THE MISSISQUOI LOYALISTS

byThomas C. Lampee '12. Proceedings ofthe Vermont Historical Society, Vol. VI,No. 2. $.75.

The American business man has from time to time in his spare moments, or upon retirement, cultivated the field of American history with notable success. Mr. Lampee appears to belong to this group of our historians, and his brief study of the Missisquoi loyalists is an excellent bit of historical investigation. Not only is it obviously the result of careful research, but the material is well organized and presented in an attractive manner. It is to be hoped that Mr. Lampee's historical interests will not end with the present study.

The story of the loyalists in the American Revolution is a tragic one. The particular group with which Mr. Lampee is concerned were settlers in northern New York state in the region between Albany and Lake Champlain. Here, following the outbreak of the war, they faced increasing persecution and eventually the confiscation of their lands and homes, particularly after the disastrous invasion of New York by Burgoyne in which many of them participated. Flight to Canada seemed now the only alternative, indeed it was forced by the New York government, and hundreds of unhappy Tory families gradually made their way across the border. In many cases this was a flight of women and children for the men were already in the military service of the Crown. Once in Canada, the New York refugees came under the protection and care of the royal government, and plans were eventually worked out for their permanent settlement, particularly on the upper St. Lawrence. Settlement along the provincial border was discouraged because of its trouble breeding possibilities. In spite of this prohibition, however, a small but determined group of loyalists attempted to found a settlement on Missisquoi Bay at the foot of Lake Champlain and just along the border. The difficulties with which these settlers had to content, the conflicting land claims and the persistent opposition of the British authorities, makes interesting reading, and throws further light on the problem which the loyalist refugees created in Canada.

Mr. Lampee adds much to the human interest of his story by weaving into the narrative the personal fortunes of Peter Miller and others of the loyalists who took part in the tragic struggle on the Champlain frontier and sought new homes in Canada.

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