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letter of instruction to James White, speaks of Mr. Noble as "a notorious Rebel, and one equally despic-able in both his public and private character," and adds that he cannot see how Mr. Perley can reconcile his styling himself "the sincere friend" of so notorious a rebel with his position as one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace. Mr. Perley appears to have stood the ordeal very creditably. Among the questions pro-pounded were the following:
"What was your motive for attempting a correspondence with Seth Noble and for writing to him the letter of which the annexed is a copy?
"Answer.—I meant not to maintain any correspondence with him, but as his wife was going to him in the Cartel, I wrote that letter now produced to acquaint him of the broken situation of the Church here and that it would be no encouragement to him to think of returning to them.
"Why do you stile yourself in the conclusion of your letter to Mr. Noble his "Sincere Friend?"
"Answer.—He was an old acquaintance before the present disturbances arose and I had no reference in stiling myself his friend to anything but his person; I did not mean that I was a friend to his principles, I also wish to observe that at the time I wrote the letter in question I meant it should pass under inspection of the commanding officer at Fort Howe and on that account I sent it open and unscaled."
THE ACADIAN MELANSONS.
Mr. Placide P. Gaudet, as good an authority on such a subject as any in Canada, has, in an article in the Weymouth Free Press of January 6th, conclusively shewn that Pierre Melanson, the immigrant ancestor of the Acadian Melansons, came to Acadia from Scotland; but he has not proved that the name is Scotch, or that he was of Scotch descent. He cites an affidavit made at Belle Isle en-Mer in 1767 by one Joseph LeBlane, dit le Maigre, who says he was married to Anne, daughter of Alexandre Bourg and his wife Marguerite Melanson, who was the daughter of Pierre