Tikala Malamu
History, International politics 3 Comments »
Why Congo Matters
You can recognize a Congolese expatriate quite easily: ask them to count to a hundred in French.
Being a former Belgian colony, they will not say “soixante, soixante-dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt-dix” as they do elsewhere in Francophone Africa, but “soixante, septante, octante et nonante”. Trivial you may think, but knowledge of Congo matters and that starts with history and its relationship with Belgium.
Saint-Pierre’s Antebellum Bell
History 2 Comments »
This is a sincere appeal to help locate a church bell that was taken as a war prize in 1793 from Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon to Nova Scotia. This appeal was fist published in 1999 on various usenet forums.
When was this BELL taken?
It was taken by British troops from Halifax under Wentworth, Olgivie and King when they attacked Saint-Pierre in May of 1793. The islands were subsequently occupied and the entire population deported by 1794. “The island of St Peter’s with that of Miquelon was taken from the French Republic the beginning of this War by the Alligator, Frigate, and a detachment of three hundred men under the command of General Olgivie, from Halifax. … A number of the Inhabitants, Prisoners of War, have been sent to Nova Scotia.” - Aaron Thomas 1794.
Why was this BELL taken?
It was a war prize. Before deporting the population most possessions were destroyed. “The whole of the Inhabitans are to be sent away in a month’s time, and then the Town is to be burtn down and everything destroy’d, after which the English Soldiers will evacuate the place. ” - Aaron Thomas.
Of Trees And Flowers
About Me, Ancestors, History No Comments »
By John Daly
I have often wondered why people when planting trees or shrubs rely for seedlings almost exclusively on the commercial nurseries when we have so many varieties of lovely wild trees in Cape Breton that can be had for only a little trouble of digging them up and transplanting. Then, too, they possess the advantage of being acclimated and will withstand the rigors of our winters much better than most imported trees and will bloom for generations, whereas many nursery shrubs and trees have a very ephemeral life, more especially if the plantation happens to be near the sea and is exposed to the cold, salty winds of the spring and fall.
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Miquelon.org