Legacy of the Machault, English

Legacy of the Machault A Collection of 18th-century Artifacts Catherine Sullivan Studies in Archaeology Architecture and History National Historic Parks and Sites Branch Parks Canada Environment Canada ©Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1986. Available in Canada through authorized book store agents and other bookstores, or by mail from the Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, Hull, Quebec, Canada KIA OS9. La traduction francaise s'intitule L'heritage du Machault: une collection d'artefacts du XVIIIe siecle (no de catalogue R61-2/9-31F). En vente au Canada par l'entrernise de nos agents libraires agrees et autres librairies, ou par la poste au Centre d'edition du gouvernement du Canada, Approvisionnements et Service Canada, Hull, Quebec, Canada KIA OS9. Price Canada: $9.50 Price other Countries: $1l.40 Price subject to change without notice. Catalogue No.: R61-2/9-31E ISBN: 0-660-12067-4 ISSN: 0821-1027 Published under the authority of the Minister of the Environment, Ottawa, 1986. Editing: Jean Brathwaite. Design: James Miller and Werner Wicke. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and not necessarily those of En vironment Canada. Cover photo by Rock Chan; frontispiece photos by David L. Arnold, © National Geographic Society. Contents 5 Preface 7 Introduction 9 The Ship 13 Working the Ship 27 Commerce and Trade ~33 ................... .. Weaponry 45 Tools and Equipment 55 Food and Drink 75 Clothing 85 Miscellany 95 Colour Illustrations 105 Bibliography Le port de Bordeaux. (Cour telY of Stephen R. Daois.) 4 Preface Research on the Machault's artifacts could not have written it but for infor was undertaken by a number of Parks mation generously supplied by my col Canada's material culture specialists leagues. Charles Bradley, Douglas over many years, and was one of our Bryce, Stephen Davis, Gerard Gusset, earliest experiences of relating domes Virginia Myles, Ron Whate, Eileen tic and military objects to a marine site. Woodhead, and Waiter Zacharchuk Historic documentation about the ship contributed research material sum had not prepared anyone for the quan marized here, and much encourage tities of virtually identical goods that ment in preparing it. were to appear in the excavation. Which The photographic work that en objects, we asked ourselves, had France hances the manuscript was done by supplied to save the colony; what had Rock Chan except only pp. 14,28, and the soldiers, sailors, naval and military 47 (far right), by George Vandervlugt. officers carried aboard for their per Drawings of objects, sometimes based sonal comfort during the crossing; on little more than small pieces of would some of the obviously domestic unique items, were created by Dorothy artifacts have been considered ship's ac Kappler Larsen (pp. 15, 34, 35, 73, 88), cessories; what portion of the men's Susan Laurie-Bourque (pp. 25,28, 36, possessions would have been standard 59,64,82), Carol Piper (pp. 14, 18,41), issue; how did quantities of British Ron Whate (p. 72), and Derek Ford made merchandise get loaded onto this (p. 19). French ship in Bordeaux when France Cleaning deposits of various types and England were actively at war with from delicate surfaces, recovering tiny one another? artifacts from large amorphous con Furthermore, the Machault was by cretions, advising on handling and dis no means an undisturbed deposit. playing the objects, and preserving and Rather than lying in successive occupa stabilizing the ship's massive hull com tion layers as it usually does on land ponents all required a great deal of sites, later material dropped into the imagination, persistence, and straight sea over the wreck was subject to the hard work by Parks Canada's Conserva same forces, and assumed the same dis tion Division in Ottawa. Many deserve tribution pattern, as the 18th-century acknowledgements for their efforts, material. This intermixing of 18th-cen but those of Lorne Murdock, Thomas tury and later material initiated some Daley, Robert Marion, and Victoria debate about introduction dates of spe Jenssen are particularly noteworthy. cific advances in manufacturing tech Waiter Zacharchuk directed ar nology and about the origins of some chaeology on the Machault. The project artifacts. as a whole owes much to him, and I am This book presents a portion ofthe grateful for his assistance with this Machault artifacts, selected because they manuscript. were very typical or very unusual. 1 5 o (), WU, Miles 6 Introduction By the autumn of 1759, while the expected. We had expected to find Seven Years' War raged on in Europe, remnants of the supplies destined for France's future in Canada was in the colony, and little else. However, re jeopardy. Believing that the British, searchers studying the artifacts believe who had taken Quebec in September, that the French had cleared from the could be driven out of the city and out Machault most of the food, munitions, of the colony, the governor of New tools, and other supplies that France France sent his king urgent requests for had sent for the Canadian cause, most men, munitions, and provisions to rally of the personal belongings of the sail the citizens and retake the capital. In ors, soldiers and officers, and most of April 1760 a small fleet left Bordeaux the items related to everyday living. Ma for Canada. In the GulfofSt. Lawrence terial left behind included the Ma the French learned that a British f1eet chaults weaponry, things that had been had preceded them up the St. Lawrence lost, broken or discarded, spare parts and secured the city. Because they and tools, mess supplies for those who needed to put ashore to bake bread and stayed on board up to the ship's last take on fresh water and meat, the moments, and - in completely unex French harboured in Chaleur Bay, near pected quantities - cargo that the the mission at Restigouche. They sent French could not have used in the land messengers overland to report to the camp or that was privately owned. The governor in Montreal. greatest portion of this cargo was pri In the meantime, the French un vate venture merchandise, mainly ta loaded supplies to feed and clothe their blewares, much of which appears to Micmac allies and refugee Acadians at have been hastily assembled in Bor Restigouche, established shore bat deaux and stowed in the lowest part of teries for defence, and were joined by the Machault's hold. others loyal to the French king. They On the pages that follow, the ar were finally found in late June by a tifacts from the Machault reveal aspects powerful British squadron, and the bat of 18th-century maritime travel, de tle that followed was inevitably a British fence at sea, and a variety of daily victory. human activities. Some are specifically Parks Canada excavated the Ma maritime related. Others echo objects chault, flagship of the little French fleet, found on land sites from the French two centuries after it sank. The amount period in Canada and in 18th-century of material recovered was enormous; French still-life paintings. Still others the types ofmaterial recovered were not are not often recovered from land sites 7 Introduction although we know that they were com to amass private fortunes. The cargo of monly used at the time. They show that consumer goods was transported at the lSth-century Canadians who could af king's expense to a colony battered by ford to pay were supplied with con years of war. sumer goods from every part of the Yet because of the disaster that be globe. They also confirm the greed of fell the Machault, we can now present a some government employees in Can rich and diverse collection of material ada during the final years ofthe French goods from one of France's last ship regime. These men used public funds ments to its North American colony. 8 The Ship Afrigate fume to, drifting slightly in the wind. (Daniel Lescallier, Traite pratique du greement des vaisseaux et autres bati ments de rn e r. ... [Paris: Clousier, 1791J, PI. 34.) 9 The Ship A 26-gun, three-masted frigate from the 18th century. (Daniel Lescallier, Traite pratique du greement des vaisseaux et au tres batirn enrs de mer.... [Paris: Clousier; 1791 j, Pl. 18.) 10 The Ship The frigate Machault was launched to 41 metres long on the main deck, 11 in Bayonne in 1758 as a privateer, and metres wide inside the hull, and 5.5 later refitted as a convoy vessel. No metres high from the bilges to the deck. plans of the ship survive, and only por Below the main deck appears to have tions of the ship remain. There is some been a lower deck located aft and prob controversy about the Machault's size, ably a rope deck located forward. The said to have been between 500 and 550 Machault's ribs, floor timbers, and inner tons, and about the number of guns it and outer planking were made of red carried. However, the Machault would oak. Outer planking from the main have resembled the vessel illustrated deck to below the water line averaged here. Reconstruction of the Machault's nine centimetres thick to reinforce the midsection suggests that the ship was hull and protect it from enemy can about 34 metres long at the keel and 39 nonballs. II 12 Working the Ship Pas-Caert van Terra Nova.... Amsterdam, [1670-1705]. (Pub lic Archives Canada, National Map Collection, NMC 24907.) 13 Standing Rigging Standing rigging - stays and futtock plates that attach one set of shrouds - hold masts upright on sail shrouds to a lower set through wooden ing vessels.

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