Soldiers lodgings in Montréal, 5 October 1685.

126

Jacques René de Brisay, knight and seigneur; marquis of Denonville and other places, Governor and Lieutenant général for the king in Canada, Acadia, the Islands of Newfoundland and other islands of north America.

The King’s service requesting that we place five infantry companies on the Island of Montréal for the winter; and as there are not enough inhabitants to provide well for them, which would be their responsibility, if we do not make some rules, the intention of the king not being that the said inhabitants be restricted by his troops, we have thought it right to make it known to the said troops that the intention of his Majesty is that the officers see to it that the soldiers maintain a disciplined life by means of their income, which will be supplied to them regularly for provisions and upkeep, and behave so well that their hosts will not tire of having them in their lodgings, and it is agreed that they [the hosts] will only be required to provide them with shelter, bedding, a cauldron, or pail, and a place by their fire, the said fire being maintained by the inhabitant together with the soldier, who will also be required to assist the inhabitant in the cutting and carting of wood. And with regard to all other needs We

127

expect that they will do right by their hosts, so that the inhabitant will have no cause to complain to us. For this, we enjoin all officers to visit their companies as frequently as at all possible, in order to be informed of how each soldier is behaving with his host;[...] we order all soldiers to work with their hosts, with the promise that there will be no misuse or reduction of their pay. And if the said ordinance is not executed, we enjoin the said inhabitants to notify Monsieur de Callière,

128

the governor of Montreal, of this fact, and he will see that our orders are executed, and will notify us of those who contravene the present ordinance.

Whereof we have signed the present ordinance and placed our military seal on it and have had it countersigned by Our secretary, ordaining that it be read, published and posted wherever required.

Done at Villemarie the 5th 8bre[October] 1685.
(Signed) M. de denonville
with paraph
By Monseigneur
Desnoyers, with paraph

Source: Roy, Pierre-Georges, éd., "Ordinance of M. de Denonville regarding soldiers in Montréal," Ordonnances, commissions, etc., des gouverneurs et intendants, 1639-1706 (Beauceville: L'Éclaireur, 1924), vol. II, p. 126-128.

Return to parent page