the chignecto isthmus and its first settlers-第10节

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　were　in　need　of；　and　destroying　or　carrying　away　any　guns　or　ammunition　they　might　find。　Mr。　Dixon's　home　did　not　escape　their　unwelcome　notice。　His　house　was　robbed　of　many　valuable　articles；　some　of　which　he　kept　for　sale。　For　a　considerable　period　the　loyal　inhabitants；　notably　the　English　settlers；　were　subjected　to　a　state　of　anxiety；　and　lived　in　dread　of　a　repetition　of　such　unwelcome　visits。　On　one　occasion；　when　some　of　these　people　were　approaching　the　house；　Mrs。　Dixon　hastily　gathered　up　her　silverware　and　other　valuables　and　deposited　them　in　a　barrel　of　pig　feed；　where　they　quite　escaped　the　notice　of　the　visitors。　On　a　later　occasion；　when　somewhat　similar　troublous　times　existed；　Mr。　Dixon；　with　the　aid　of　his　negro　servant；　Cleveland；　hid　his　money　and　other　valuables　in　the　earth；　binding　his　servant　by　a　solemn　oath　never　to　divulge　to　anyone　the　place　of　concealment。〃

Nor　was　all　the　destruction　of　property　chargeable　to　the　rebels。　At　this　time　a　number　of　the　loyal　settlers；　who；　it　is　said；　had　been　drinking　freely；　surrounded　the　house　of　Mr。　Obediah　Ayer；　who　was　in　sympathy　with　the　rebels；　and　set　fire　to　his　place；　intending　to　burn　the　inmates。　Mrs。　Ayer　was　warned　by　her　neighbors　and　escaped　to　the　woods　with　her　baby　in　her　arms。　After　the　raiders　departed　she　with　her　children　found　a　temporary　home　with　a　neighbor。　Her　husband　did　not　dare　appear　for　many　days；　but　hid　in　the　woods　by　day　and　visited　his　family　at　night。

The　raid　of　Allan　on　the　St。　John　gave　the　Government　uneasiness　in　that　quarter　for　some　time　longer。　As　mentioned　before；　there　were　two　Eddys；　Jonathan　and　William。　They　owned　adjoining　farms　in　Fort　Lawrence。　The　upper　road　leading　from　Fort　Lawrence　to　Amherst　still　bears　the　name　of　the　〃Eddy　Road。〃　It　was　probably　made　through　the　Eddy　grant；　and　the　Eddys　may　have　been　instrumental　in　its　construction。

It　is　related　that　William　Eddy；　after　the　rebellion；　came　back　to　Fort　Lawrence　to　settle　his　business　and　take　his　wife　and　family　out　of　the　country。　To　escape　being　made　a　prisoner　at　that　time　he　kept　hid　in　a　hay…stack　in　the　day…time　and　visited　his　home　during　the　night。　One　night　the　soldiers　who　were　watching　saw　him　enter　the　house　and　at　once　surrounded　the　place；　sending　in　two　of　their　number　to　bring　out　the　prisoner。　Mrs。　Eddy　would　give　no　knowledge　of　her　husband's　whereabouts。　The　house　was　thoroughly　searched；　but　the　man　could　not　be　found。　The　soldiers　were　dumbfounded。　The　fact　is；　that　when　Mrs。　Eddy　saw　the　soldiers　coming；　she　told　her　husband　to　cover　himself　in　a　bin　of　grain　in　the　chamber　and　place　his　mouth　close　to　a　crack　on　the　side　of　the　bin　over　which　had　been　tacked　a　piece　of　list　to　prevent　the　grain　from　coming　out。　She　would　tear　off　the　list　and　that　would　give　him　air　to　breathe。　Her　husband　did　as　directed。　When　the　officer　who　was　making　the　search　came　to　the　grain…bin　he　thrust　his　sword　into　it；　and　said；　〃He　is　not　there。〃　Mr　Eddy　said　afterwards　that　the　sword　went　between　his　body　and　arm；　so　near　was　he　being　made　a　prisoner。

Inverma；　the　home　of　Sheriff　Allan；　is　now　owned；　in　part；　by　Councillor　Amos　Trueman；　and　is　still　called　by　that　name。　It　consisted　at　that　time　of　three　hundred　and　forty…eight　acres　of　marsh　and　upland　and　was　no　doubt　part　of　the　Allan　grant　of　1763。　Besides　the　Sheriff's　own　house　there　were　six　or　seven　small　houses　occupied　by　Acadian　families　as　tenants；　also　two　large　barns　and　four　smaller　ones。

Allan's　wife　was　Mary　Patton；　the　daughter　of　Mark　Patton；　who　was　at　one　time　a　large　property…owner　on　the　Isthmus。　Patton　Point；　in　the　Missiquash　valley；　still　goes　by　his　name。　His　home　farm　joined　the　glebe　lands　of　the　parish；　and　was　afterwards　bought　by　William　Trueman　and　given　to　his　son；　Thomas。　I　find　the　following　entry　in　William　Trueman's　journal；　referred　to　elsewhere：

〃Old　Mrs。　Patton　was　buried　at　the　burying…ground　by　Thomas　Trueman；　July　31st；　in　the　92nd　year　of　her　age。〃

This　lady　was　no　doubt　Mrs。　Allan's　mother。　She　had　continued　to　live　at　the　old　place　after　Thomas　Trueman　had　taken　possession；　and　as　this　was　in　the　year　1808；　she　had　lived　thirty…two　years　after　her　daughter　left　the　country。

The　question　has　been　asked；　would　it　not　have　been　better　for　the　northern　half　of　this　continent　if　the　Eddy　rebellion　had　succeeded　and　what　is　now　Canada　had　become　one　country　with　the　United　States？　The　name　Americans　could　then　fairly　have　been　claimed　by　the　citizens　of　the　great　Republic　and　a　people　whose　interests　and　aspirations　are　identical；　and　whose　religion；　language　and　customs　are　the　same；　would　have　been　united　in　carrying　out　the　destiny　of　the　Anglo…Saxon　in　America。　This　may　sound　very　well；　but　events　have　transpired　in　the　last　hundred　and　twenty…five　years　that　point　unmistakably　to　the　conclusion　that　the　God　of　history　intended　this　northern　land　called　Canada　to　work　out　its　own　destiny　independent　of　the　southern　Republic。　At　the　period　of　the　Eddy　rebellion　Nova　Scotia　was　still　in　the　cradle　and　had　no　grievances　to　redress。　New　Brunswick　as　a　Province　had　no　existence。　Never　in　all　history　had　a　conquered　country　been　treated　so　justly　by　the　victors　as　had　Quebec。　Ontario　at　this　time　was　but　a　western　wilderness。　It　will　thus　be　seen　that　there　would　have　been　no　justification　for　the　new　settlers　in　this　northern　land　to　have　joined　hands　with　the　thirteen　older　colonies。

Another　preliminary　objection　can　be　found　in　the　situation　of　the　Loyalists　of　1783；　from　the　fact　that　one　of　the　grandest　band　of　exiles　that　was　ever　driven　from　fireside　and　country　would　have　found　no　place　on　the　continent　to　make　new　homes　for　themselves。　This　would　have　placed　them　in　infinitely　worse　circumstances　than　that　body　of　noble　men　and　women　of　another　race　that　twenty…eight　years　earlier　in　the　century　had　been　driven　out　as　exiles　to　wander　in　hardship　and　want　on　that　same　New　England　coast。　These　Loyalists　brought　to　Canada　the　sterling　principle；　the　experience　in　local　Government；　the　sturdy；　independent　manhood　and　business　experience　and　energy　which　this　northern　land　needed　to　make　it　one　of　the　most　prosperous　and　best　governed　countries　in　the　world。　To　think　what　Canada　would　have　been　without　the　Loyalists　helps　one　to　see　more　clearly　how　fortunate　it　was　that　the　Eddy　rebellion　was　crushed。

The　British　Empire　may　owe　more　to　the　loyal　Yorkshire　emigrants　than　has　ever　been　fairly　accorded　to　them。　Canada　as　a　coterie　of　colonies　furnished　Great　Britain　with　a　training　school　for　her　statesmen　that　she　did　not　otherwise　possess。　In　this　way　British　North　America　has　been　the　prime　factor　in　placing　Great　Britain　first　among　the　nations　of　the　world　in　the　government　of　colonies。　It　is　true　English　ministers　and　English　governors　made　mistakes　and　had　much　to　learn　before　the　present　system　was　fully　adopted；　but　the　descendants　of　the　Loyalists　and　those　who　remained　true　to　the　Crown　during　the　stormy　years　of　the　Revolution　were　not　likely　to　stir　up　strife　without　a　just　cause。　And　is　it　claiming　too　much　to　say　that　to　Canada's　remaining　loyal　in　1776　is　due　to　a　very　large　extent　the　proud　position　Great　Britain　holds　to…day　as　the　mother　of　nations；　the　founder　of　the　greatest　colonial　empire　the　world　has　yet　seen？

There　are　those　who　believe　that　the　principle　of　equality　and　fraternity；　of　government　by　the　people　and　for　the　people；　the　freedom　for　which　the　Pilgrim　Fathers　faced　the　stormy　Atlantic　and　for　which　Washington　fought　against　such　odds；　has　been　worked　out　in　fuller　measure　and　juster　proportions　in　Canada　than　in　the　United　States。　Canada　has　helped　greatly　to　emphasize　the　truth；　only　yet　half　understood　by　the　world；　that　it　makes　little　difference　whether　the　chief　ruler　of　a　country　is　called　president；　king　or　emperor；　or　whether　the　government　is　called　a　monarchy　or　republic。　These　are　but　incidents。　What　is　important；　what　is　essential；if　freedom　is　to　be　won　and　maintained；　is　that　the　people　understand　their　rights　and　have　the　courage　to　maintain　them　at　any　sacrifice。　It　was　the　leaven　of　freedom　working　in　the　lump　of　the　British　people　that　gave　the　world　the　Magna　Charta；　Montford's　rebellion；　Cromwell　and　the　Commonwealth；　the　Revolution　of　1688；and　the　still　greater　Revolution　of　1776。

This　last　event　broke　from　the　parent　stem　one　of　the　strong　branches　of　the　Anglo…Saxon　family；　and　gave　each　an　opportunity　to　work　out　in　different　ways　the　ideals　after　which　both　were　striving。　And　who　will　say　that　the　descendants　of　Cromwellians　and　Quakers；　Nonconformists　and　Churchmen；　whose　ancestors；　from　force　of　circumstances　or　love　of　country　remained　in　their　island　home；　are　not　to…day　breathing　the　air　of　freedom　as　pure　and　unadulterated　as　their　cousins　on　the　banks　of　the　Charles　or　in　the　valleys　of　the　historic　Brandywine。　At　any　rate；　we　who　live　in　this　northern　country；　that　escaped　the　cataclysm　of　1776；　feel　that　Canada　has　been　no　unimportant　factor　in　helping　to　work　out　the　great　problem　of　government　for　and　by　the　consent　of　the　governed。


CHAPTER　V

THE　FIRST　CHURCHES　OF　THE　ISTHMUS。

THE　spiritual　interests　of　the　people　of　old　Chignecto　have　always　be