Gamaliel Smethurst

Gamaliel Smethurst (Marblehead, 1738 - 1826) was a merchant, politician and American writer . It described the habits of the Amerindian and made a portrait of the Acadie at the time of the Grand Disturbance.

Origins

August 1st Born with Marblehead, the Massachusetts, in 1738. if this information proves to be exact, there is Gamaliel Smethurst born on April 16th, 1738, of Tabitha Skinner and Joseph Smethurst, to see http://www.newenglandgenealogy.pcplayground.com/f_64e.htm

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Travel to America

Around 1760 or 1761, it started from London and crossed the Atlantique with an aim of making trade in News-France. Arrived at Marblehead, it gréa a commercial boat. After having obtained a license of the colonial government with Quebec, it went in October 1761 in the Baie of Heats to make there trade with Amerindian Europeans and the . On Thursday, October 29, 1761, at the time when Smethurst and its crew left Nipisiguit, the Captain Roderick MacKenzie carried out a raid on the village and captured the majority of his inhabitants Acadien S and their boats. The October 30th, Smethurst accosted in the east of Nipisiguit. Its captain gave up it, being afraid of the Micmacs, enemies of the English. The crew will be captured a little later by McKenzie. The same day, Smethurst saw Intrigues accosting. It hid in the forest by fear of being killed. The November 4th, it left Nipisiguit about midday with three French that it met in wood. They were probably members of the crew of the Captain Saint-Simon, corsairs survivors of the Bataille of Ristigouche. One of them would be even François Gionest. Smethurst will write later that these three men had refused to go to English and that they seemed to flee. Smethurst thought of being able to reach Miramichi, then last free French city in Acadie and to reach the strong Cumberland before the freezing. The November 5th, they sailed towards Caraquet and probably accosted with the brook with Chenard. They were accommodated by Gabriel Giraud. Smethurst tried to make trade with him. He concluded that in exchange of 140 books, would give him a Canot and services of the Intrigues of Pokemouche. The November 6th, Smethurst embarked in a boat with 3 intrigues (a one-eyed old woman squaw and its two grandsons). They reached Chipagon, probably a place in the north of the brook of the Launch, where now the hamlet of Morais with Bas-Caraquet is. They remained all the night there. MacKenzie had already passed in the village and had only left 6 families, kept by the Intrigues . August 1st The November 18th, they regained the place where they had left their boat and their baggages. They arrived about midday, wet, and with a good wind reached Merrimichi (Néguac) around six hours of the evening, softened and ankyloses. At this place lived approximately 135 French living one year earlier with the Miramichi. They were directed by about fifty warriors Micmac S and their chief, Louis François

A storm will fall down during a few days on the area of Burnt Church. He asked refuge Amand Bugeux and Nicolas Gauthier, two Acadien S recently moved of the Île St-Jean. The November 21st, Amand and Gamaliel went to inspect the equipment of fishing on the littoral. Opposite the Island of the Bearing, they found remains of the Huton , a ship ordered by the captain Benjamin Hallowell, bound for Quebec with a cargo of goods coming from London. This ship had made shipwreck during the storm. They approached the island in Skiff, but turned back with the sight of the Micmac S. They tried the November 24th again, without success. The 25, Amand, Nicholas and Gamaliel went to the island on small a Goélette. Whereas they approached the island, the Micmacs warriors launched out once again to their continuation and captured them. They were escorted to the village of Burnt Church, where awaited Louis François and the chief of the intrigues of the St-Jean Island, Baptiste Blacks. The two chiefs their said that they would discharge the boat shipwrecked man and that they would give the services of four men so that Smethurst can go at the height with James Pratchell, the only survivor of the nafrage. The French went to the island in afternoon, on board their goélette. They could recover about fifteen barrels of flour and turned over to the village at nine o'clock in the evening. The 26, they classified the objects recovered and found the log book of the captain and 12 months of newspapers londonais. They were immediately put to dry. The 27, whereas they took care of James Pratchell, Smethurst continued to dry the recovered objects. The Amerindians said to him that they were probably going to leave the following day. The French remained in their hut by fear of the Amerindians, now poisoned by brandy found in the wreck. In the morning of the 28, there was another storm and the Amerindians decided not to leave. Smethurst was convened by the Francis chief with a council. All the Amerindians, except the chief, were drunk. They announced to him that they would hold it until the sea freezes. The François chief says to him that it must obey the orders of the Amerindians. He begged them shine to make it possible to leave as fast as possible possible to be able to find a doctor to look after Pratchell, and that without the Amerindian guide, because of his intoxication and owing to the fact that he did not speak English. The Amerindians accepted after a long debate. Snow fell in great quantity during the night from the November 29th. In day, Smethurst attended a mass of the Amerindians. The November 30th, it left Burnt Church with Nicholas Gauthier and Joseph Richard. James Pratchell decided to on the spot remain parce until the next French is authorized to leave the village, because it was too frail to travel. The Amerindians gave fur to Nicholas, Richard and Smethurst so that they can make trade. With a sharp wind of the North-West, the latter pagayèrent until the Baie of the Wine, close to the mouth of the French Rivière. The December 1st, they left very early in the hope which the wind were going to allow them to leave this place.

August 1st The 5 December, they left their boat and went along a brook during approximately a mile. They crossed a small river while going on the ice to go to a French house, abandoned. They discovered that the Intrigues had gone there but that they had left to drive out and was probably the author of other texts

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