De Pensens and Duchambon 101

rison at Port La Joye was relieved by a new detach- ment of forty men, selected from all of the eight com- panies stationed in Louisburg, on the principle that the soldiers in turn should share the good and ill fortunes of garrison life.’ It is obvious both from this statement and from the difficulties that de Pen- sens had in preventing desertion, that a sojourn in Isle Saint Jean was not coveted by either the troops or the officers of Louisburg.

The new garrison was put under command of du Haget, whose instructions have been preserved and are valuable for the glimpse that they give of the routine life of both officers and soldiers in an isolated post, where the vision of Empire must have fre- quently been lost through sheer boredom.

On his arrival in Port La Joye he was to lodge his detachment after visiting the barracks to see that they were in good condition. Likewise he was to take over the military stores and see that everything was in order. It was his duty to see that the soldiers per- formed their daily tasks in barracks, that they did not sell or waste their supplies; to maintain good discipline among the troops, by having them attend divine service and festivals when the weather per- mitted, and by encouraging them to fire blank cart- ridges once or twice a month; to see that they took care of their clothing and did not sell it, to avoid which they should be furnished only with absolute essentials such as shoes, stockings, and tobacco; to give careful attention to the sick, visiting them him-

12 C11 IV, Vol, 18, p, 58; B, Vol. 653, p. 893,