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+ Conclusion THE INITIAL FINDING IS THAT BOTH THE ADMINISTRATORS AND A LARGE NUMBER of the colonists on He Royale wanted to see their colony organized so that it reflected an ideal of an ordered society. The urge toward order was strongest and most evident at Louisbourg, the major center on the island. A multitude ofcontrolling measures were introduced in the capital of lIe Royale, with an eye to create a planned town and a hierarchically ordered "pacified society."! Ordered societies were sought in all parts of New France, though not always in the same way. Despite the fact that there was no single approach to setting up the different French colonies in North America, sufficient emphasis has not always been given to the variety.2 It is well known, for instance, that the seignieurial regime and fur trade were major influences in the settlements along the St. Lawrence River valley . Yet neither was of significance on He Royale or in Louisiana. Another contrast is evident in the religious sphere. The institutional role of the Roman Catholic Church was, at times, formidable in Canada, but it diminished the farther one moved away from the bishop at Quebec. At Louisbourg, parishioners refused to pay either a compulsory tithe or to contribute toward the construction of a parish church. Moreover, there was no provision for clerical representation on the local Superior Council.3 Regardless of the differences between lIe Royale and the other parts of New France, the Cape Breton colony was a recognizably French society. Fundamental aspects-most obviously the presence of a royal administration and official support for the Roman Catholic faith-were "givens" wherever the French settled, at least after the 1660s. Nonetheless, there was no pre-determined and comprehensive package of institutions or other mechanisms that the French authorities imposed, or wanted to see imposed, on He Royale in one fell SWOOp.4 Rather, specific controls Control and Order in French Colonial Louisbourg, 17I3-1758 were introduced in response to evolving conditions. As the demographic, economic and social face of Louisbourg changed, so did the problems to be faced. Different issues meant different solutions, which typically involved the introduction or adaptation of measures of control. We are not suggesting that everything that related to the creation of an ordered society on He Royale was done on an ad hoc basis. Rather, the broad objectives for the colony were developed by officials on both sides of the Atlantic. Administrators shared similar visions as to the sort of hierarchically ordered society they wanted to see. They regularly wrote of the need to preserve the tranquilliti of society and of how important it was to tenir la main against this or that abuse. The details on how to achieve the objectives, however, were usually not spelled out in advance-nor could they be. The picture that emerges on He Royale, and more particularly at Louisbourg, is of a society of individuals and groups who were more or less in constant transition, working out a range of approaches to the different challenges they faced. Royal officials certainly played leading roles in suggesting measures, yet they did not act in a social vacuum. Important parts were played by many others, including merchants , fishing proprietors, military officers, parish priests, and, at times, the ordinary colonists who toiled as fishers, artisans, laborers, soldiers and servants. Those "ordinary" colonists expressed themselves through written petitions, verbal comments and public gatherings. The measures adopted on He Royale typically replicated or resembled solutions developed elsewhere, either in France or in another part of New France. The economic orientations and demographic composition of Louisbourg society were unusual in the context of New France. Where most French colonies could be characterized as colonies de terre (because of their primary focus on land-based economic activity like agriculture and the fur trade), He Royale was a first and foremost a colonie de mer. The cod fishery and maritime commerce were the life-springs of its economy. As for the make-up of its population, Louisbourg and He Royale attracted people from a number of different regions in France, making it home to a range of "minority" populations. Differences existed in terms of ethnicity, language, and sometimes religion. The Basques, for instance, differed on two of the three categories ; the German-speaking Protestants of the Karrer Regiment on all three. The diversity in the Cape Breton colony, along with a pronounced and prolonged imbalance in the sexes, had the potential to create difficulties not...

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