d all the lands north of the Bay of Fundy for France the St. John
river region should be left undivided and in possession of its native
inhabitants. As early as the year 1716 the Marquis de Vaudreuil had
stated to the French government: "The English wish to seize upon the
lands that the Abenakis and Indians of the River St. John occupy,
under the pretext that this land forms part of Acadia ceded to them by
the king. The Indians so far from withdrawing on this account have
answered that this land has always belonged to them, and that they do
not consider themselves subjects of the French, but only their
allies."

Vaudreuil admits that he encouraged this idea, and that his proposal
to build a church for the Maliseets at Medoctec had as one of its
principal objects the cementing of their alliance with the French and
providing them with another inducement to cling to the locality where
their church stood, and not by any means to abandon their old fort and
village.

In 1749 Charlevoix, the well known Jesuit historian, writes the French
minister at Versailles not to delay the settlement of the boundaries,
for the English, who are colonizing and fortifying Acadia, will soon
be in a position to oppress their Indian allies, the Abenakis
(Maliseets), if steps are not taken in season to prevent them and to
guarantee to the Indians peaceable possession of their country, where
it is necessary they should remain in order to defend it against the
English, otherwise there would be nothing to hinder the English from
penetrating as far as the French settlements nearest Quebec; besides
where would the Abenakis go if they were obliged to abandon their
country? "In short," Charlevoix adds, "it seems to me certain that if
time is given the English to people Acadia before the limits are
agreed on, they will not fail to appropriate all the territory they
wish, and to secure possession by strong forts which will render them
masters of all that part of New France south of Quebec; and if this
should be done it will certainly follow that the Abenakis will join
them, will abandon their religion, and our most faithful allies will
become our most dangerous enemies."

Of all the leaders of the French in Acadia, none was more active and
influential than the Abbe Le Loutre. But while his energy, ability and
patriotism are undoubted, his conduct has been the subject of severe
criticism not only on the part of his adversaries but of the French
themsel