Hi Folks: Proclamation acknowledges deportation December 5, 2003; FRENCHVILLE, Maine- After nearly 250 years, Evangeline and Gabrielle, the immortalized heroes of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's tragic poem about the deportation of Acadians at the hands of the British, are getting their due. After more than a decade of trying to get Queen Elizabeth II of England to apologize for the ethnic cleansing brought about by the deportation of Acadians from Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, in 1755, the apology is being made. The deportation occurred between 1775 and 1783, scattering French-speaking people into Maine and as far south as Louisiana. Queen Elizabeth's apology comes through a back door by way of the Canadian Federal Cabinet, which approved the order this week. The proclamation will become official next week when it is signed by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the queen's representative in Canada. Balance of this article can be viewed on my web site at http://www.acadian.org/apology.html Enjoy. Yvon Cyr Acadian Genealogy Homepage