Page:Richard - Acadie, reconstitution d'un chapitre perdu de l'histoire d'Amérique, Tome 2, 1916.djvu/130

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refuser à Parkman. Il semble cependant avoir eu honte de son action, ou plutôt, il a craint peut-être que ses ruses ne fussent découvertes, car, et c’est une autre de ses inventions, la dernière et non la moins habile : il ajoute, en citant à nouveau Pichon : Pichon, cited by Murdoch. Parkman n’était donc pas rassuré sur le crédit que l’on prêterait à ce témoin, après avoir dû confesser que ce dernier était un traître ; aussi a-t-il senti la nécessité de s’abriter derrière un nom respectable. Il est vrai que Beamish Murdoch invoque Pichon à plusieurs reprises, mais ce n’est pas sans avoir au préalable parlé au long de cet homme, et avoir dit tout de suite et sans subterfuges qui il était^[1]. Il le cite, en particulier, au sujet du siège de Beauséjour, sur des faits de peu d’importance ; et encore il semble en avoir éprouvé des scrupules, car il s’en excuse sur l’absence d’autres matériaux : « Dans le récit qui va suivre du siège de Beauséjour, nous ne pouvons nous aider d’aucun document anglais, officiel ou privé : … la plus grande partie de nos renseignements est tirée du journal manuscrit de Pichon, alias Tirel (sic), — lequel, avec ses lettres, etc., forme l’un des volumes reliés et

↑ While the conduct of the French at Beauséjour, and their encroachments on the Ohio, were gradually bringing about an open war between the two crowns, it entered into the mind of a French gentleman who held some semimilitary position under Vergor in the French fort, to open a secret correspondence with captain George Scott, who commanded at fort Lawrence. This intercourse was continued during the time of capt. Hussey, who succeeded Scott, and did not terminate until the fall of Beauséjour. The name of the correspondent was Pichon, altho’he also calls himself (Thomas) Tyrrell. He was apparently in the confidence of Le Loutre, whose letters and papers he Copied, and enclosed the copies to the English officers… He had been before employed under count Raymond, at Louisbourg, whom he blames exceedingly. The président, Lawrence, was cognizant of this affair, and Pichon was paid for his services from time to time. — Hist. of N. S. Vol. 2, ch. XVIII, p. 246-7.

[1] While the conduct of the French at Beauséjour, and their encroachments on the Ohio, were gradually bringing about an open war between the two crowns, it entered into the mind of a French gentleman who held some semimilitary position under Vergor in the French fort, to open a secret correspondence with captain George Scott, who commanded at fort Lawrence. This intercourse was continued during the time of capt. Hussey, who succeeded Scott, and did not terminate until the fall of Beauséjour. The name of the correspondent was Pichon, altho’he also calls himself (Thomas) Tyrrell. He was apparently in the confidence of Le Loutre, whose letters and papers he Copied, and enclosed the copies to the English officers… He had been before employed under count Raymond, at Louisbourg, whom he blames exceedingly. The président, Lawrence, was cognizant of this affair, and Pichon was paid for his services from time to time. — Hist. of N. S. Vol. 2, ch. XVIII, p. 246-7.

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