Le Normant de Mézy, Sébastien-Francois-Ange (1734-1737) (Commissaire at Louisbourg). Letters to the 
     
     Minister of the Marine: 
     
    

    
     1734: 5 November. [PAC, AC, C“B, Vol. 15, fols. 211-215v] 
     
    

    
     1736: 13 November. [PAC, AC, C”B, Vol. 18, fols. 95—99] 
     
    

    
     1737: 23 October. [PAC, AC, C”B, Vol. 19, fol. 13 ff. (12 fols.)] 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Sébastien-Francois-Ange Le Normant de Mézy (b. 1702, d. 1791) first saw the New World in 1 719 when as a young 
     
     man of 16 he accompanied his father Jacques-Ange Le Normant de Mézy, the new commissaire, to Louisbourg. 
     
     Thereafter he assisted his father at Louisbourg, at first in an unofficial capacity, and from 1 728 as chief scrivener. 
     
     On his father's behalf he made several trips to France, and eventually official/y succeeded to the post of commissaire 
     
     at Louisbourg in 1735. His years at Louisbourg (both before and after his appointment as commissaire) were 
     
     marked, as were those of his father, by quarrels with the governor, Saint-Ovide. He appears to have visited lie 
     
     Saint-Jean at least twice: in 1 727 with Jacques de Pensens, and in 1 734, as is evident from the letter below. Le 
     
     Normant’s career on lle Royale came to an end in 1738 when he was appointed financial commissary at Santo 
     
     Domingo in the West Indies. Later career moves included posts in Louisiana, Rochefort and eventually Paris, where 
     
     he rose to the high level of intendant-genera/ of the Marine (the equivalent of deputy minister). However, after 
     
     French losses in the early stages of the Seven Years War, he was retired in 1758 on a high pension with the 
     
     honorary office of state council/or. 
     
    

    
     The actual source of the information on the disastrous fire of 1736, contained in two of the letters, was 
     
     likely to have been Robert Duhaget l b. 1702 or 1 703, d. 175 7), the acting commandant at Port La-Joie for the year 
     
     1736-3 7. Neither of the letters gives any indication of the location of the fire nor of its exact time — Harvey says 
     
     the ’ear/y autumn ’ but this may be his own deduction based on the loss of the seed crop in the fire. Later evidence 
     
     suggests the place is likely to have been in the north-east of the island, probably in the St. Peters area. Duhaget 
     
     had probably begun his military service about 1 715 at Rochefort in France and by 1723 he had arrived at lie Roya/e. 
     
     He appears to have served for the first time on lie Saint-Jean between 1728 and 1731 — assuming virtual control 
     
     during periods when Pensens, the commandant, was forced by ill health to remain in Louisbourg. 0n Pensens’ 
     
     retirement in 1736, Duhaget returned to lie Saint-Jean as interim commandant for about a year, until Louis 
     
     Duchambon was made permanent commandant in 173 7. Duhaget later rose to the level of captain at lle Royale. 
     
     He eventually returned to France in 1 757 in a state of poor health, and died there within a year. 
     
    
   
   
    
     REFERENCES: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Harvey, D. C. (1926) The French Regime in Prince Edward Island. Yale University Press. pp. 101-03. 
     
     Pritchard, James S. (1979) Le Normant de Mézy, Sébastien-Francois-Ange. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 
     
     IV: 465-68. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Rodger, Andrew. (1974) Tarride Duhaget, Robert. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Ill: 615-16. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     1734: 5 November 
     
    
   
   
    
     J’ay accompagné M’. de 8‘. Ovide dans la tournée qu’il a faitte cet esté a lisle 8‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     Jean. (fol. 211v] 
     
     En sortant du port la Joye nous avons eté au port des trois Rivieres ...Les deux 
     
     The woods at rivieres du fond de ce port peuvent etre regardées comme deux bassins ou on peut 
     
     Trois Rivie‘res. mettre des Vaisseaux en seureté en touttes saisons, il y a des bois de toutte espece 
     
     et la terre ny paroist pas mauvaise. [fols. 213v—214] 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 15, fols. 211v-214] 
     
     1736: 13 November 
     
    
   
   
    
     J’ay donné ordre au 8’. Dubuisson, a la demande de M. de 8. Ovide et de M. de 
     
     Pensens de secourir sur cette quantité restante [des vivres pour la garnison] (as 
     
     The fire habitans de I’lsle 8‘. Jean qui se trouveroient le plus dans la nécessité, le feu ayant 
     
     of 1736. ruiné a la pluspart d'entre eux touttes leurs semences de cette année, i| doit 
     
     distributer aussy a ces habitans de concert avec le S'. Duhaget qui commande en 
     
     cette isle les vingt barriques de bled pour semer que M'. Hocquart nous a envoyées, 
     
    
   
   
    
     [PAC, AC, CHB, Vol. 18, fol. 99] 
     
    
   
   
    
     93