religious zeal, to follow the fortunes of his patron, Sir William
Alexander, who, in 1621, received a grant of Acadia, or Nova Scotia,
and established the first permanent settlement in that country. It had,
till then, been alternately claimed and neglected, both by French and
English; and he was, a few years after, induced to relinquish his grant
to La Tour, whose title was confirmed by a patent from the king of
England.

La Tour, in forming this settlement, was influenced principally by
motives of interest; his colony was composed of adventurers from
different nations, and it seemed a matter of indifference to him, to
what master he owed allegiance. By the well-known treaty of St.
Germain's, Acadia was ceded to the crown of France, on which it alone
depended, till finally conquered by the English, when, at a much later
period, its improvement and importance rendered it more worthy of
serious contest. The policy of the French government, while it remained
under their jurisdiction, induced them to attempt the conversion of the
native tribes, as a means of advancing their own interest, and retarding
the influence of the English colonies. For this purpose, they sent out
Catholic missionaries, at an early period, to the different settlements;
and Jesuits were particularly employed, as the address and subtlety
which always distinguished that order of priests peculiarly fitted them
for the difficult task of christianizing the idolatrous savages. Their
power was slowly progressive; but, in time, they acquired an ascendancy,
which was extended to the minutest of the secular, as well as spiritual
concerns of the province.

The puritans of New-England regarded these dangerous neighbors with
distrust and fear; nor could they restrain their indignation, when the
emblems of the Romish church were planted on the very borders of their