   
well calculated to put the              
characteristic dissipation1 effeminacy  
and dissoluteness of the age to blush1  
and to bring home to our minds that the 
wisdom of this world is foolishness with
 ,god4 7,i ,co4 #c1ai74  ,,john         
,,cameron1 ,bishop of ,arichat4         
,,memoir  ,,of  ,,father ,,vincent4     
,some account of what befel ,father     
,vincent de ,paul1 ,religious of ,la    
,trappe1 with observations made by him  
when in ,america1 where he has spent    
about ten years1 with the permission of 
his ,superior1 in obedience to whose    
orders he writes the following3  ,the   
reverend ,father ,abbot1 of ,la ,trappe1
 ,dom ,augustin1 7,de ,lestrange7       

foreseeing that ,bonaparte would seek to
 destroy the communities existing in    
,europe1 resolved on sending a party of 
his religious to ,america1 in order that
 they might establish themselves there  
and preserve their monastic state4  ,in 
#ahab1 ,i1 in company with two other    
brothers1 was sent by him to the ,united
 ,states1 there to found an             
establishment of our ,order4 ,we left   
,bordeaux on the #aeth ,june1 and on the
 #fth of the month of ,august we arrived
 at ,boston4 ,we had with us one of our 
,trappistines1 whose object was also to 
found a community2 with this intention  
she had preceded her companions1 but now
 found herself alone1 as passports were 
refused to the other sisters4 ,we were  
welcomed by the worthy ,mr4 ,matignon1  
parish priest of the town1 who coaxed us
 to remain in the diocese of ,bishop    
,cheverus4 ,however as we had received  
orders to establish ourselves near      
,baltimore1 after a few days rest ,i    
started for that town alone1 leaving my 

brothers and the nun in ,boston1        
intending to send for them when ,i      
should find a suitable site for the two 
projected establishments4 ,i paid my    
respects to ,his ,grace the ,archbishop 
of ,baltimore1 who received me kindly1  
but appeared at a loss where to find a  
site such as we desired4 ,after many    
unsuccessful efforts and researches1 he 
established me temporally on a farm     
belonging to the ,society of ,jesus 7of 
which he was a member7 until such time  
as we could procure the sort of place we
 wanted2 then as ,i thought that time   
might be long in coming1 ,i summoned my 
brothers to me1 and arranged for a      
suitable lodging for the nun4  ,during  
our stay1 a rich man of ,baltimore1 who 
was once a ,protestant and had been     
converted1 offered us #bjjj acres of    
land in the mountains of ,pensylvania1  
near a river called the ,delaware4 ,he  
was even generous enough to offer me the
 services of his son1 who was also a    
recent convert1 and who came with us to 

point out the property which1 however1  
,i was not able to inspect thoroughly as
 ,i remained there only one day4  ,i    
returned soon after with two young men  
who were inclined to join our ,order4   
,they commenced a somewhat rude         
novitiate1 for we fasted and kept       
silence on the way1 going always on foot
 for want of money4 ,after great        
suffering from fatigue and heat 7as it  
was summer71 we arrived at a little     
town1 distant about sixty miles from    
,philadelphia1 whence we had started on 
our tour of inspection4 ,this little    
town1 which was called ,milford1 was    
quite near to the land that was to be   
ours4  ,on the way we passed through    
many ,protestant villages whose         
inhabitants appeared to be anxious for  
the light of the true faith1 and this   
budding town of ,milford did not look   
askance at us1 as almost all of its     
inhabitants came to mass on ,sunday4    
,after mass one of the young men        
aforementioned1 who knew ,english well1 

expounded the catechism to them1 and    
they listened with attention4 ,the      
,protestant minister came afterwards to 
preach1 but we were told that none of   
the people went to hear him which       
without doubt annoyed him greatly4 ,one 
of the principal men of the place1 a    
,protestant1 as indeed they were all1   
begged me to remain with them1 saying   
that they would subscribe me a pension1 
and that he would head the list with the
 sum of fifty dollars4 ,but we had not  
come to this country to be missionaries1
 so we left ,milford to go and inspect  
our land4  ,travelling through these    
immense and trackless forests was very  
difficult1 and we often went astray4    
,one day when ,i was alone with a child 
who served me in the capacity of guide1 
we were greatly puzzled4 ,we wished to  
find a little hut that we had built in  
the woods in which to sleep2 nightfall  
was coming on1 and there seemed no      
chance of finding our camp before       
sundown4 ,i said to the child3 here is a

 low1 flat rock1 on which ,i will spend 
the night4 ,he replied that if ,i       
remained there ,i should be devoured by 
the bears1 of which there were a great  
number on these mountains2 we had       
already heard their cries and hideous   
howlings4 ,at length1 thanks be to ,god1
 we found the cabin1 which was not a    
very safe refuge for us1 as it was only 
a little hut built of young trees4 ,the 
two novices and ,i slept there like     
,indians1 either on the bare ground or  
on couches formed by heaps of the       
branches of trees4  ,having no          
provisions with us we were obliged for  
the first few days to eat what we could 
find in the woods1 such as certain      
little blue berries that they call      
bluets1 and other wild fruits1 which the
 people of the country despise4 ,on the 
third or fourth day help came4 ,a ,jew  
and a ,protestant appeared on the scene1
 bringing us potatoes4 ,this ,jew showed
 a leaning towards our religion1 and the
 ,sunday previous ,i had said mass in   

his house4 ,i do not doubt that if we   
had remained longer with these people   
many would have been converted4 ,there  
was one entire family1 of father1 mother
 and three children1 whom ,i had        
instructed1 and who were to receive     
baptism and embrace the ,catholic       
religion4 ,unfortunately the woman was  
the victim of evil counsel at ,milford1 
and was deterred from her good purpose4 
,there were many people in ,milford who 
were bitter enemies to the truth4  ,i   
often said mass in our cabin4 ,one day  
we made a cross and carried it in       
procession for nearly a mile3 we sang   
psalms1 and part of the way went        
barefoot1 until we reached the spot     
where we planted the cross1 which was   
our consolation and our safeguard1 as   
there were in this desert a great number
 of rattlesnakes and other reptiles no  
less dangerous4 ,when we left our       
retreat we would sometimes step upon    
them and would hear the noise that these
 serpents make with their rattles4  ,at 

last having walked over a great portion 
of these two thousand acres of land     
during the two weeks that we spent      
there1 we left these solitudes and went 
down to ,philadelphia4 ,footnote3 ,it   
was not deemed advisable to accept this 
property1 it being almost entirely rock 
or marsh land4 ,besides which it was not
 suitable for one of our establishments1
 communication with other places being  
too difficult4  ,upon arriving at the   
town ,i told the ,bishop how            
well-disposed were the people whom we   
had seen1 and suggested to him to send  
some missionaries there1 but he told me 
that he had none to send4 ,if ,i had    
been free ,i would have returned at once
 to labor for the conversion of these   
poor people4  ,after a year of crosses  
and difficulties in the way of our      
discovering a suitable and convenient   
place for our establishment1 we found   
ourselves in ,maryland1 an excellent    
province1 producing all the necessaries 
of life in abundance4 ,it is near the   

sea1 and near to the ,potoxen1 and not  
far from the ,potomac1 two great rivers 
that add to its commercial advantages   
and render it more flourishing4 ,we     
thought we had at last found the country
 in which to succeed in establishing our
 foundation4 ,i consulted ,his ,grace   
the ,archbishop of ,baltimore1 and the  
reverend gentlemen of the seminary of   
,st4 ,sulpice1 and in accordance with   
their advice1 ,i decided to go there and
 commence the work4 ,three more brothers
 sent from ,france by our ,reverend     
,father ,abbot1 arrived at this juncture
 and joined us4 ,we bought the land and 
set ourselves to work to cultivate it4  
,we built a house for ourselves1 which  
consisted of trees placed one upon      
another--what is called in this country 
a loghouse4 ,it was small1 being only   
eighteen feet long1 and as many wide4   
,we shortly commenced another which     
would serve as a chapel4 ,the negroes of
 the country--who are all               
,catholics--gave us a helping hand in   

this work ,on arriving here we found    
lodgings in a private house near our    
clearing1 in which we remained until our
 loghouse was fit to receive us4        
,maryland produces an abundance of      
,indian corn1 the cultivation of which  
is the chief work of the negroes4 ,we   
subsisted almost entirely upon this     
food1 with potatoes and occasionally    
bread2 wheat1 however1 and buckwheat    
grow very well4 ,we arrived there at the
 beginning of the year #ahac1 and during
 the winter we were occupied in cutting 
down trees and preparing the land for   
work in the spring1 so that when that   
season arrived we had an acre and a half
 of land under cultivation4 ,part of    
this we planted with potatoes1 another  
part was a garden where we sowed        
different vegetables1 and we also laid  
out an orchard of young fruit trees4 ,so
 far everything looked well1 but when   
summer came1 and while we were working  
most zealously we all fell ill with     
fever1 and many of us were attacked with

 dysentery4 ,i attribute these maladies 
to many causes1--first to the miasma or 
poisonous vapors exhaled from newly     
cleared land1 then to the great heat and
 the bad water that we had to drink1    
which1 though it had been pure enough in
 the winter and spring1 had become bad  
by reason of a multitude of little      
insects that were perpetually drowning  
themselves in it4 ,another reason that  
contributed to render us ill was the    
number of different sorts of flies by   
which we were devoured day and night4   
,there were among others two species of 
flies which in this country they call   
tics4 ,some of them are large1 others   
are small1 they fasten themselves to the
 skin and so penetrate into the flesh   
that one can only remove them by pulling
 them to pieces1 even then a part       
remains and causes an insupportable     
itching4  ,we were dying one after      
another in this place when our ,rev4    
,father ,abbot on his way from          
,martinique1 with several religious1    

arrived at ,new ,york4 ,he summoned our 
community to him1 as well as that of the
 ,rev4 ,father ,urbain1 which a short   
time previously had united with ours1 so
 that these three little communities now
 formed but one1 under our chief        
,superior1 who thus in a moment effected
 a foundation such as we had spent years
 of fruitless effort endeavoring to     
establish4 ,our new monastery was       
established in the country near ,new    
,york1 and did much good4 ,thirty-three 
poor children 7almost all of them       
orphans7 were brought up there1 and were
 given all the necessaries of life1 even
 to their clothes4 ,protestants came to 
see the good work and two ministers were
 converted4 ,these gentlemen came       
sometimes to see us1 and assisted at our
 religious ceremonies4 ,they liked to   
converse with our ,reverend ,father     
,abbot1 who won them by his frank and   
polite manner4 ,in addition to the work 
of this monastery1 our ,reverend ,father
 ,abbot supported and directed another  

house of our ,order which he had also   
founded1 and which was productive of    
much good4 ,this was a community of     
nuns4 ,there was yet another convent1   
one belonging to the ,ursulines quite   
near1 that is to say about three or four
 miles from our monastery1 which our    
community supplied with a chaplain4 ,i  
was obliged to go there every ,sunday to
 say mass and to confess the nuns4 ,when
 we arrived in their neighborhood they  
were without a priest2 we could not     
leave them in such need1 so that ,i1 ill
 though ,i was1 had to say two masses on
 ,sundays1 one in the church of the     
,ursulines1 the other in that of our    
sisters4 ,however1 this was to me a     
cause of rejoicing1 although ,i was     
fatigued after my voyages and           
overwhelmed by the work with which ,i   
was charged1 ,i was compensated and     
consoled by the good that ,i could be   
the means of doing4 ,i remember having  
received the abjuration of              
,protestantism of three young ladies who

 were boarders at the ,ursuline         
,convent1 and who had the happiness of  
becoming ,catholics4  ,although we were 
in a ,protestant country1 our ,reverend 
,father ,abbot undertook to have the    
procession of the ,blessed ,sacrament on
 the festival of ,corpus ,christi1      
thinking it might do some good4 ,he had 
several repositories built in a field   
adjoining our house1 these he decorated 
in the best style possible and managed  
to have a canopy and boys to swing      
censors and others to throw flowers     
before the ,blessed ,sacrament4 ,when   
the time for the procession arrived we  
saw our ,reverend ,father bearing ,jesus
 ,christ in his hands and walking under 
the dais borne by four religious in     
dalmatics accompanied by the community  
and by several strangers singing hymns  
and canticles4 ,numbers of children     
preceeded the ,blessed ,sacrament1      
exercising the solemn functions which   
had been allotted to them4 ,this        
infantine band1 clad in white surplices 

girded with different colors1 resembled 
angels and presented a spectacle at once
 beautiful and edifying to the beholder4
 ,the ,protestants who were present     
appeared to be much pleased with the    
procession4  ,our ,reverend ,father     
,abbot wished with all his heart to be  
able to continue the good work thus     
commenced1 but he was obliged to abandon
 it for want of pecuniary means1 and    
perhaps also because of the ill-will of 
many who offered opposition to his      
projects2 besides which ,king ,louis    
,,xviii had been restored to the throne 
of ,france1 and religion was being      
re-established in that country4 ,almost 
all our brothers were dispersed here and
 there throughout ,europe1 and it would 
be necessary to reunite them4           
,persuaded1 besides1 that he would      
receive more help in ,france than in the
 ,united ,states1 and in short1         
reflecting that there would perhaps be  
more good to be done yet in the old     
world than in the new1 7the ,revolution 

having been the cause of such wickedness
 and having done so much harm7 our      
,father ,abbot decided that he and his  
community would return to ,france4 ,he  
embarked in the autumn of #ahad1 and    
took with him from ,new ,york the       
greater number of our ,brothers and all 
our ,sisters1 leaving only six ,brothers
 and myself behind1 with orders that we 
should join him in ,france after ,i had 
arranged our business matters and       
recovered my strength1 for ,i had still 
within me the germ of that malady of    
which mention has been made in speaking 
of ,maryland where ,i contracted it1 as 
did the others4 ,it left me with a slow 
fever1 that lasted for a long time4  ,at
 this junction two of our ,brothers     
died1 a lay ,brother and an oblate4     
,this latter had been almost a          
millionaire he having acquired a large  
fortune in the ,west ,india ,islands2 he
 lost it1 however1 in the negro         
rebellion1 and retired to ,la ,trappe1  
where he died poor enough4  ,belonging  

to the house in which we were living was
 an orchard which we had made our       
cemetery1 here we had buried our two    
brothers2 but1 as we were going to leave
 this spot and did not wish to expose   
their bodies to be perhaps profaned by  
heretics who might buy the ground and   
not wish to have them there1 we         
determined to exhume them4 ,they had    
been buried about a fortnight1 and the  
weather was warm1 so we provided        
ourselves with incense to burn in case  
there might be a foul odour4 ,this      
precaution1 however1 was not necessary1 
as there was no smell perceptible1 they 
were as fresh1 so to speak1 as if they  
were still alive4 ,we remarked          
especially that the body of ,brother    
,jean ,marie1 7the lay ,brother7 was    
supple4 ,i touched it myself1 and saw   
that it was really so1 for while ,i held
 him his legs swayed as would those of a
 person in life4  ,near the town there  
was a little cemetery well walled in1   
and intended for the poor4 ,as our      

brothers were poor in fact1 and by      
profession1 ,i had them laid there1 and 
in the same spirit of poverty interred  
them side by side in the same grave4 ,we
 accompanied these good brothers to the 
tomb1 offering our prayers for their    
repose1 and all was finished before     
daylight4  ,about the middle of the     
month of ,may1 #ahae1 our business being
 concluded1 we left ,new ,york1 and     
fifteen days later arrived at ,halifax1 
without having experienced bad weather4 
,after two week's delay in searching for
 another vessel1 we at length found one1
 and by means of the recommendation of  
,mr4 ,burke1 then pastor of the town1   
and since ,bishop1 we were taken on     
board with our seven trunks without     
being obliged to pay anything for our   
passage4 ,the ship was a transport      
called the ,ceylon1 and was delayed by  
contrary winds4 ,the second day after we
 embarked the wind still being from a   
wrong quarter1 ,i was stupid and        
imprudent enough to go ashore to see    

about some business that was not of     
grave importance--when lo6 the wind     
veered round suddenly and became        
favorable4 ,the ship sailed1 but        
,father1 ,vincent remained and lost his 
passage6  ,i thus found myself alone in 
a strange country1 and without means4 ,i
 made every effort to discover some way 
of overtaking the ship1 but in vain4 ,it
 was impossible to do so1 and ,i felt   
very sad at the thought of my brothers  
being carried so far away from me4  ,my 
,superior in ,france1 to whom ,i made   
known this event1 wrote to me that as   
,god had permitted it1 ,i could remain  
until farther orders1 and occupy myself 
with the salvation of the ,indians2 for 
which object ,i accordingly labored up  
to the time of my leaving ,nova ,scotia1
 that is to say up to the month of      
,october1 #ahbc4 ,these labors1 however1
 did not prevent my working for the good
 of our ,order1 as we shall see later4  
,mr4 ,bourke having gone to ,ireland1 we
 were only two priests for the town of  

,halifax and its suburbs1 where there   
were many ,catholics1 without counting  
the ,mic-macs1 who are the ,indians     
inhabiting ,nova ,scotia4 ,these        
,indians were called to the ,faith about
 four centuries ago4 ,french priests or 
,jesuits coming at the peril of their   
lives1 brought them the light of the    
,gospel4 ,many of these ministers of our
 ,lord fell victims of their own zeal   
and charity1 being murdered by this     
nation1 then pagan and barbarous4 ,since
 these ,indians became acquainted with  
the true religion they have never been  
known to conform to any other1 but have 
preserved their firmness in the faith up
 to the present day in spite of the     
danger of perversion to which they are  
so often exposed1 more especially since 
they have lived among the ,english1 and 
in spite of their ignorance1 for it is  
difficult to teach them4 ,their language
 which they call ,mic-mac1 is a jargon  
without rule4 ,they have been taught to 
read in it1 but only by means of        

hieroglyphics4 ,a figure or a sign which
 they write themselves on bark or on    
paper1 may sometimes signify only one   
word1 sometimes again it stands for a   
whole phrase4 ,some have thought they   
detected ,arab words amongst this       
language1 but ,i think it bears more    
resemblance to that of children just    
learning to speak without being able to 
understand what they say4 ,for example  
for the yes they say long-e 7ay72 for no
 they say mena4 ,the accent of the      
,mic-mac is soft and slow4 ,i have      
remarked that1 they do not convey their 
ideas well in any other language4 ,when 
one translates ,mic-mac for them into   
,french or ,english1 they often appear  
dissatisfied1 and one can see from their
 manner that the true sense is not      
given4 ,what renders their faith more   
remarkable and meritorious is1 that they
 confess through the medium of an       
interpreter1 and they avail themselves  
of the first they find1 no matter who1  
provided he knows their language4 ,they 

are often interpreted by their          
relatives1 even the oldest by the       
youngest4 ,mr4 ,mayar1 a ,french priest 
who was formerly missionary to these    
parts and who died in ,halifax full of  
merit before ,god1 was deeply regretted 
by these ,indians4 ,by means of great   
application1 and by the aid of light    
from heaven1 he accomplished the task of
 translating into their language a      
number of the prayers and chants of the 
church1 so that they now sing the       
,kyrie1 the ,gloria in ,excelsis1 the   
,credo1 c1 even the ,te ,deum1 on the   
,roman or ,parisian tone1 7for this     
worthy priest came from ,paris74 ,they  
know many hymns of the ,blessed ,virgin1
 which they sing equally well1 also the 
prose ,dies ,irae4 ,they sing mass      
fairly well1 especially the tone ,royal1
 and the mass for the dead4 ,some       
persons may be surprised at this1 and   
perhaps harbor a doubt of it1 but ,i can
 testify as a witness to its truth4     
,more than a hundred times they have    

sung it for me4 ,so recently as the     
month of ,august1 #ahbc1 ,i was in a    
parish called ,havre-a-,bouchers1 when  
twenty-six canoes filled with ,indians  
arrived there2 they came to have their  
children baptised1 and for confession1  
c4 ,there were eight singers among them1
 and during the week that they remained1
 they sang mass for me each day1 and one
 might say conducted themselves like    
canons or like ,trappists6 ,they have   
clear voices4 ,these poor ,indians might
 shame some of our ,european ,catholics 
by their zeal and their piety2 they will
 go fifty or even a hundred leagues to  
find a priest and to receive the        
,sacraments1 and as it often happens    
that they have no provisions when they  
arrive1 they pass two or three days     
without eating1 occupied only with their
 souls and forgetful of the wants of the
 body4  ,while in ,halifax1 which is the
 capital of ,nova ,scotia1 ,i found     
myself overladen with work4 ,the priest 
who was with me being in very delicate  

health and often indisposed1 most of the
 work fell to me4 ,he was at length     
obliged to go away for change of air and
 was absent for a month1 during which   
time it fell to me to baptize1 confess1 
marry1 visit the sick in town and       
country1 and be on my feet day and      
night1 besides saying mass on ,sundays  
and ,holy days4  ,although ,i knew very 
little ,english1 ,i preached twice in   
that language in the ,catholic church of
 the town1 where there were about two   
thousand ,catholics1 of whom the greater
 number were ,irish4  ,soon ,i felt     
constrained to go further into the      
,province of ,nova ,scotia to minister  
to the wants of the poor1 neglected     
inhabitants4 ,the first place to which  
,i went was a parish called             
,chezzetcook1 composed of ,french       
,acadians1 who were without a priest4   
,it is seven leagues from the town      
7,halifax7 and when it possessed a      
missionary the ,indians had been        
accustomed to go there4 ,they were not  

long in learning of my presence1 and    
came from a circuit of fifteen or twenty
 leagues4 ,i had a transparancy         
representing the suffering souls in     
purgatory1 which our ,revered ,father   
,abbot had made4 ,the figures expressing
 different shades of grief and of the   
desire as well as the hope of seeing    
,god1 combined with the brilliant and   
real looking flames1 were well          
calculated to produce an impression4 ,i 
showed it to them and explained it by   
means of one of their interpreters who  
knew ,french4 ,at once penetrated with  
compassion and charity for the suffering
 souls in purgatory they began to weep1 
and to look up the money they had with  
them so as to have the ,holy ,sacrifice 
offered on behalf of these suffering    
souls1 and that without my having said  
anything to give them the idea4 ,they   
all wear the cross1 some have it hung   
round their necks1 others fasten it on  
their breast4 ,it is seldom that an     
,indian leaves home without his beads2  

they generally have them and do not     
neglect to say them1 sometimes repeating
 the chapelet several times a day1 as   
well as in the middle of the night1 when
 they rise to pray4 ,they observe all   
the fasts of the ,church1 and the       
penances imposed on them they generally 
perform on ,fridays4 ,on that day in a  
spirit of penitence1 and in memory of   
the passion of ,jesus ,christ1 a man    
will hold out to his wife the backs of  
his hands1 which the wife strikes with a
 rod1 giving twenty1 thirty1 or fifty   
blows4 ,she then in turn presents her   
hands and receives the same chastisement
 from her husband4 ,this chastisement is
 dealt out indiscriminately1 children   
are thus chastized by their parents1 and
 what is surprising1 the little ,indians
 when struck on the hands do not        
withdraw them1 no matter how much they  
feel the pain4 ,i have seen them        
bleeding1 yet in spite of that they were
 firm and motionless4 ,their religion is
 not only exterior1 they have it in     

their heart as will be seen by the      
following fact3 ,the feast of ,st4 ,anne
 is a great festival for the ,indians1  
and ,i made a point of being at         
,chezzetcook on that day4 ,two hundred  
,indians assembled1 most of them came in
 a spirit of devotion1 but some of them 
had evil designs1 for they mediated     
killing their king and all his family4  
,i discovered this plot in time1 and    
learnt the cause with astonishment4 ,it 
was that they believed that the chief   
and all his family would change their   
religion1 that they had become          
,protestants1 or that they intended so  
to do4 ,this is how it came about4 ,some
 heretics called ,methodists1 had done  
all in their power to attract the king  
of the ,indians to their sect1 going so 
far as to give him all sorts of         
provisions1 and other valuables1 such as
 cows1 pigs1 farming implements1 c4 ,one
 of these ,methodists was sent among the
 ,indians to learn their language1 and  
so corrupt them more easily4 ,in this   

way the report got about that their     
,chief1 ,benjamin 7which was the name of
 the king7 had joined the ,methodists   
with all his family4 ,mr4 ,mignault1    
parish priest of ,halifax1 and myself   
knew this to be false1 for ,benjamin    
himself1 whom we had warned against the 
dangers that threatened him1 had        
replied3 ,the potatoes1 cows1 and the   
other provisions of ,bromlet 7which was 
the name of the ,methodist who had given
 him the things7 are good1 ,i have taken
 them and made use of them1 but his     
religion is worthless1 ,i will have none
 of it4  ,in consequence of this we     
assembled the ,indians in the church of 
,chezztecook1 which was not large enough
 to hold them all1 and we made the king 
repeat his profession of faith in their 
presence1 so that they should no longer 
doubt his sincerity4 ,he did this in a  
most edifying manner4 ,his example was  
followed by all his officers1 who also  
made their profession of faith4 ,we     
remarked in particular one of his       

brothers who was conspicuous by the     
touching beauty and eloquence of his    
speech1 and by the earnestness of the   
gestures which he employed4 ,some       
fragments of his discourse were rendered
 into our language by an ,acadian       
interpreter1 who understood ,mic-mac    
pretty well4  ,how1 said he1 could we   
leave our religion that will save our   
souls if we follow it1 this religion    
that comes from ,god1 whose son died on 
the cross for our salvation8 ,shall we  
lose our souls that have cost ,him so   
dear1 for which he suffered so much1 and
 which he shed all his blood to         
purchase8 ,no1 better die than change   
our faith and do such a great wrong4  ,i
 had written to ,mr4 ,mignault to come  
so as to render the affair more imposing
 and dignified1 and he arrived in good  
time4 ,he carried a large crucifix1     
which at the conclusion of the ceremony 
the ,indians came to venerate4 ,the     
missionary then said a few words of     
instruction1 after which the ,indians   

embraced each other as brothers and     
friends1 in token of general            
satisfaction and peace4 ,i heard all    
their confessions1 and a large number   
had the happiness of receiving ,holy    
,communion4 ,on the eve of ,st4 ,anne's 
feast1 they made a bonfire1 and while   
the wood burned they fired off guns and 
danced around the fire1 clapping their  
hands in imitation of musical           
instruments4 ,this lasted for a great   
part of the night1 however1 they had    
previously said their evening prayers1  
and sung hymns and canticles4  ,we can  
obtain almost anything from them in the 
name of our holy religion1 so great is  
their attachment to it1 as will be seen 
by the following3 ,one day while ,i was 
in ,halifax1 a number of ,indians came  
to the presbytery to complain to me of  
the ,governor who resided in the town4  
,they clamored for the guns and powder  
which had been promised to them1 and    
which they were accustomed to receive   
every year from the ,english ,government

 in addition to their gifts of woolen   
blankets4 ,the missionaries distributed1
 or saw to the distribution of these    
latter4 ,i was obliged to go myself to  
see the ,governor on the subject of this
 small rebellion1 for the ,indians wore 
a threatening air4 ,his ,excellency     
begged me to pacify them and to tell    
them that their demand would soon be    
granted4 ,i returned and said a few     
words in the name of religion1 which at 
once quieted them4  ,another time some  
barbarous and fanatical miscreants set a
 number of ,indians against us1 making  
them believe that we only drew them     
around us in order to do them harm1 and 
to emperil their safety4 ,this they     
apparently believed1 for we were warned 
that they would attempt our lives4 ,i   
spoke to them instructing them as well  
as ,i was able4 ,at last by the         
arguments of the religion to which they 
are so attached1 ,i turned them from    
their wicked purpose4 ,i am sure that   
afterwards they experienced a lively    

remorse for having entertained such a   
thought4 ,formerly1 that is to say1     
before priests came among them1 they had
 the barbarous custom of killing their  
fathers and mothers when they became old
 and infirm4 ,many of the bludgeons and 
war clubs with which they killed their  
parents have been found quite recently4 
,now1 however1 they take care of them   
until their death1 respecting and loving
 them4 ,it is thought that before they  
had any knowledge of religion they were 
cannibals4  ,how is it that this people 
who were formerly so unnatural and so   
barbarous are to-day so different1 so   
humane1 and quiet and tractible8 ,what  
has rendered them so docile and         
submissive2 in short1 what has worked   
this happy change if not the ,catholic  
religion8 ,protestants1 as we have shown
 above1 have tried to civilize them1 and
 to imbue them with different           
sentiments1 even going so far as to live
 among them and entering into their     
pursuits1 but their undertakings have   

always failed1 each attempt has met with
 the same result ,it is only the true   
religion and its priests that have power
 to convert and civilize these savages  
and make them useful members of society4
 ,each year they have masses said for   
different intentions1 and in this they  
give evidence of generosity and         
nobleness of sentiment4 ,the first mass 
that they recommend is for the human    
race1 that is for all men living2 the   
second is for the souls in purgatory2   
the third for all ,indians and others   
who have died during the year2 the      
fourth to thank ,god for all benefits   
received from ,his hand during the year1
 and the fifth to offer up to ,him the  
coming year so that he may bless it4    
,for this object they save their money1 
sometimes to the end of the year1       
sometimes to the feast of ,st4 ,anne1   
when they have an opportunity to come to
 their religious duties4 ,this1 however1
 does not prevent their having a special
 mass said1 should any of their near    

relatives die4 ,they generally recommend
 high masses for these general          
intentions1 and for thanksgiving4       
,before the ,french took possession of  
,nova ,scotia1 which they called        
,acadia1 the ,indians lived only by     
hunting and fishing1 and had no         
clothing1 but such as they made of the  
skins of wild beasts4 ,their houses were
 hut-like in form1 as they are at the   
present time1 for they have not changed 
their ancient manner of living4 ,i have 
often slept in their cabins1 which are  
very uncomfortable for civilized people1
 such as ,frenchmen1 although the       
,indians prefer them to our houses4 ,a  
proof of this is that1 notwithstanding  
the length of time they have lived among
 ,europeans1 they have not made up their
 mind to imitate them4 ,this may        
possibly arise from idleness1 for it    
would cost them much labor as well as   
time and money were they to erect houses
 such as ours4 ,they are not rich enough
 to employ workmen1 but in less than a  

day1 without expense and with little    
labor1 they can build the house in which
 they live1 sleep1 cook1 c41 and which  
is much less trouble for them4 ,they cut
 fifteen or twenty little trees of about
 the same size as the arm of a youth of 
fifteen4 ,from these they remove the    
branches1 if there be any1 and make them
 into posts of nine or ten feet in      
length4 ,they then plant them in the    
earth at equal distances1 in the form of
 a circle1 placing them so that they may
 incline inwards1 so that the base is   
much larger than the summit4 ,an opening
 is left at the apex sufficient to admit
 of the escape of the smoke from the    
fire1 which is always made in the middle
 of the cabin4 ,they then cover these   
poles with the bark of trees1 leaving an
 open space for the entrance4 ,if they  
are not too poor1 they cover this space 
with some pieces of old blankets4 ,their
 houses are built in the shape of a     
sugar loaf1 their bed is the naked      
earth1 or some small branches of trees1 

shreded fine1 that serve as a mattrass4 
,these cabins are never more than       
fifteen or twenty feet in diameter4     
,their cookery consists chiefly in      
suspending above their fire some eels or
 hares that they have killed4 ,these    
they eat almost before they have changed
 color1 7what the ,acadians term        
boucare74 ,there are some who have      
kettles1 and who cook their fish in     
water1 with potatoes1 which vegetable   
for some time past the ,indians of ,nova
 ,scotia have planted1 and which now    
forms almost their principle            
nourishment4 ,many have boats in which  
they go codfishing4 ,although they are  
generally rather idle1 they occupy      
themselves nevertheless at work which   
requires attention and a certain kind of
 application1 such as making pretty     
boats out of bark and pretty boxes of   
different shapes and colors1 and elegant
 and highly ornamented baskets4 ,for    
this ornamentation they use the quills  
of the porcupine1 an animal very common 

in ,america4 ,these quills they die     
black1 red1 blue1 c4 ,they make these   
colors themselves by means of certain   
barks which they boil in water4 ,they   
then fasten the colored quills on the   
bark of their boxes in tasteful and     
varied patterns4 ,this is generally     
considered to be women's work4 ,that of 
the men is heavier1 such as the making  
of churns and other wooden utensils for 
domestic use4 ,they tan the skins of the
 animals they kill and make their shoes 
or moccasins out of them4 ,these are    
very thin and do not last long4 ,as1    
regards their dress1 both men and women 
are oddly attired4 ,their clothes are   
fashioned somewhat after the manner of  
ours1 but the sewing is all on the      
outside and the stitches are very large4
 ,the selvedge of the cloth1 7which they
 are always careful to secure when      
buying it7 also shews on the outside1   
from their shoulders to their heels1 and
 is considered ornamental4 ,the squaws' 
dresses are similar1 with the addition  

of a hood1 which1 when turned up1       
completely covers their head4 ,the more 
elegant are ornamented with ribbons1    
flowers1 beads1 c4 ,it is more          
particularly when they come to their    
devotions that they decorate themselves 
thus4 ,the men also at such times dress 
themselves with more than usual care4   
,they live very peaceably together1     
willingly lend to each other1 and have  
almost everything in common4 ,if one    
receives a gift of anything1 bread for  
example1 all the others1 men and women1 
regard it as a present made to all1 and 
are as grateful as if each had received 
it1 consequently there is no such thing 
as jealousy among them4 ,a beautiful    
example for all ,christians6  ,we will  
now speak of their dexterity4 ,it is    
wonderful to see them manage their bark 
canoes1 which are extremely light4      
,these little boats are narrow at both  
ends1 a little wider in the middle1 and 
generally about nine or ten feet long4  
,they move with surprising quickness in 

the midst of the angry waves4 ,two      
persons are sufficient to propel them1  
and it can be done by one4 ,when fishing
 eels they stand at the end of their    
canoes and spear the eels with a long   
stick1 to the end of which is fastened a
 sharp pointed iron4 ,this instrument   
they call higogue4 ,they are so long    
sighted that they can see to the bottom1
 of water twenty feet in depth4 ,they   
wait until the fish rise1 then spear    
them as they go along4 ,their dexterity 
is such that they seldom miss their aim4
 ,i have often gone with them2 we have  
journeyed together by sea and by land4  
,when there are portages1 that is to say
 lands to cross1 in order to regain the 
sea or lakes1 they put their canoes on  
their heads and carry them to the water1
 and if they are overtaken by rain or by
 bad weather1 they turn them over and   
take shelter underneath them4  ,without 
counting the ,indians who in #ahah      
numbered many thousand souls in ,nova   
,scotia and in ,cape ,breton1 which     

,province alone1 is almost as large as  
,france1 there were at least twelve     
hundred and fifty ,catholic families    
scattered over these two large          
,provinces4 ,at that time we numbered   
only seven priests1 two of whom were    
very infirm1 which was the reason of my 
being obliged to leave the ,halifax     
mission and to repair to a place two    
hundred miles from there1 on the coast  
of the ,gulf of ,st4 ,lawrence1 and in  
the neighborhood of ,cape ,breton1 ,this
 part of ,nova ,scotia 7to which ,i was 
sent by ,bishop ,burke on his return    
from his visit to ,europe1 where he had 
been made ,bishop of ,sion and ,vicar   
,apostolic of this ,province71 was      
without a priest1 although it contained 
a great number of ,catholics4 ,on my    
arrival ,i found three parishes         
abandoned and deprived of the precious  
consolations of religion4 ,many children
 were brought to me for baptism1 and ,i 
had numerous confessions to hear1 c4    
,they came from great distances to take 

me to visit the sick who had ample time 
to die before ,i could get near them4   
,i was given especial charge of three   
parishes composed of ,acadians and of   
natives of ,france1 to whom the ,english
 ,government had given land1 and who    
still remain in this country4 ,the      
,acadian portion of my charge having    
intermarried with the ,indians1 had     
become half savage1 and had adopted many
 of the ,indian customs4 ,footnote3 ,le 
peuple ,acadien s'etant allie avec les  
,sauvages1 est devenu moitie ,sauvage1  
et a pris beaucoup de leurs manieres4   
,there is a tribe of the ,indians called
 ,micmacs in one of these three parishes
 that is named ,pomquet 7an ,indian     
word7 and ,i was in a position to       
observe them as they were only ten miles
 from ,tracadie1 which was my ordinary  
place of residence4 ,they there         
possessed a considerable property given 
to them by the ,government4 ,they       
cultivated it1 planted potatoes and cut 
hay4 ,when ,i arrived among them ,i     

found great disorder4 ,many had given   
themselves up to drunkeness1 and they   
were without a chief4 ,one day ,i       
assembled them together and spoke to    
them strongly about these matters4      
,since then ,i have seen with pleasure  
that they have not opposed me1 but that 
they have chosen among themselves a     
chief whom they obey1--not all of them  
unfortunately1 for there are some of    
them who are wicked and have always     
given me much trouble2 their love for   
brandy is their ruin4  ,i have often    
crossed an arm of the sea in order to   
visit other ,micmacs who live in ,cape  
,breton4 ,this ,cape is surrounded by   
little islands1 and there is there a    
lake seven leagues in length and five or
 six in width2 on which ,i was once     
shipwrecked4 ,we were two priests in a  
bark canoe1 paddled by two ,indians1 and
 were carrying the consolations of      
religion to many families of ,indians   
who lived on the other side at the foot 
of a mountain4 ,a storm suddenly arose1 

a long stick1 which served as a mast and
 carried a sail1 was broken1 and during 
the two hours that the bad weather      
continued1 we momentarily expected to be
 engulfed by the immense waves that rose
 like hills and fell1 breaking against  
our feeble bark1 although the pilot     
endeavored to avoid them as much as     
possible1 while the other ,indian tried 
to break their force by means of his    
paddle4 ,one of these ,indians1 the     
elder of the two1 and the more          
experienced1 trembled1 fearing every    
moment that we should be lost1 and he   
was not so afraid for us as we were for 
ourselves4 ,however1 thanks to          
,providence1 and to the wood of the     
,true ,cross that ,i had with me1 we    
were delivered from danger1 and arrived 
safely in port4  ,we found a new        
plantation made by the ,indians1 that is
 to say1 some tracts of cultivated land1
 some animals and some frames of houses4
 ,the ,indians received us with great   
joy1 especially when they learned that  

we were two priests who came to visit   
them2 but in nearing their habitations  
we were exposed to great danger from the
 horns of a bull that was ferocious and 
was in the habit of rushing at passers  
by4 ,god delivered us from this peril   
also1 although the animal in question   
was quite near to us4  ,these ,indians  
set before us for our supper1 tea1 milk1
 butter1 potatoes and some fruit that   
resembled small apples 7petites pommes74
 ,we were hungry and tired4 ,we ate with
 good appetites1 and were anxious to    
retire for the night4 ,but what beds6   
,appropriate truly for a ,trappist4     
,they were made of grass and of branches
 of trees thrown on the ground4 ,and    
what a house6 ,it had no chimney and    
scarcely any roof1 so that we were all  
night exposed to the snow and rain which
 was falling4 ,my companion who was     
suffering from lung complaint was       
injured by this1 while for my part1 ,i  
shivered all night and could not get    
warm1 although quite near to a fire that

 had been kindled in the centre of the  
cabin4  ,the next morning we rose before
 daybreak and baptized several ,micmac  
children1 7for these ,indians were of   
the same nation as those of ,nova       
,scotia7 and confessed others4 ,after   
that we prepared to re-cross the lake1  
which was not easy1 as the sea was still
 very high4  ,another time that ,i      
started on a mission to this same ,cape 
7,breton7 the ,indians who conducted me 
in a canoe perceived three monstrous    
fish called maraches1 and they were     
frightened1 as these fish are very      
dangerous4 ,their teeth are made like   
gardiners' knives1 for cutting and      
boring1 or like razors slightly bent4   
,they are extremely voracious1 and often
 follow boats1 attacking them with      
violence4 ,bark canoes cannot resist    
them1 they rend them open with their    
teeth1 so that they sink to the bottom1 
which is why the ,indians have such a   
terror of them4 ,happily for us these   
fish did not follow us1 we arrived1     

thank ,god1 in good health4  ,tracadie  
was usually my starting place when ,i   
left for the ,indian mission of ,cape   
,breton4 ,i had from eighteen to twenty 
leagues to journey by water1 making long
 circuits and paddling round twelve or  
fifteen little islands1 and passing near
 many others4 ,nevertheless it only     
takes one day to make the journey in a  
bark canoe1 that is if the wind be not  
contrary4 ,the ,micmacs of the ,cape    
7,breton7 knowing that ,i was on the    
road and would soon arrive at the       
mission ,footnote3 ,this place is called
 ,mission or ,the ,mission of the ,bras 
d'or1 because it is there that the      
missionaries are accustomed to confess1 
baptize and administer the ,sacraments  
to the ,indians1 and to those who       
present themselves to receive them4 ,it 
is a pretty little island on which they 
have built a nice chapel1 and a house   
sufficiently commodious for the priest4 
would all gather there to the number of 
five or six hundred4 ,on the occasion   

referred to above1 three canoes came to 
meet us4 7,i was then accompanied by    
another missionary74 ,this was to do    
honor to us1 to show respect and        
gratitude4 ,when we approached near to  
the island two of these canoes were sent
 on ahead to announce to the king that  
we would arrive immediately1 ,the king  
had all his braves armed 7for they all  
have guns7 and the moment we landed he  
commanded them to fire1 after which he  
formed them into two lines and made them
 kneel to receive our benediction2 they 
then rose and we passed between them4   
,they accompanied us to the church where
 we chanted the ,te ,deum1 or rather it 
was chanted by themselves in            
thanksgiving for our arrival4 ,this is  
about the ordinary ceremony to honor the
 arrival of a missionary4 ,when the     
mission was opened1 after having        
implored the light of the ,holy ,spirit1
 they all confessed1 and a great number 
received ,holy ,communion4 ,i made the  
,stations of the ,cross partly in their 

own ,micmac language4 ,i know that they 
understood me by the signs that they    
made1 as well as by their devout        
appearance in following the procession4 
,afterwards each one came to make the   
,stations himself the best way he could4
 ,this went on for six days1 during     
which time ,i left the pictures of the  
,stations in the church4 ,i put a high  
indulgence on their crosses1 crucifixes1
 beads1 c41 by virtue of a power that ,i
 received from ,rome since ,i came on   
this mission4 ,some ,indians had given  
bad example and had openly sinned2 these
 made public reparation1 promising to   
correct themselves and praying the king1
 who was present in the church1 to      
punish them1 if they again fell into the
 same fault4 ,i was obliged to leave1   
and had not time to erect fourteen large
 crosses which ,i had intended to place 
in the middle of the island to serve as 
a ,calvary4 ,they1 themselves1 made     
three crosses1 probably by this time    
they have set them up 7as ,i instructed 

them how to do7 before leaving4  ,the   
,cape ,breton ,indians are the best of  
all the ,micmacs1 they are sober1       
obedient to their priests1 exact in the 
observance of the smallest articles of  
religion 7if indeed there be any small74
 ,it is true that they are ignorant1 but
 this is pardonable in them because of  
the difficulty of their language4 ,one  
day ,i had given ,communion to an old   
squaw who was ill4 ,they were all       
alarmed as she was not fasting when she 
received2 they thought that both the    
priest and the squaw had been guilty of 
great disrespect to the ,blessed        
,sacrament4 ,in order to quiet them1 ,i 
said to them in ,micmac3 ,kijidou1 which
 means3 ,be easy1 there is no harm in   
that1 it is permitted1 ,i know what ,i  
have to do4 ,immediately they looked at 
each other and smiled1 their consciences
 at rest4 ,the missionary who was with  
me once said to them3 ,i want you to    
make me a road in the woods one or two  
miles long4 ,the next day1 very early in

 the morning1 one or two hundred        
,indians1 each armed with a hatchet1    
began to cut down the trees1 and at the 
close of the day the road was finished4 
,this incident alone will serve to      
illustrate their good will and devotion4
  ,during the five years and a half in  
which ,i worked at the holy ministry in 
this second mission1 ,i had consolations
 and ,god delivered me from many dangers
 besides those of which ,i have spoken4 
,one winter when ,i went to one of the  
three ,acadian parishes to hold a       
mission there1 ,i fell between two large
 cakes of very thick ice2 this was on   
the sea1 for every winter in this part  
of the world the water freezes          
sufficiently to allow a man and even a  
horse and sleigh to pass over it4 ,a    
young man with whom ,i was travelling1  
came to my assistance1 and by his help1 
but more by the help of ,god1 ,i drew   
myself out4 ,i was safe1 but very wet   
and benumbed with cold4 ,some days after
 ,i was seized with a violent sore      

throat1 which ,i attributed to the      
accident that had happened to me a short
 time previously4 ,many times ,i have   
been on foot and on horseback night and 
day1 going on sick calls in the most    
severe weather4 ,i have walked upon the 
frozen sea on one day1 and have passed  
the same place on the day following and 
seen that it would not then bear me1 and
 should ,i have attempted to cross it   
then1 ,i would have perished4 ,when the 
navigation was open1 almost all the     
journeys rendered necessary1 by the     
wants of my people1 ,i made by sea1     
sometimes going in a boat1 sometimes in 
a larger vessel4 ,besides the general   
risk that one always runs on this       
perfidious element1 ,i have often       
experienced bad weather and long and    
perilous passages1 but the ,lord has    
preserved me in the midst of the waters4
 ,i must not omit to mention a most     
critical moment when ,monseigneur       
,plessis1 ,bishop of ,quebec1 with      
several other priests and myself were in

 danger of losing our lives in #ahae1   
while going by sea to ,chezzetcook1 a   
parish situated twenty-one miles from   
,halifax1 and of which ,i have already  
spoken4 ,monseigneur1 two priests and   
myself1 were in the same boat1 we had   
just quitted a long boat that had       
brought us from the town to the harbor4 
,we were about landing1 but had still   
some breakers to avoid4 ,two totally    
unexperienced young ,englishmen who were
 rowing us led us suddenly into grave   
danger4 ,the sea rose very high1 and we 
found ourselves crossing the breakers1  
so that we momentarily expected to have 
our boat upset and ourselves sent head  
over heels into the midst of the waters4
 ,all who saw us1 or knew of our        
situation1 thought that we ran the      
greatest risk2 but we held on1 thanks to
 ,providence1 who arranges all1 and     
nothing was lost but my hat1 which was  
struck by a breaker and carried into the
 sea4 ,not only has divine ,providence  
often delivered me in like dangers that 

,i can call to mind1 but also we were   
protected in the tempest which we       
experienced in the beginning of         
,december1 #ahbc1 when we were coming   
from ,america to ,france4 ,if ,i have   
been exposed to danger on the sea1 ,i   
have also on land1 but ,god made the    
elements2 ,he dwells therein1 ,he is    
their master4 ,i have fallen three times
 from the back of a horse1 at great risk
 of being killed or of breaking a limb1 
and ,i have twice been robbed by thieves
 who broke into the house in which ,i   
usually resided2 they took the little   
money ,i had1 my clothes1 etc41 but ,i  
was absent from home when they executed 
their evil deed4 ,god permitted it1 may 
,his holy name be blessed6  ,there are  
in the parish of ,tracadie and its      
environs twenty or thirty-six families  
of negroes1 of whom the greater number  
are ,protestants4 ,besides being        
heretics they are rascals1 given to all 
kinds of vice4 ,i have often visited    
them1 and upon every occasion that      

offered1 tried to instruct them in spite
 of the danger that ,i ran of being     
ill-treated and perhaps killed by them1 
for there are some among them who are   
bad at heart and capable of evil deeds4 
,i had some experience of this when ,i  
lived near them4  ,recently one of these
 negroes1 remarkable among the others   
for his age and his pretended learning1 
fell ill4 ,i went to see him thinking   
that my visit would not displease him4  
,there were a number of blacks round his
 bed1 who were singing hymns and        
praying4 ,they offered me a chair4 ,i   
seated myself near the sick man and     
commenced to speak to him of death1 of  
judgment and of the truth faith1 of the 
only true religion in which we can save 
ourselves4 ,finally ,i said to him that 
he would be dammed if he died in his    
false belief4 ,at these words the other 
negroes turned on me with fury2 by their
 animated features1 by their eyes       
flashing with anger1 and by their       
horrible cries1 ,i knew that ,i was not 

safe with them1 and that ,i could do no 
good there1 so ,i left the house4 ,they 
followed me1 crying out against the     
priests4 ,a young ecclesiastic who      
accompanied me was very frightened1 and 
,i myself expected to be assaulted by   
them4 ,there was one in particular more 
enraged than the others1 and who        
screamed most loudly4 ,he said that if a
 hundred or a thousand priests should   
speak to him of religion he would not   
believe one of them4 ,i returned there  
some days afterwards with another priest
 who was conversant with ,english 7for  
the sick man could not speak ,french74  
,after some hours conversation with the 
missionary1 the sick man asked him if he
 would come to him again when he sent   
for him4 ,soon after this ,i left the   
country1 but ,i have reason to think    
that he sent for me4 ,i do not know what
 is the result for his soul1 whether he 
is converted or whether he remains in   
error1 for the above incident occurred  
just before my return to ,france4       

,during the five years and a half that  
,i have spent at ,tracadie1 which is in 
,nova ,scotia1 ,i have had the          
consolation of seeing four or five      
families of these ,protestant negroes   
embrace the ,catholic religion4 ,many   
other persons also of different nations 
and sects have changed their faith1 to  
the great edification of the children of
 the true ,church4  ,it has been found  
necessary to build new churches and to  
enlarge others1 to enable them to hold  
their congregations1 which have so      
increased in number1 either by          
conversions1 by the multiplying of the  
old ,catholic families1 or by the number
 of strangers who came every day to     
settle in this country1 and who bring   
the true faith with them4 ,for some time
 ,i was the only missionary there1 and  
obliged to traverse forty or fifty      
leagues by land and by sea4 ,i found    
every where colonies who were ,catholic1
 as well as many persons who were not4  
,if some zealous priests would go to    

carry spiritual help to all these people
 who are in a measure abandoned1 they   
would perform a great act of charity and
 win much merit2 but they must be       
prepared to suffer many miseries1       
hunger1 cold1 persecution1 poverty1 c1  
and to risk their lives often both on   
land and sea4 ,the principal nourishment
 of the people of the country consists  
of potatoes and salt meat1 water or     
spruce beer 7biere de ,pruche7 is their 
ordinary drink4 ,they love rum which is 
common enough1 and is not expensive--   
but on the other hand it is dangerous   
and unhealthful to soul and body4 ,a    
very small quantity of this liquor will 
make a man lose his reason1 and quite   
inebriate him4 ,it is this unhappy and  
deadly drink that ruins the ,indians in 
this country as in all others4  ,the    
climate of ,nova ,scotia and of ,cape   
,breton is very cold during the winter  
7which lasts six months71 and sometimes 
very hot in summer4 ,from time to time  
we hear of persons having their hands   

and feet frozen1 and even parts of their
 faces4 ,i myself have seen many who    
were obliged to have their hands or feet
 amputated1 they having mortified from  
the effects of the cold4 ,another danger
 that one has to face is that of being  
surrounded by the snow when it is       
drifted by the wind1 as sometimes       
happens on the ,alps1 on the side of    
,mont ,cenis and ,simplon4 ,this is what
 is called a snow storm4 ,in these      
eddies of snow one cannot see the road  
on which to travel1 not even a house    
fifteen feet distant ,the snow1 driven  
with force by the wind1 fills your eyes1
 nostrils and mouth1 and prevents you   
from breathing1 so that you are really  
in danger of perishing4 ,every winter a 
tremendous quantity of snow falls1 so   
that one is obliged to use snow-shoes in
 order to travel4 ,in spite of all these
 drawbacks it is a healthy country1 and 
one which produces all necessary grain  
and vegetables1 such as wheat1 bearded  
wheat1 rye1 kidney beans1 beans1        

turnips1 cabbage1 potatoes1 c1 and even 
good fruit1 such as apples1 pears and   
plums4 ,as to the fruit1 in some        
townships it is very good1 in others it 
is small1 while as to vegetables1       
potatoes succeed the best4 ,these latter
 are very fine in ,nova ,scotia and in  
,cape ,breton4  ,a proof of the country 
not being a bad one is1 that every one  
lives well there4 ,strictly speaking1   
there are no poor1 for one never sees a 
beggar4 ,it has been remarked that those
 who work well1 and are rather          
industrious1 live in comfort1 without   
being exactly rich4 ,again1 the people  
have fish at their doors1 for living as 
they do near the sea and the lakes1 they
 can have all kinds1 such as herring1   
mackerel1 salmon1 eels and codfish in   
abundance4 ,it is true that the winter  
is long and severe1 but there is plenty 
of wood with which to keep warm4  ,a    
consideration that ought to overweigh   
all the troubles and dangers which have 
been mentioned1 is the great work that  

may be here done for religion among so  
many souls that are abandoned and given 
over to ignorance for want of priests to
 instruct them4 ,more particularly among
 the ,indian people1 who deserve that we
 should try to save them1 because of    
their good faith and fine natural       
character4 ,it occurred to me to group  
them into villages as soon as ,i got to 
know them well2 for that purpose ,i have
 bought a large tract of land near the  
sea1 there to form a religious          
establishment which will serve to       
civilize them and to make them still    
better ,christians4 ,they will establish
 themselves near us1 and we will be at  
hand to see them and to instruct them4  
,i have built a house on this land1     
hoping that the ,government or some     
charitable and generous soul will assist
 in erecting a chapel and some other    
buildings1 that we shall need1 in order 
to carry out our project1 and to effect 
the good that we hope for4 ,my ,superior
 consents1 and encourages me to return  

to ,america for this laudable           
undertaking1 and in order to work for   
the salvation of those ,indians who know
 not ,god1 such as the ,esquimaux4      
,these latter are a barbarous and       
cannibalistic people4 ,recently they    
made a descent on some ,european        
fisherman in the woods that they        
inhabit1 which are not far from the     
banks of ,newfoundland1 a little to the 
north4 ,the ,indians having let fly     
several arrows at the fishermen1 the    
latter replied by some shots from their 
guns4 ,one of the ,indians was killed1  
the others saved themselves by flight4  
,our fishermen seized a squaw who       
remained near the dead body of the      
,indian2 probably they had lived        
together1 and she regarded him as her   
husband4 ,she was taken to ,st ,john's  
,newfoundland1 and the ,governor having 
been notified gave orders to the        
merchants of the town to allow this     
,indian woman such wearing material as  
pleased her4 ,it was noticed that she   

fancied everything of the most gaudy    
description4 ,the colors1 red in        
particular1 pleased and delighted her1  
consequently the material she chose was 
principally red4 ,they prepared         
something for her to eat and offered her
 food which had been cooked2 she1       
however1 scorned that1 and seized upon a
 raw fowl which she devoured without    
removing the feathers4 ,a ,frenchman who
 was there and saw her1 told me that her
 nails and teeth were extremely long4   
,instead of keeping her among civilized 
beings1 she was taken to the woods where
 she had been found4 ,this was probably 
by order of the ,governor4 ,it is very  
difficult to civilize this kind of      
,indian4 ,they are very fierce1 and     
their language1 which is not the same as
 that of the ,micmacs1 seems to present 
great difficulties4 ,still these souls  
have been created by ,god and bought by 
,jesus ,christ1 and the more abandoned1 
and the further from the religion of    
heaven they seem to be1 so much the more

 do they call for our compassion4 ,we   
have succeeded in civilizing many       
barbarous nations and in rendering them 
,christian and ,catholic1 we may        
equally1 with the help of ,god1 bring   
others to the knowledge of the true     
religion1 and since pretended           
philosophers have abandoned the faith1  
it must1 according to the divine oracle1
 go to other men4 ,if this faith is     
extinguished for many1 who have deserved
 the misfortune in closing their eyes to
 its light1 it goes to others who will  
render themselves worthy by allowing    
this divine truth to enlighten them4    
,thus faith is never lost1 if it leaves 
us1 it is our own fault4  ,to return to 
our ,micmacs of ,nova ,scotia1--it does 
one good to reflect on what they were   
formerly and what they are now4         
,formerly they were ferocious idolaters1
 now they are gentle and they know the  
true ,god4 ,if the ,government had      
chosen to help us we could have done for
 the ,esquimaux what the early          

missionaries did for the people of which
 we speak2 and even these latter for    
whom we have worked would1 without      
doubt1 have become much more civilized4 
,we would have ventured to promise to   
make of them1 not only well instructed  
and perfect ,christians1 but also good  
laborers and good workmen1 in a word1   
good citizens who would be useful to    
society and not a burden to the ,state  
as they have hitherto been4 ,the way in 
which they have profited by the few     
lessons that they have received from us 
on agriculture is a proof of the success
 that we should have had4 ,we have      
worked with them and our example has    
encouraged them4 ,it is well that they  
know how to farm a little1 for instance1
 how to plant potatoes1 for the country 
is beginning to be populous1 and they do
 not find enough game to subsist upon1  
and there are times when they cannot    
fish4 ,it is then charitable as well as 
necessary to teach them to gain their   
livelihood in some other way4 ,but all  

that is only a small part of the good   
that we propose to do2 to work          
efficaciously at the saving of their    
souls1 to render them humble1 sober1    
industrious1 charitable1 c41 from       
religious principles which is the way by
 which we hope to complete and perfect  
the good work4 ,not having succeeded so 
far in making an establishment of any   
consequence1 by reason of want of means1
 we have contented ourselves with       
forming a little school for girls1 more 
especially for the young ,micmac squaws4
 ,this school is taught by three        
excellent women1 natives of the place1  
who live as religious of the third order
 of ,la ,trappe1 until such time as they
 can establish a house of the first     
order4 ,they have already gone through a
 year of novitiate at the convent of the
 ,ladies of the ,congregation of        
,montreal1 in ,canada1 which            
congregation was founded by ,sister     
,bourgeoys1 as one reads in the history 
of the discovery of that great country4 

,these three women are stationed in the 
parish of ,pomquete1 one of the three   
parishes with which ,i am especially    
charged1 and of which mention has been  
made at the beginning of this narrative4
 ,it is a good little parish1 composed  
of ,french people1 born most of them at 
,st ,malo1 ,dinan or ,grandville4 ,when 
,i left these poor people in order to   
return to ,france1 they were            
inconsolable1 fearing they would have no
 priest4 ,they called a meeting to      
discuss what they should do in the event
 of so sad a situation4 ,many were      
resolved to follow me with the hope of  
bringing me back1 or of returning with  
another priest4 ,all were agreed to pay 
the passage of the missionary who should
 come to them1 as well as to undertake  
to supply all that might be necessary   
for food or raiment while he should be  
with them4 ,one man named ,dominique    
,phillippar1 born in ,paris1 and a      
resident of ,pomquett for about thirty  
years1 was chosen for an important      

errand4 ,he was to accompany me to      
,france1 and to entreat the ,reverend   
,father ,abbot1 my ,superior1 that ,i or
 some other member of our ,order might  
return with him4 ,in case that could not
 be managed1 we were by his             
recommendation and through his          
instrumentality to address ourselves to 
the ,bishop1 asking for some zealous    
priests who were willing to consecrate  
themselves to the ,north ,american      
missions1 and to minister to people who 
had no spiritual help4 ,his place was   
secured in the ship that took me to     
,france1 but as he had not arrived from 
his parish when we set sail1 he lost his
 passage1 the ship having sailed a day  
earlier than was expected4 ,doubtless   
the good man experienced poignant       
regret4 ,he was ready to journey almost 
two thousand leagues 7including going   
and coming7 in order to get a priest4   
,this fact illustrates the faith and    
zeal for religion existing in the       
,catholics of these countries4 ,i hope  

that ,god who is often satisfied with   
our good will and who permitted this    
event1 will inspire some good           
ecclesiastics with the desire of going  
to the aid of these poor souls who so   
well deserve assistance4  ,when we      
arrived in ,america we found most       
,catholics well disposed4 ,their        
religion was obscured1 but they seemed  
to be impressed with the first          
invitations or instructions that we gave
 them2 of this they gave exterior proof1
 such as building churches1 erecting    
crosses on the roadside1 establishing   
,calvaries1 and making the way of the   
cross1 a devotion which touches the     
heart and bears excellent fruit4 ,i1    
myself1 have often been witness of the  
good effect produced by the ,stations1  
and it is not long since one of my      
parishoners who was given over to       
drunkenness was completely converted    
after assisting at this devotion4 ,he   
threw himself at my feet dissolved in   
tears1 made his confession1 and since   

that time he has always been extremely  
sober and filled with the fear of ,god4 
,i often make the ,stations in the      
different places where ,i go to hold    
missions1 and as ,i have remarked a     
change for the better in the manners and
 in the amusements1 the dancing1        
vanities1 c1 of the people1 ,i attribute
 it to the grace attached to the        
devotion of the way of the cross4       
,those who have resolved to go over to  
those countries will do well to procure 
the faculty for establishing this       
precious devotion everywhere4  ,ut in   
nomine ,jesu omne genu flectatur        
caelestium1 terrestrium et infernorum4  
,ad ,philippenses1 #b #aj4  ,at the name
 of ,jesus every knee shall bow1 whether
 in heaven1 or on earth1 or in hell4    
,footnote3 ,the ,procession of the most 
,holy ,sacrament made by the ,indians of
 ,cape ,breton and the ,bras d',or has  
not been mentioned in these pages1 as it
 took place since this narrative was    
written4          99       99       99  

99       99     ,,translator',s ,,note4 
,the foregoing very imperfect           
translation of ,father ,vincent de      
,paul's quaint narrative1 is published  
at the request of the leading clergy of 
,antigonish ,county1 that section of    
,eastern ,nova ,scotia in which the holy
 ,trappist so long lived and labored4   
,the original from which the translation
 was made1 was printed in ,france in the
 year #ahbd1 and1 as far as is known1 is
 the only copy in ,canada4 ,it was for  
many years lying perdu in the old       
convent of the ,trappistine ,sisters1 in
 ,tracadie1 ,nova ,scotia1 where it was 
discovered in the autumn of #ahhc4 ,it  
is interspersed with corrections and    
footnotes in the pious monk's own       
handwriting and was printed at a private
 press1 in the ,trappist ,monastery at  
,bellefontaine1 ,france4  ,father       
,vincent's labors were1 generally       
speaking1 confined to the district over 
which he presided1 but occasionally in  
cases of urgent need1 he would be sent  

for to administer the ,sacraments to the
 dying in ,prince ,edward ,island4 ,old 
,catholic residents along the northern  
and eastern shores of ,king's ,county1  
will tell how1 with ,father ,vincent    
seated in the prow1 the smallest boat   
would ride safely over an angry sea4    
,his apostolic zeal it was that kept the
 ,faith alive in ,eastern ,nova ,scotia1
 in the days when1 with the exception of
 a few ,french missions1 it lived only  
in the hearts of the poor ,micmac       
,indians4 ,before his death1 however1 he
 had the happiness of seeing the        
,catholic religion firmly rooted in the 
land he so loved1 by the arrival and    
establishment there of the loyal        
,highlanders1 who by their energy and   
perseverance have changed the desert    
through which ,father ,vincent made his 
perilous journeys into a beautiful and  
fertile country4  ,to the ,right ,rev4  
,dr4 ,cameron for his kindness in       
writing the preface1 to the ,rev4       
,clergy for their liberal patronage1 and

 to the ,trappistine ,sisters for the   
loan of the original copy of ,father    
,vincent's book1 are due the most       
grateful thanks of  ,,the ,,translator4 
,charlottetown1 ,p4,e4 ,island1 #ahth   
,june1 #ahhf4       ,transcriber's      
,note3 ,the words mattrass1 preceeded1  
shreded1 tractible1 and transparancy    
appear thus in our print copy2 also1    
,pomquet is variously spelled as        
,pomquet1 ,pomquett1 and ,pomquete2 we  
have retained these spellings as they   
appeared in the published work4