ALS. The writer acknowledges the addressee's letter of 24 November 1827 [see Lettere 288], received on 25 April 1828. He describes his 15 June-23 August [1827] journey, mentioning ways of travelling and distances between locations (in Nova Scotia: Annapolis Royal, Halifax; in New Brunswick: Digby, Saint John, East Port, Saint Andrews, Fredericton, Miramichi; in the United States: Moore Island), recalling his meeting with Fraser (15 June) and Fraser's consecration (24 June). On the number of priests available, the writer mentions five [French-]Canadians [Lefèbvre de Bellefeuille is one] and five Irish [J. Carroll 1797-after 1833, McSweeney are two] in New Brunswick, one Irish [FitzGerald], one Scot [B.D. MacDonald] and a first-year student in Prince Edward Island.
[In 1826] he sent one Irish priest [Lawlor] to [Broad Cove, in] Cape Breton Island, but he cannot speak Celtic, whereas most of the 300 Catholic families there do not understand English and the 600/800 Highland Scot families have no priest. Whereas the abp. of Québec [Panet] has no Celtic-speaking priests to send there and his Irish priests sent to New Brunswick were a shame to religion, the writer could, in co-operation with Fraser, send students to Scotland, Spain, France or Rome. In fact, during the coming summer he will send two students [E. MacEachern, N. MacEachern] to Rome, with maps that [Angus] Macdonald, Rector of Scots College, will illustrate to the addressee (letters for the writer should be entrusted to Macdonald).
On the matter of the erection of the bishopric of New Brunswick, the writer doubts Panet's position, mentions A. McDonell and Poynter, recalls various letters: [1] Plessis to [A.B.] MacEachern, 13 July 1825; [2] Panet to the Holy See, 15 April 1826; [3] Panet to MacEachern, 23 August 1826; [4] Panet to MacEachern, 20 March 1827. Personally, the writer received assurances of a pension from Kempt, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia (meeting of past summer [1827]), and from [H.] Douglas, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. As for Newfoundland, the island is 200/300 leagues distant, and he has no knowledge of either Fleming, Sinnott or T. Browne.