Indian Affairs-Transcription Of Document 71

Transcription for Indian Affairs
Document #71 Page 1

          To His Excellency Major General Sir John Harvey
          R C H and C B Lieutenant Governor and Commander
          In Chief of the Province of New Brunswick [etc.]

          The Petition of the undersigned Indians of the MicMac
Tribe humbly sheweth
          That from Time immemorial your petitioners have
been living at or about the Aboushagan and that about
fourteen years ago the Reserved land and half the Marsh
thereto adjoining - Lying near the Aboushagan in the Parish of Shediac
was given or allotted to them by the Government, and also
from the same source they received a sufficient sum to
enable them to purchase Cattl Sheep and agricutural
implements, and from year to year a small sum to
enable them to purchase seed; Clothing [etc.] That since
they have been in the possession of the [Reserve] they have endea=
voured to gain a livelyhood by farming which with the
assistence they received they were enabled to do untill within
the last few years.  But from then having received nothing
from the Government the last seven years and from the
                                                                    partial

Page 2

partial failure of their crops the last three years
Their Stock of Cattle is now reduced from 9 head to 3 and
and being nearly destitute of seed for the present season
and having no sufficient [authority] to prevent trespassing
on their lands and having lost their Eldest Brother
                             suddenly
(Peter Zavier) who died ^ a few weeks ago on his return from
hunting where he had been absent three weeks leaving his widow
and Family t depend upon us for support        We beg most
respectfully t lay our destitute situation before Your Excellency
& hope it may be in Your Excellencys power t offord
us some relief
                              And is in duty bound
                                 Will Ever pray

                      [...]        Zavier      his   X   mark
                      Joseph   Zavier      his   X   mark
                      Francis  Zavier      his    X   mark

I beg t state that the Aboushagan Indian consist of four or
five families about 20 number and that I [believe] the things
[...] in [the] [...] [petition] are true - Those Indians are now
in a distressing situation and a small sum would be of
                                                                    great

Page 3

great service to them at the present time     Their numbers are
fast diminishing there being but little more than half the number
there now that were there in 183[5]
There are also about 20 Indians of [the] MicMac Tribe at the [Bari...]
in this Neighbourhood but [as] they have only been there about
two years and depend mainly upon hunting [...] for a living    I am
not of opinion that they are in [...] destitute a situation
as those at the Aboushagan
                                                        D [Harrington]

Shediac 23^d [April] 1840

Page 4

           Petition
Aboushagan Indians

A Warrant for £20 -
having been issued to
D. Harrington on the
2d April for the benefit
of the Indians - no
order made upon this
      2^d  May 1840

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