The New Student's Reference Work/Acadia

Aca′dia (a-kā′dĭ-a) or Acadie. It was in 1497, or thereabouts, that the Cabots visited, if they were not the discoverers of, Nova Scotia. French Colonists came here in 1604. They were driven out by settlers from Virginia who rested their claim on the right of discovery. The French gave the land the name of Acadie. In 1621 it was changed to Nova Scotia. In 1621 James I granted the peninsula to Sir William Alexander. In 1654 the French again established themselves in the colony. The country was ceded to them in 1667, but the English regained it in 1713.

The French Acadians now make one-tenth of the population of Nova Scotia. In only one county (Richmond) have they a majority. They are as one to four of the population of New Brunswick. Their settlements in New Brunswick are compact. One-seventh of the population of Prince Edward Island is Acadian. Their chief center in Prince Edward is at Tignish, on the west coast. There are 140,000 Acadians in the maritime provinces.