Petition Chief Andrew Mius
Petition of Chief Andrew Mius
At the ceremonial "burying of hatchets"
at
the farm of Governor Jonathan Belcher
on June 25, 1761
The Chief of the Cape Breton Mi'kmaq stated in words translated
by Abbé Pierre Maillard the long-time French missionary among those people, that
he submitted himself "to the laws
of your government". Again, as Dr. Patterson
pointed out at page 54 of his written opinion, during the 1760s "authorities
in Nova
Scotia issued passes to various native persons acknowledging their submission and
guaranteeing their safe
passage" within and without Nova Scotia. Also, on June 22,
1771 Lieutenant Governor William Campbell issued a commission
to the Chief of
the Cape Sable Mi'kmaq allowing them to wear royal colours on condition that
he would order his people
to "strictly ." keep themselves always in Subjection &
Obedience".
Finally, at page 55 of his written opinion Dr.
Patterson refers to a petition that was
presented by Mi'kmaq Chief Adelah (Andrew Muis) to the Colonial Secretary
(Lord
Bathurst) in 1825, as to which Dr. Patterson commented as follows:
The problems, he [Chief Adelah] wrote, "do not reflect on the British Government,
which they are bound by treaty to serve
and support." Here he appended a copy
of the March 10, 1760 treaty signed with Michael Augustine of the Richibuctou
Micmac. Moreover, he said, the Micmac had been "unwilling to contend against the
Laws which he had pledged himself by
Treaty to obey".
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