J.S. McLennan, Louisbourg: From Its Foundation To Its Fall (Sydney: Fortress Press, 1969),

© Fortress Press

 Chapter 3: 

APPENDIX

ARCHIVES DU CANADA - ISLE ROYALE. (I.R. vol. 1 (St.) Ottawa.) 

COMPAGNIES 

Il y en a sept à lisle Royale dans chacune desquelles, il y a un Capitaine, un Lieutenant et un Enseigne, deux Sergents, deux caporaux, quarante-cinq soldats, et un tambour. 

Il leur est délivré tous les ans un habillement, une année le grand habillement et I'année suivante le petit. 

Le grand habillement consiste en un justaucorps, une culotte, deux chemises, deux cravates, un chapeau, une paire de bas et deux paires de souliers. 

Le petit habillement consiste en une veste, une culotte, deux chemises, deux cravates, un chapeau, une paire de bas et deux paires de souliers. 

Ces habillements ne dolvent estre délivrés qu'aux effectifs et on conserve le surplus dans les magasins pour les recrues. 

La ration du sergent et du soldat est par jour dune livre et demie de pain, quatre onces de lard cru ou demy livre de bceuf, quatre onces de légumes, un quarteron de beurre et cinq livres de mélasse par mois. 

Cette ration est plus forte qu'en Canada où il ne se délivre au soldat par jour qu'une livre et demie de pain et un quarteron de lard, cette augmentation a été accordée à Plaisance à cause du mauvais pays et continué à lisle Royale par rapport au nouvel Etablissement, quand le pays sera establi ou la diminuera. 

Il est retents pour l'habillement et ration par mois au Sergent 9 ff. 10 s., au Caporal 7 ff. 10 s. et au soldat 7 ff. 10 s. de sorte qu'il reste de solde toute déduction faire, excepté celle des 4 s. pour livre, au Sergent 13 ff. par mois, au Caporal 6 ff. et au soldat 30 s. 

La distribution de l'habillement, des vivres et de la solde regarde le Commissaire Ordonnateur. 

Tout le militaire regarde le Gouverneur de lisle et les fonctions de l'un et de l'autre sont les mêmes que celles du Gouverneur Général et de l'Intendant du Canada. 

THE CROSS OF ST. LOUIS

The correspondence of all the French officers shows an eagerness for the Cross of St. Louis. This order was founded by Louis XIV. in 1693. There had been up to that time only two orders - that of St. Michel, founded by Louis XI. in 1469, and the Saint Esprit, founded by Henri III., 1578-79, the former of which had fallen into such discredit that Henry gave command that none should be admitted to the splendid order he was founding save Knights of St. Michel ; therefrom springs the expression so common under the splendid portraits of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, designating the subject as of  " the King's Orders." The restrictions of the Order of Saint Esprit to those of lofty descent left Louis XIV. without means of honouring the many officers who distinguished themselves in his service, so the Order of St. Louis was founded. The King was Grand Master, the Dauphin or heir-presumptive to the throne was a member, there were eight Grand Cross, twenty-four Commanders, who could only be admitted as Knights, and as many Knights as the King might designate. It was reserved to Catholics, officers on sea or land who had served for ten years. 

Admission to the order carried pensions of considerable value. As the order was at first constituted the junior Knights, thirty-two had a pension of 800 £. ; forty-eight, 1000 £ ; twenty-four higher, 1500 £ ; and the highest twenty, 2000 £ ; but in 17I9 the Regent increased the number of Chevaliers from 128 to 413, with pensions decreasing from 2000 £ to 200 £. The recipient at his induction knelt, swore to serve the King faithfully, and no other sovereign without permission, that he was a Catholic, and that he would live as a good, wise, virtuous, and valiant Knight ; the Governor drew his sword, touched him on each shoulder and delivered to him the order, which he was to wear on a flame-coloured ribbon on his chest. At the death of a Chevalier his Cross was returned. The large number of Chevaliers of the Order led to abuses, and apparently at Louisbourg it came almost to be a question of length of service. In 1749 it was so common in France that, apparently up to that time there had been no danger in representing oneself as belonging to the Order. In consequence an "ordonnance" was issued forbidding the wearing its Cross without authority. [1] The pensions do not seem to have been paid regularly. An interesting list of the Louisbourg refugees at Rochefort about 1763, which gives particulars of the officers, their families, their debts and resources, in no case mentions the pension of the Chevaliers as a source of income, and in the lively conversation of Le Neveu de Rameau reference is made to the destitution of some of the Chevaliers. 

1. Its history in three vols., L'Ordre de St-Louis, has been written by A. Mazas, Paris, 1860. A number of the Isle Royal Chevaliers are not noted in the lists he gives. A list of officers of Louisbourg, 1744-63 (Arch. Col. D 4) shows that the Majors, Aide-Majors, and every Captain of ten years' service had received the Cross, usually at the end of that time.