De Pensens and Duchambon 97

and this, besides enabling the habitans to move about at all times with less danger than by the water route along the north shore, would be very useful in time of war. Further, orders had been given for the erec- tion of a new magazine and quarters for the Lieu- tenant de Roi while new barracks were proposed after the plans of Verrier, all to be completed in 1734. St. Ovide on the advice of the latter sent over a full company of soldiers to get out the necessary lumber during the winter.°

The winter of 1733-1734 was a hard one particu- larly for the fishermen of St. Peters who had most of their summer’s catch destroyed by the heat, being unable to purchase salt in Louisburg. Without the aid of a boatload of provisions brought from Can- ada by Roma, many would have perished. This tided them over until spring when further provisions came from Canada. As it was, some had to go to Acadia _ for the winter. The moral of this seemed plain to de Pensens, and he pleaded that a ship should be sent annually direct from France so that the fishermen should not have to depend on Louisburg for salt and other supplies, especially as it was often unable to supply its own needs.°

De Pensens himself was in a tragic position with- out the services of a physician. Many of the inhabit- ants were ill and one of his best soldiers meeting with a cruel accident had to be sent in agony all the way to Louisburg. “This poor soldier was in the

6 C11 IV, Vol. 14, p. 91. 6 C11 IV, Vol. 16, p. 18.