First Century After the Expulsion 63 
     
    
   
   
    
     lamentable struggle with their landlord. The first two verses enable 
     
     us to capture the mood of the pioneers: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Who were the ones who drove us here? 
     
     Twas the wicked people.in our land. 
     
    

    
     A whole crew they were 
     
    

    
     Agin the Acadians 
     
    

    
     And all together 
     
    

    
     Living off our goods. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Scarcely do we pick a grain of wheat 
     
     When we have to run to them with it. 
     
     Those barbarians 
     
    

    
     Without charity 
     
    

    
     Care not one bit 
     
    

    
     For our poverty. (TR)’® 
     
    
   
   
    
     Despite letters from Father MacEachern, Bishop Plessis does not 
     
     seem to have sympathized with the Acadians from Malpeque in their 
     
     dealings with Colonel Compton. He had heard about the serious 
     
     dispute between the landlord and tenants during his pastoral visit to 
     
     the Island in 1812. He also knew about the offer Colonel Compton 
     
     had made to the Acadians for the sale of their lands. On the other 
     
     hand, Bishop Plessis had pleasant memories of the warm welcome 
     
     Compton had given him. In his opinion the Acadians should have 
     
     accepted their landlord’s offer because, by leaving their lands to re- 
     
     establish elsewhere on the Island, they were likely to find themselves 
     
     in the same situation again. He expressed his position to Father Beau- 
     
     bien in 1815: 
     
    
   
   
    
     I am sorry that the blunder of their refusing Mr. Compton’s offers in 1812 
     
     resulted in the inhabitants of Malpec being expelled from their lands. They 
     
     should have expected it. At least when they left they should have taken Crown 
     
     lands in New Brunswick or Cape Breton. | fear that as a result of their miscal- 
     
     culations, they will take lands in some other lot on fle Saint Jean, from which 
     
     they will be evicted once again. (TR)*° 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1816, Colonel Compton and the Acadians still living in Lot 
     
     17 finally came to an agreement. For the sum of 625 pounds the 
     
     colonel sold them a section of six thousand acres most of which was 
     
     made up of lowland and swamps*'. About fifteen families moved to