His first report was dated 22 June, 1749. It was received in London 15 August, 1749. The transports with the settlers followed in a few days.
The coastline was completely forested, except for some clearing by the French settlers for their cattle. The harbor, which everyone agreed was the finest they had ever seen, was also filled with fish.
After a month, Cornwallis was as enthusiastic as ever about the new colony's potential, but not of the majority of the settlers who had come out from England.
On 24 July, he wrote of some problems. This letter was received in London 28 August 1749.
"I beg leave to observe to your Lordships that amongst these the number of industrious active men proper to undertake and carry on a new Settlement is very small, of Soldiers there is only 100, of Tradesmen, Sailors, and others able and willing to work not above 200 more. The rest are poor idle worthless vagabonds that embraced the opportunity to get provisions for one year without labour, or Sailors that only wanted a passage to New England.
Worse, said Cornwallis, some of the settlers came to Nova Scotia "as into a Hospital, to be cured". Many had venereal diseases. But he was not going to let the idle and foolish hinder the industrious and wise. He issued a proclamation that if the settlers didn't shape up or went AWOL he would expel them from the colony to fend for themselves. He did as threatened. Eight men who had gone off in canoes on their own were driven from the colony and stricken from the mess books. No small punishment in such a harsh new land with hostile Indians and French. But it had a salutary effect on the other settlers. There were others, however, who were singled out for praise by the governor, " There are among the Settlers," he said, "a few Swiss who are regular honest industrious Men easily governed and work heartily."
And there was yet another group who impressed this Son of the British aristocracy. "There are indeed many come over of the better sort who tho' they do not work themselves, are very useful in managing the rest."
By the end of August, the first capital crime had been committed, "murther." (murder)
followed almost immediately by the first hanging.
On 11 September, 1749, Col. Cornwallis wrote of the threat posed by the Indians, in particular the Micmacs, who were being incited to make war on the English by the French Priest/missionaries. On 19 August 20 Englishmen were taken prisoner, including 5 of the settlers. The others had come up by ship from Boston in order to cut hay.
A palisade was built around the new town, a double row of 10 foot poles, six inches thick. As the trees were cleared they were used for the fencing.
The major issue was the sizable number of French remaining in Nova Scotia after its cession to the British. All of them were Catholics who were now obliged to swear an oath of allegiance to the Protestant British King.
By August, Cornwallis was giving Halifax as the return address.
In October, he wrote of many transgressions by the Indians, including deaths at their hands. But the settlers had successfully fended off the attacks.
Cornwallis had no illusions about the French and their designs on North America.
He warned correctly, that they would not give up easily. " The settlement I am sent to make is sore to France, it touches them to the quick."
Finally, on 1 October 1749, the council unofficially declared war on the Micmac Indians. The English declined a formal declaration, which would tacitly admit that the Micmacs were "a free and independent people" worthy of being treated to diplomatic niceties, whereas, in reality, "they ought to be treated as do many Banditti Ruffians, or Rebels to His Majesty's Government."
Raiding parties were to be sent out and a bounty of 10 guineas was to be paid for every Micmac killed or captured.
Religion, as always, was the issue. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel suggested sending out French Bibles and a large group of French Protestants to counter the effect of the "bigoted Papists."
The Indians, religion aside, were indeed a constant threat.
On 1 May 1750 Cornwallis wrote that the French and Indians had moved against the settlements and occupied all of Nova Scotia on the west side of the Bay of Fundy. The letter was an urgent appeal for help. While there was peace in Europe, in Nova Scotia the war continued.
He realized early on the machinations of the French and their Indian allies and did not hesitate to warn the Board of Trade in England what would happen if they did not respond to the problem in this the most Northern of the Colonies.
Particularly galling to the new settlers was the continuing trade by the lower colonies with the French and Indians. Cornwallis complained much about the people of Massachusetts Bay who were supplying the French and Indians with goods and arms, which enabled them to make war on his settlers.
Cornwallis, had turned over his regiment in the Highlands to a Major James Wolf, who would distinguish himself in Nova Scotia later on. Horace Walpole speaks of Cornwallis as "a brave sensible young man of great temper and good nature" a perfect picture of the man, and Wolfe afterwards mentioned Cornwallis' "approved courage and fidelity".
More than this, Cornwallis was incorruptible, a very rare quality in Colonial Governors of his time. He was slender, somewhat over middle height, an aristocrat to his fingertips, conscious of his dignity and inclined to be cool and ceremonious except when the "great temper" took charge. We are told he had a pleasant voice, fine eyes, and a winning expression. Later on his voice acquired a rasp, and so did his pen, as troubles mounted and the harsh winters of the new colony destroyed his health.
His Aide and right-hand man was a young army bachelor like himself, Richard Bulkeley, tall, handsome, Irish, wealthy, a former king's messenger and captain of dragoons whose equipment for the wilderness included a valet, groom, a butler, three blood horses and a vast amount of baggage. Another aide was Captain Horatio Gates son of the Duke of Leeds on the wrong side of the blanket, a capable young officer who in later years was to make his name famous on the wrong side of the field in the American Revolution.
Ref: Warden of the North: Raddell.
Kew/Public Record Office Colonial Office 217 Piece 9
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