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Date: | Wed, 7 May 1997 08:03:25 EST |
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I haven't been following this issue much, however, I was interested in
the references to smuggling. We have evidence of illegal trade at the
site of the British/New England fishing town of Canso (now Grassy
Island National Historic Site, in Nova Scotia, Canada) 1720-1744.
Open trade with the French settlement of Louisbourg was forbidden by
the British government and yet our excavations in the homes of
merchants and military officers reveal ample evidence for it. French
wine bottles, as well as fine and coarse French earthenwares are
common in the midden deposits. This tallies with documents of
requests from Boston merchants to their agents in Canso to pick up a
few luxury items on their excursions to Louisbourg.
Following the destruction of Canso by a force from Louisbourg,
merchant Edward How filed a claim for losses to the colonial
government. Fraud is perhaps evident in the discrepancy between the
size of residence How stated in his claim (29.3m x 12.2m) versus the
excavated evidence (17.6m x 7.75m, which includes a shed addition).
Corruption in the military is seen on the property of Captain
Christopher Aldridge, commanding officer at Canso from 1732-1735 (his
son, also in the military, maintained the property after his father's
departure). An unpopular community leader, Aldridge was cited by the
inhabitants and seasonal fishermen as uncooperative and aggressive,
and subsequently removed from his post. In one of his returns to the
Board of Trade in London, while still in command, he stated without
reserve that no military personnel were involved in the fishing
economy. Yet the most prominent fish flakes (drying racks for salt
cod) are located on the slope below his home. They are visible today
as long parallel mounds divided by worn paths.
It would seem that archaeological evidence does indeed provide
insights into past crimes.
(Grassy Island National Historic Site is located at the eastern tip of
mainland Nova Scotia in the town of Canso. A visitor centre on the
shore interprets the 18th-century community using historical and
archaeological evidence. A short boat ride in the protected harbour
takes visitors to the island which has been largely undisturbed since
1745. On-site panels interpret the history and identify some of the
many archaeological features.)
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