CHAPTER IV

The fifth day of September at length came ; a day big with the fate of the hunted and deceived Acadians ; a day, alas ! of mourning and of woe. When the time came to attend the meeting, there was a visible gloom on the faces of the young men ; and as party after party of their youthful comrades and friends came on (1), still the male inhabitants of the farm would excuse themselves from joining them, until it was no longer to be avoided.….

[110] The church or chapel, where they were to assemble, was situated about a mile from the shore, and rather over two from the farm. It was not an expensive building, but sufficiently large, and had been erected only since the time when their former one had been hewn down by some fanatics in their holy zeal, at a former irruption of the Goths from New England.

As none of the representatives of the potentates of the earth were accustomed in those days to appear without a long retinue of military in attendance, it excited no surprise, evenin this simple people, that the new commandingofficer| Colonel Winslow]should be drawn up at the door between double files of soldiers (2)... Four hundred and eighteen persons had now arrived, and finding no

(1) Cf. Evangeline, 1° partie, chant IV.

(2) Tbid., v. 425-426 :

Then came the guard from the ships, and marching proudly among them, Entered the sacred portal...

more appeared to be coming the commander-in-chief, havinga guard outside, advanced himself with his officers (the soldiers lining the wall) into the middle of the building ; where the congregation in breathless silence awaiting his communication, he delivered the following address (See Halliburion's Hétois of Nova Scotia, vol. I. p.176}.

[111] « GENTLEMEN. — I have received from Governor Lawrence the King's commission, which I have in my hand, and by his Orders you are convened together, to manifest to you his Majesty’s final resolution tothe French inhabitants of this his Majesty’s province of Nova Scotia, who, for more than halfa century, have had more indulgence granted them than any of his subjects in any part ofhis dominions. What use you have made of it, you best know. The part of duty I am now upon is very disagreeable {0 my natural make and temper, as 1 know it must be grievous to you who are ofthe same species. But it is not my business to animadvert but to obey orders, and his Majesty’s orders are — That your lands and tenements, cattle of all kinds, and live stock of all sorts, are forfeited to the crown, with all other of your effects, saving your money (he knew that they had none) and household OTE? and you yourselves are to be removed from this province.

Thusitis peremptorily his Majesty’s orders, thatthe whole French inhabitants of these districts be Nue and I am, through his Majesty’s goodness, directed to allow you liberty to carry off your money and as many household goods as you can, without discommoding the vessels you go in. I shall do everything in my power that whole families shall go inthe same vessels, and hope, in whatever part of the world you fall, you mag be faithful subjects and a peaceable and happy people.

Ï must also inform you that it is his Majesty’s will and pleasure that you remain under the direction and inspection of the troops I have the honor to command, and 1 now declare you the King's prisoners (1). »

(1) Comme on le voit, Longfellow a suivi de très près l’authentique proclamation de Winslow aux Acadiens réunis dans l’église de Grand-Pré, dont Haliburton ou Catherine Williams lui ont fourni le texte. Un détail, toutefois, nous confirme encore dans notre opinion que la source essentielle de la 1e partie d’'Evangéline n’a pas été l'Histoire de la Nouvelle- Ecosse d'Haliburton, comme on l’a dit jusqu'à maintenant, mais bien The Neutral French de Catherine Williams, — eux-mêmes, il est vrai, inspirés d'Haliburton. Il s’agit de la dernière phrase de la proclamation ci-dessus.

En effet, dans le texte original de la main de Winslow, la proclamation se termine ainsi :

€ 1 must also inform you, that it is his Majesty’s pleasure that you remain in

112] Had a thunderbolt fallen from heaven (2), it could not have paralysed the hearers more thanthisaddress. No language could do justice to the astonishment ofthe enraged and entrapped Acadians. At first they looked at each other with open mouths, as if not comprehending, or doubting the purport of the address. At length Louis the elder ventured to ask, « If they were to be carried to French ports ? » and was answered, « No; his

Majesty did not design to strengthen his enemies with such an aid ».

security under the inspection and direction of the troops that I have the honour to command. »

Haliburton termine bien sa proclamation après cette phrase, mais il la fait suivre de cette mention, ou de ce commentaire :

« And then he (c'est-à-dire Winslow) declared them the King's prisoners. »

Catherine Williams, reproduisant le texte authentique de la même proclamation dans son roman, incorpore cette dernière phrase d’Haliburton au texte qu'elle cite comme ci-dessus.

Or, Longfellow, qui résume l'essentiel de la proclamation (en conservant même la plupart des expressions de Winslow : « you are convened, to my natural make and temper, that your lands, etc. are forfeited to the crown, ever as faithful subjects, a happy and peaceable people... ») fait exactement de même: il incorpore à son tour à la proclamation la phrase d’'Haliburton :

Prisoners row I declare you ; for such is his Majesty's pleasure ! (v. 441).

Haliburton s'était soigneusement gardé de toute allusion à la responsabilité, au moins morale, de la couronne britannique dans l’affaire de Grand-Pré. Longfellow adopte délibérément la thèse de Catherine Williams, qui accuse tout au long de son livre le gouvernement de la Grande-Bretagne et le roi George II d’avoir ordonné cet odieux attentat au droit des gens :

« Itis useless», lit-on dans la préface des Français Neutres (p. vi), « at this time of day, to pretend that a few interested and avaricious individuals were alone culpable in the affairs of the Neutral French, for full proof even yet exists, that they did what was done by the authority of the English King, George the second, and under his hand and seal... »

Longfellow est aussi net (Cf. Evangeline, v. 431 et 441), et beaucoup de Britanniques ne le lui ont pas encore pardonné.

(2) A cette partie du récit, d’ailleurs, la rédaction de Longfellow et celle de Catherine Williams sont étrangement parallèles.

Aussitôt après avoir donné le texte de la proclamation, Catherine Williams écrit : « Had a thunderbolt fallen from heaven, etc... »

Aussitôt après ayoir donné le texte de la proclamation sous la même forme que Catherine Williams, Longfellow écrit à son tour :

As, when the air is serene in the sultry solstice of summer,

Suddenly gathers a storm...

So on the hearts of the people descended the words of the speaker.

Silent a moment they stood in speechlees wonder... L (Evangeline, v. 442-448.)

Les autres détails ne sont pas donnés dans le même ordre, ou subissent quel-

[114] By this lime the ire of Louis had attained a certain height, that threatened bad consequences, and, as he afterwards said, «ifhe had not given way to it, it must have choked him. » His face was scarlet, and his laboring chest heaved with the efforts he made to keep it down. But this last remark of the commander, and the manner in which it was uttered, was too much for him, and turning fiercely to him,he said. « And who are you, that are blood hound enough to engage in this business ? From what den of incarnate fiends were you let loose ? Of all the myrmidons of a tyrant (1) in this region, could not one be found to do his bidding ? »

« Silence, there ! Guards, seize him ! » vociferated the commander, and the arms of the unfortunate and enraged Louis were immediately pinioned to his side, amid the exclamations of some dozen voices of his friends, which were quickly stilled, however by the presentation ofthe soldiers’arms, and the loud voice of the commander ordering them to «fire right into the midst, if another word was spoken ». Louis was bound hand and foot, and carried, without opposilion or any altempt at resistance, to the quard-house (2).

The tamult now subsided, and the people judging that this last at least was not the time to make any attempt at softening the hearts of the persecutors, were slowly making their way to the door, in order to give the earliest notice to their families, and to concert with them how to get along under this cruel sentence. With these feelings and views shared in common, but unexpressed, they went forward in a body, as soon as Colonel Winslow and his staff had passed out (which they did without much ceremony immediately after the seizure of Louis) and to their complete amazement were met at the entrance by soldiers with fixed bayonets, who rudely ordered them back (3), and they

ques légères modifications, mais toute cette partie du poème — pour laquelle l’auteur n'avait pas d’autres documents — nous paraît suivre de très près le récit de Catherine Williams.

(1) Le mot fyrant est enitalique dans letexte du roman. Cf. Evangeline, v. 456 :

Down with the tyrants of England.

(2) Toute cette scène du roman a, selon nous, inspiré la scène correspondante dans Evangéline. Il est à remarquer, en effet, qu'il n’y eut aucune tentative de révolte de la part des Acadiens. Winslow ne mentionne aucun incident dans son Journal. Comme en plusieurs autres endroits du poème, Longfellow nous semble s'être servi du texte des Français Neutres à la manière d’un canevas. (Cf. Evangeline : v. 452-459.) Tantôt il résume, tantôt il développe.

(3) Longfellow a placé ce passage avant le précédent mais ne fait une fois de plus que transposer la prose de Catherine Williams.

Cf. Evangeline, v. 449-452.

were told, « that they could not leave the chapel as they were the King's prisoners, and would be kept there until the vessels which were to take them away were ready to receive them ; that rations would be dealt to them regularly ; but as any other indulgence was incompatible with the public safety they must not expectit ; and that any symptoms of restifness would be signally punished on the spot. » (See Winslow’s Narrative.)

[L’attente des femmes au village :] je

[115] Our family at the farm were sorely amazed. The evening meal smoked long upon the board, awaiting their return (1). Often did madam St-Pierre, the wife of Louis the elder open the door and strain her eyes through the darknes to discern the figure of her husband (2) but no husband came...

[116] The morning at length began to dawn,and the female part of the popuiation(3) to pour abroad. Long before the sun appeared the paths (for roads there were none) began to fill with women. It was not « here and there a traveller », but it was a crowd, a perfect rush from all the habitations far and near, towards the chapel...