We're in the middle of December right now, preparing for the holidays, but take a moment to remember... Right around now, in 1758, some time between December 10 and December 15, during the Acadian expulsion of Prince Edward Island, some 700 Acadians died when their decrepit and overcrowded ships sank crossing the Atlantic for France. Sir Arthur Doughty, Canada's first Dominion Archivist and Keeper of the Public Records, wrote about this some time after 1904: "The largest of these transports was the Duke William; another was named the Violet.... Nine transports sailed in consort, but were soon caught in a violent tempest and scattered. On December 10 the Duke William came upon the Violet in a sinking condition; and notwithstanding all efforts at rescue, the Violet went down with nearly four hundred souls. Meanwhile the Duke William herself had sprung a leak. For a time she was kept afloat by empty casks in the hold, but presently it became evident that the ship was doomed...an explosion occurred and the Duke William went down, taking three hundred persons to a watery grave…” Je me souviens... -- Scott Michaud http://MichaudBarn.com _________________________________________________________________ Winterize your home with tips from MSN House & Home. http://special.msn.com/home/warmhome.armx