80 ‘The French in Prince Edward Island 
     
    
   
   
    
     his conscious virtue, it must be borne in mind that de 
     
     Pensens and St. Ovide both spoke of him in the high- 
     
     est terms and marvelled at his works. The former 
     
     went so far as to say that he had accomplished more 
     
     in the first year of his colony than Comte de Saint 
     
     Pierre had done in five. With this testimony in mind 
     
     and while not forgetting that Roma was a little tact- 
     
     less in dealing with his partners let us read a letter 
     
     which he despatched to the Governor and Intendant 
     
     of Ile Royale and Isle Saint Jean and to the Lieuten- 
     
     ant de Roi of Isle Saint Jean. This letter reveals not 
     
     only his style, in the broadest sense, but also a deep 
     
     consciousness of the epic nature of his aspirations in 
     
     strong contrast with the sordid motives of his 
     
     partners: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Louisburg, September 19th, 1734. 
     
    

    
     Gentlemen: . 
     
    

    
     My partners in the company of Ile St. Jean, instead 
     
     of necessary assistance for the support and success of 
     
     their establishment, have sent me intelligence of slanders 
     
     without number which they say are circulated in France 
     
     against me. These picture me as possessed of all vices 
     
     of heart and spirit, my direction full of capital blun- 
     
     ders, the establishment as a den of trouble, my person, 
     
     in short, they say, abhorred in the two islands and 
     
     odious to all the world without exception. These part- 
     
     ners seem to say further that my project is worthless, 
     
     or that if there were anything good in it, I have ruined 
     
     it by my bad conduct, that I am to blame for the losses 
     
     which they have experienced, and that they can expect 
     
     compensation neither from what I have done nor from 
     
    
   
   
    
     what I can do.