100 The French in Prince Edward Island

But the increase of population and the signs of prosperity brought little joy to the old Lieutenant de Roi. His career was rapidly drawing to a close. All through the winter of 1734 he had been ill in Louisburg; in 1735 he bore up in the discharge of his duties; but in 1736 he again returned to Louis- burg, this time to leave the outpost forever. On April 2, 1737, he was retired with a pension of 800 livres and a month later this was increased by an annual gratuity of 400; thus he passed out of history.* He was a good officer and had served his country well for forty years. From out the meager dust-covered pages that have come down to us he speaks with unwonted clearness of duty, obedience, and faith. That he suf- fered from neglect cannot be denied, nor that he grumbled as soldiers may. That he did the best he could in circumstances of unusual difficulty is equally clear. For twelve years he was almost the sole guide of a timid, wavering, and dependent colony. While the King was still a minor and his advisers were pre- occupied with more immediate problems, he strove, in ill health,.to build anew a second Acadia that would find peace and prosperity beyond the legiti- mate reach of the English. In this faith he became the father of his people and, though his own genera- tion was ungrateful, his memory should be treasured by the descendants of those who first drove back the wilderness which he had found so irksome.

During the interval between the retirement of de Pensens and the appointment of a successor, the gar-

11 B, Vol. 65, pp. 95, 114.