186 The French in Prince Edward Island 
     
    
   
   
    
     servation of horned cattle as with the sufferings of 
     
     the Acadians. Vaudreuil writing to the Minister on 
     
     April 18, 1757, says that de Villejouin has only six 
     
     weeks’ provisions for the refugees while many of the 
     
     ancient inhabitants are in want and have no seed. 
     
     “The women and children dare not go out being 
     
     unable to hide their nakedness. It is the same with a 
     
     number of the men. Isle Saint Jean deserves atten- 
     
     tion. It would be a great pity to lose it, the more that 
     
     there are actually 6000 horned cattle there. It is very 
     
     necessary then that the King should send some frig- 
     
     ates to the island and even have them remain there 
     
     during the winter, otherwise the English could easily 
     
     pillage and burn the scattered settlements.” 
     
    

    
     On December 10, 1757, Prevost wrote the Minister 
     
     asking for seed wheat and immediate assistance to 
     
     avert famine in Isle Saint Jean where the last two 
     
     crops had been a total failure. He had succeeded in 
     
     getting some wheat and rye off prizes, otherwise they 
     
     would have starved to death. As it was the prospect 
     
     for the winter of 1758 was pitiable and many would 
     
     suffer extreme want until the next crop which could 
     
     not be sown unless seed came from France.*' This is 
     
     the last extant report prior to the conquest by the 
     
     English. But the silence speaks eloquently of hard- 
     
     ship and neglect. 
     
    

    
     Such then was the condition of Isle Saint Jean on 
     
     the eve of greater calamity. During five years there 
     
     had been only one good crop and it had been limited 
     
    
   
   
    
     16 C11 A, Vol. 102, p. 8. 
     
     17C11 IV, Vol. 87, p. 189.