Petition of Noel Briot, 4 August 1853, Northumberland County. Transcription.

Digital facsimile of "Petition of Noel Briot, 4 August 1853, Northumberland County," Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, RS108, reel F4255, Fredericton, New Brunswick. In "Contested Terrain: Aboriginal Land Petitions in New Brunswick, 1786-1878," Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick.

This version published online 25 March 2010.

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[ view ]
818/53)
To His Excellency Sir Edmund Head
Baronet, Lt. Governor and Commander in Chief
of the Province of New Brunswick &c
The Petition of Noel Briot, Chief of the
Micmac Indians at Burnt Church and
Tabusintac, on behalf of his Tribe; -
Humbly Sheweth
That in Your Petitioner's tribe
there are Eighty-nine men, heads of
families, principally residing at Burnt
Church Point
; that at the Point they
have Twenty four head of Cattle, and that
for Hay to feed these in the winter, they
rely on the Marsh at Tabusintac, part
of the Indian reserve there.
— 2 —
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That the Tribe have heard with
alarm that this Marsh is shortly to be
sold at Newcastle, by the Indian Com-
-missioners, under Your Excellency's order
in Council.
That this Sale will be ruinous to
Your Petitioners, and will wholly deprive
them of the power of keeping Stock,
as they have no other place where
they can keep procure hay.
That Your Petitioners do not wish
any more of the land at Tabusintac Sold
but they most especially object to the
Sale of the Marsh, without which they
will be reduced to extreme poverty.
— 3 —
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Your Petitioners therefore Humbly
Pray, That Your Excellency will take
this petition into favourable consideration
and grant an order to stop the Sale of
the Said marsh for the present when it
will be found on enquiry that the facts
are as Your Petitioners State, and they
also pray that Your Excellency will
reconsider the propriety of selling any more
of the Indian Reserve at Tabusintac at
this time, as they wish it to remain unsold
for the present.
And Your Petitioners as in Duty bound
On behalf of the Indians at
Burnt Church & Tabusintac
Noel his X mark Briot
Witness
M. H. Perley
— 4 —
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Noel Briot
Indian prays that
the sales of Indian land
at Tabusintac may be
stayed.
Aug t 8/53
Stop the sale
& send copy
to the Commrs
(signature)
Aug. 8/53
Telegraphed to Council
Aug 8/53
Copy sent Council [unclear]