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PRELIMINARY REPORT ON DAUPHIN BASTION

BY

BERNARD POTHIER

September 9, 1964

(Fortress of Louisbourg Report H B 8)

NOTE:
Presently, the bibliography is not included here.
For these, please consult the original report in the archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg

PARAGRAPH C: 

OCCUPATION OF THE BASTION-CURTAIN SITE PRIOR TO 1728, 
AND ITS PREPARATION FOR CONSTRUCTION

Only three properties seem to have been involved in expropriation for the construction of the Dauphin bastion, and the curtain between it and the King's bastion. In fact for the latter, I have found no record of property. At the bastion site, the first property was situated at the bottom of the Dauphin bastion hill, on the shore of the étang, near the re-entrant angle. This small property, 33 x 48 pieds., once belonged to Marie Gautier of Havre du Saint-Esprit, the widow of a "capitaine-marchand". It is shown on plans as early as 1717-2. In June 1720, Marie Gautier sold her property for 600", to Marc-Antoine Laforest, "procureur à l'Amirauté". In 1728, the year the fortifications were begun here, Laforest was required to tear down his buildings. The occasion is recorded in 20 avril 1728:

 Etat et dénombrement de la maison que M. de la Forest a été obligé de démolir a cause qu'elle étoit scituée au pied de la butte où l'on fait la fortification du demi-bastion Dauphin à louisbourg," AC / C11B / 10 / 154-154v. 

This document is well detailed. The picket house was 50 pieds by 15 pieds with a "chambre a feu" 15 pieds. by 15 pieds. This room shared a double fireplace with a kitchen whose dimensions were 15 pieds by 14 pieds Two large windows looked onto the harbour to the North-East, and a windowed door led into the garden on the South-West. The house had an attic and adjoining, "un petit magasin en piquets", 15 pieds. by 12 pieds. The property had a courtyard 30 pieds by 70 pieds and a fence around it. There was a flourishing garden which measured 60 pieds by 60 pieds. In 1728, Laforest claimed an indemnity of 3000" which, though evidently an exaggerated figure, nevertheless indicates some considerable improvement brought to the original 600" investment (1728, AC / C11B /10 / 155).

Only three of our early plans show the property, and all of these before M. de Laforest came into its ownership: 1717-2. 1720-2 and N. D. 6 (circa 1720). Scaling the property on the 1717-2 plan suggests the single structure was circa 24 pieds by 15 pieds, and the garden, 20 pieds by circa 40 pieds. The N. D. 6 plan vaguely shows a structure, but no garden.

Adjoining Laforest's property was that of "Rodrigue, habitant peacheur" fronting the harbour. This property was of considerably larger dimensions, having two fairly large buildings, "vigneaux", and an "enchaffut" directly in front of the buildings on the harbour. The "vigneaux" extended along 4/5 of what would later become the face of the Dauphin bastion, and in breadth, occupied most of the future gorge of the bastion, and a goodly portion of the ditch in front of the face (Plan 1720-2). The 1717-2 plan shows the same structures (by scaling, circa 50 pieds by 15 pieds, and 40 pieds by 18-20 pieds respectively), as does N. D. 6. The property was referred to once in official correrspondance: A "Mémoire du Roy" of 1722 mentioned the fact that Rodrigue was affected by the ordonnance of 8 July 1721, regarding private construction which encumbered the proposed fortifications. The document stated that "le demi-bastion Dauphin luy a osté partie de son terrain" (12 mai 1722, à Saint-Ovide et de Mezy, AC / C11B / 6 / 30-35).

The third property situated in the area of the Dauphin bastion complex was that on which one widow Peré, "habitante de Louisbourg", erected a frame house in 1728, the very year construction began at the Dauphin bastion. Since the house was situated forward of the Dauphin gate, widow Peré refused to believe Verrier's warning that the building would eventually have to be levelled in order to that her property accommodate the glacis. She did agree however that should her house ever be in the way she would comply with the needs of the fortifications.

The proprietress died in 1731 or 1732, and her heirs sold the property to Sr. Benoist. He in turn became recalcitrant and refused to demolish. Benoist may have bought the foredoomed property in order to speculate on its value, hoping to obtain eventually an indemnity higher than the price of purchase. In 1741, the house was described in an official document as being 48 pieds by 42 pieds with upstairs and downstairs, double fireplace, and a "magasin de piquets debout" adjoining, 29 pieds by 25 pieds (19 oct, 1741, Estimation des bâtisses..." AC / C11B / 24 / 219-220).

Sr. Benoist agreed to tear down his house. The engineer Verrier wrote: 

"Ce particulier n'étant pas en état de rétablir sa maison, J'estime que le roi pourrait lui accorder un dédommagement pour l'aider à bâtir ailleurs" (1 nov. 1738, Verrier, AC /C11B/ 20 / 227-235).

In spite of this latest development the house and an adjoining building were still standing in 1741, though the property had been confiscated. In this year the property was officially valued at circa 1000" (19 oct, 1741, C11B/24/219-220).

The plans 1730-2 and 1732-3 show two properties infringing on the Dauphin bastion glacial one quite entirely, the other slightly, with merely a corner of a garden touching upon the tail of the glacis. The Verrier view, 1731-1, shows a gabled house and adjoining smaller building nearest the glacis, but this doesn't seem to be the Benoist property. 

The property appears again on the 1733-7 and 1735-1 plans. 1739-1 shows no trace of any property on the Dauphin gate glacis, but on 1740-1, Verrier has illustrated the Benoist buildings in broken lines indicative probably of the limited future of the property. We are not able to date the demolition of Sr. Benoist's buildings. There is not even specific evidence that the buildings were torn down, though it is certain that they were. 

It is reasonable to suppose that only the three properties of "M. de la Forest, le nommé Rodrigue and Sr. Benoist" were involved in the construction of the Dauphin bastion and curtain. Neither the documentary nor the cartographic evidence point to any other property granted or taken up in the area. Furthermore, after these three, there remained hardly enough land to constitute a worthwhile property.

The only documentary reference to early preparations for construction at the Dauphin bastion and curtain area was late in 1727 when the engineer Verrier requested that the contractor, Ganet, stockpile fieldstone ("moellon") for the battery to be erected inside the gorge of the bastion. This was the stone used in the masonry of which the actual walls of both fortifications and buildings were built.

That Ganet did in effect stockpile fieldstone at the Dauphin bastion for the work which began there in 1728, is confirmed in letters written in late November, 1727, by four different Louisbourg officials (Verrier, Saint-Ovide, DeMezy and Sabatier). 

The fieldstone used at Louisbourg was picked up from the immediate area surrounding the fortress, and along the seashore, a course Franquet was to deplore much later. Such stone as that found about Louisbourg, in addition to being of unquestionable inferior quality, was much too polished by the elements to bond well together. Furthermore, the stones used were generally much too small considering the enormous weight ot the walls, especially those of the fortifications. Franquet's alternative was to use in the walls of the ramparts nothing but 

des pierres cassées au marteau provenant des entrailles des carrières, et non aucunes de celles répandues dans la campagne, ou que le roulis de la mer dépose à ses bords. Outre, qu'étant lissées, elles n'aspirent point le mortier, elles sont tellement arrondies qu'elles ne forment point de liaisoin
(13 Oct. 1750, Franquet, Génie / Mss. R, 205b / 11-19). 

This was virtually impossible however, or at any rate prohibitive, in terms of cost, and Versailles, the idea was not even considered.

We know of course that for the quoins and angles of the fortifications and the buildings freestone was used,
but there was very little talk of such stone, at any time during the Louisbourg period. Occasionally, traces of limestone were found at various points in Ile Royale. This stone was used both for quoins and
angles, as well as for the extraction of the lime used in the preparation of mortar.

In 1722, 422 barriques of limestone were taken to Louisbourg from Port Dauphin for the fortifications. In 1727 limestone quarried on the property of M. de Catalogne was being used (according to de Catalogne himself) at the fortifications of Louisbourg. This may not relate directly to the Dauphin bastion, but limestone for which de Catalogne claimed responsibility may have been stockpiled at the Dauphin bastion, or used there in subsequent years.

Between 1725 and 1728, 3693 cubic pieds of freestone were taken on as ballast at Rochefort and brought to Louisbourg for the fortifications (29 déc, 1729, Etat du prix d'achat.... AC / C11B / 10 / 226-226v). It is quite possible that some of this stone was used at the Dauphin bastion.

At any rate the 3693 cubic pieds recorded shipped from Rochefort from 1725 to 1728 was hardly enough for the requirements of the bastion area. A likely possibility is that both the stone from Rochefort and stone quarried on Ile Royale was used here. For neither have I, nor has Miss Dilys Francis, who is making a study of mines and quarries on Ile Royale, been able, from our documentary evidence to determine the characteristics.

There is no further information relating to preparing the Dauphin bastion site for construction. The plan 1720-2 shows, along the curtain, a lime kiln and basin and, directly opposite the étang, the beginnings of a causeway being formed from excavation along the Dauphin bastion face. The causeway was described as a "digue commencée pour le transport des matériaux de la fortification". The block and lot Plan 1723-1 shows the causeway entirely build across the étang, save for a passage of a bare 10 pieds or so near the side of the King's bastion side. 

The above lime kiln and those built later on the same site (the plan 1730-3 shows three "fours à chaux a démolir") probably were utilized in preparing the mortar for both the King's bastion and the Dauphin bastion, and once work was terminated in this area they were dismantled.

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