L'épave du Elizabeth and Mary - Ministère de la Culture et des ...

6. Identification de l’épave
Canada being lost in her return from
thence. Ordered that the Treasurer pay
unto Nicho Paige, John Poole, Daniel Allin
and Mary Lamb, owners of the said ship,
the sum of three hundred eighty seven
pounds in full satisfaction for the same.
William Phips 53 .
Quelques années plus tard, en juin 1695,
Samuell Newell de Roxbury revient à Boston
après avoir survécu à un naufrage et à une
captivité chez les Indiens et chez les Français :
June 6, 1695
The Petition of Samuell Newell of
Roxbury; Humbly Showeth That whereas
in ye Country Service against Cannida he
with the Company Suffered Ship Wrack
and more hardship than well can be
Expresst being six weex in ye desert feeding
sometimes on Rotten wood and
sometimes onsuch vermin as they could
find, in which hard ship some perished,
and then we that were alive fell into the
hands of the heathen whose Mercies we
found to be Cruelties one of us they killed
and other Dyed, and your Petitioner afterone
year of Indian Slavery got to the
french which was some what better but
still slavery and harship was his portion
with him 54 .
C’est plus d’une année plus tard que Cotton
Mather nous livre son récit qui détaille le sort
des quatre navires perdus, que nous reprenons
une fois de plus ici :
there were Three or Four Vessels which
totally miscarried: One was never heard
of, a Second was Wreck'd, but most of the
Men were saved by another in Company;
a third was Wreck'd so, that all the Men
were either starv'd, or drown'd, or slain by
the Indians, except one, which a long
while after was by means of the French
restored: And a fourth....a Brigantine whereof
Captain John Rainsford was Commander,
having about Three-score Men
aboard, was in a very stormy Night,
Octob. 28. 1690. stranded upon the desolate
and hideous Island of Antecosta 55 .
Ce n’est qu’après avoir passé en revue les différents
documents qui témoignent du sort des
navires ayant pris part à l’expédition que ressortent
la précision et la pertinence du document
de Mather. Il est alors possible de relier
les navires aux événements de ce document.
Le brigantin du John Rainsford qui a fait naufrage
à Anticosti est le Mary. Les documents
sont très clairs à ce sujet et les détails du naufrage
relatés par Mather sont bien connus.
Quant au navire qui, selon Mather, « ... was
Wreck'd, but most of the Men were saved by
another in Company... », il n’y a également
aucun doute qu’il s’agisse du Mary Ann, le
ketch-hôpital. Deux documents datés de 1700,
lors d’une enquête afin de retrouver un soldat
nommé Thomas Jackson, nous informent précisément
des circonstances de ce naufrage. Le
premier nous donne les détails de la perte du
navire :
February 1700
That Your Petitioners son Thomas Jackson
Served ther Majesties in the late expedition
to Cannada at ye Common Enemy
and was Entered on board the Six Friends
the 9th of July 1690 and continued thereupon
until the twenty fifth of November
then next following att which time he was
discharged into ye hospital Ketch which
afterward suffered Shipwrack butt ye men
being saved by another vessel your petitioners
son being among the rest was accidentally
carried to Barbados where
according to Information they arrived, on
or about the nith day of January then following
where your petitioner's son with
others were impressed into their then
majesties service on bord a man of Warr
where afterward, he departed this life 56 .
Le second, une déclaration du capitaine Gregory
Sugars, capitaine du navire qui a transféré
le malade, nous confirme le nom du
navire :
55