ESTAING
" BiGREL DE GrANDOLOS,
"Secrétaire nommé par le roi à la suite de l'escadre " commandée par M. le comte d'Estaing.
A bord du Languedoc, de l'imprimerie de F. - P. Démange, imprimeur du roi et de l'escadre ".
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N. B. — Les nombreuses fautes qui se trouvent dans cette pièce figurent sur l'impression du bord i.
En parlant de cette proclamation aussi mal imprimée qu'emphatique, de la Fayette écrivait à l'amiral :
" — Votre à-propos du Canada fait un effet admirable ; toutes les imaginations sont huchées sur des raquettes et glissent le long du lac Champlain ".
1 — A DECLA'RATION ADRESSED IN THE NAMB OF THE KING OF FRANCE TO ALL THE ANOIENT FRENCH IN NORTH AMERICA
Editer of Magazine of American History.
My brother, Eev. Dr. T. Stafford Drowne, has the original document with the above title, which was printed in French on board the " Languedoc ", for the count D'Estaing, October 28, 1778. It was translated from the French, and publlshed in the " Massachusetts Spy ", at Worcester, Massachusetts, December 10, 1778, a copy of which is now in my possession, and I take pleasure in presenting it to your readers.
Henry T. Drowne.
The undersigned authorized by His Majesty, and thence cloathed with the noblest of titles, with that effaces ail others ; charged in the name of his Father of his country, and the beneiicent protector of his subjects, to offer a support to those who were born to enjoy the blessings of his government.
To ail his countrymen in North America :
You were born French ; you could never cease to be French. The late war, which was not declared but by the captivity of
Néanmoins le Canadien-français resta sourd à cet appel et la suite prouvera qu'il a agi sagement et qu'il a bien fait.
Le fameux politique américain, Seward, après avoir visité les côtes du Labrador et une partie du Canada,
nearly ail our seamen, and the principal advantages of which our common enemies entirely owed to the courage, the talents, and the numbers of the brave Americans, who are now fighting against them, has wrested from you, that which is most dear to ail men, even the name of your country. To compel you to bear the arms of Parracides against it, must be the completion of misfortunes. With this you are now threatened : A new war may justly make you dread being obliged to submit to this most valuable part of our trade. Too long already hâve a great number of unfortunate Frenchmen, been confined in American prisons. You hear their groans. The présent war was declared by a message in March last from the- King of Great Britain to both houses of Parliament ; a most authentic act of the British sovereignty, announcing to ail orders of the State, that to trade (with America) though without excluding others from the same right, was to offend j that frankly to avow such intention was to defy this sovereignty ; that she would revenge it and defer this only to a more advantageous opportunity, when she might do it with more appearance of legality than in the last war : — For she declared that she had the right, the will, and the ability to re venge ; and accordingly she demanded of parliament the supplies.
The calamities of a war thus proclaimed hâve beon restrained and retarded as much as was possible, by a Monarch whose pacifie and disinterested views now reclaim the marks of your
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voyait plus clair que ses prédécesseurs. Dans le récit d'une croisière qu'il fit sur VEmérence et qu'il publia dans "VAlhany's Evening Journal", le fameux secrétaire d'État écrivait :
"... Comme la plupart de mes compatriotes j'avais, en tête que le Canada n'était composé que d'une bande-
former attachment, only for yourown happiness. Constrained to repel force by force, and multipliedhostilities by reprisais, which he bas at last authorized, if necessity sbould carry bis arms, or those of bis allies into a country always dear to bim, you bave not to fear eitber burnings or dévastations : And if gratitude, if tbe view of a flag always revered by tbose wbo bave followed it, sbould recal to tbe banners of France, or of the United States, tbe Indians, wbo loved us, and bave been loaded witb présents by bim, wben tbey also call tbeir " Fatber " ; never, no never sball tbey employ against you tbeir too cruel metbods of war. Tbese tbey must renounce, or tbey will cease to be our friends.
It is not by manaces tbat we sball endeavour to avoid combating witb our country men, nor sball we weaken tbis déclaration by invectives against a great and brave nation, wbicb we know bow to respect, and bope to vanquisb.
As a Frencb gentleman, I need not to mention to tbose among you wbo were born sucb as well as myself, tbat tbere is but one august bouse in tbe universe, under wbicb tbe Frencb can be bappy, and serve witb pleasure j since its head, and tbose wbo are most nearly allied to bim by blood, bave been at ail, tbrougb a long line of monarcbs, and are at tbis day more tban ever deligbted witb bearing tbat very title wbicb Henry IV regarded as tbe first of bis own. I sball.
de terre sise au nord des Etats-Unis. Il était facile de s'en emparer, parce que ses habitants pouvaient à peine compter sur leurs propres ressources. Depuis je suis
not excite your regrets for those qualifications, those marks of distinctions, those décorations, which, in our matter of thinking, are precious treasures; but from which, by our common misfortunes, the American French, who hâve known so well how to deserve them are now precluded. Thèse, I am bold to hope and to promise, their zeal will very soon procure to be difîused among them. They wiil merit them when they dare to become the friends oj our allies.
I shall not ask the military companions of the Marquis of Lévis, those who shared his glory, who admired his talents and genius for war, who loved his cordiality and frankness, the principal characteristics of our nobility, whether there be other names in other nations, among which they would be better pleased to place their own.
Can the Canadians, who saw the brave Montcalm fall in their defence, can they become the enemies of his nephews ? Can they fight against their former leaders, and arm themselves against their kinsmen ? At the bare mention of their names the weapons would fall out of their hands.
I shall not observe to the ministers of the altars, that their «vangelic efforts will require the spécial protection of Providence, to prevent faith being diminished by examplo, by worldly interest, and by sovereigns, whom force has imposed upon them, and whose political indulgence wiil be lessened proportionably as those sovereigns shall hâve less to fear. I shall not observe, that it is necessary for religion that those who preach it should form a body in the state ; and that in Canada no other body would be more considered, or hâve more power to do good tlian that of the priests, taking a part in the government ; since their respective conduct has merited the confidence of the people.
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bien revenu de cette idée. J'ai constaté que l'Amérique Britannique du Nord, s'étendant depuis Terreneuve jusqu'au Pacifique, occupe une partie considérable de la zone tempérée. D'innombrables lacs la couvre. On
I shall not represent to that people, not to ail my countrymen in gênerai, that a vast monarchy, having the same religion, the same manners, the same language, where they find kinsmen, old freinds, and brethren, must be an inexhaustible source of commerce and wealth, more easily acquired and better secured, by their union with powerful neighbours, than with strangers of another hémisphère, among whom everything is différent, and who, jealous and despotic sovereigns, would sooner or later treat them as a conquered people, and doubtles much worse that their late countrymen the Americans, who made them victorious. I shall not urge to a whole people that to join with the United States is to secure their own happiness ; since a whole people, when they acquire the right of thinking and acting for themselves, must know their own interest : but I will déclare, and I now formally order in the name of His Majesty, who has authorized and commanded me to do it, that ail his former subjects in North America, who shall no more acknowledge the supremacy of Great Britain, may dépend upon his protection and support.
Done on board of His Majesty^ s ship, the " Languedoc ", in the harbour of Boston^ the twenty-eighth day of October, in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight.
