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François Bigot
The commissaire-ordonnateur was the senior financial representative of the ministry of the
Marine of France in Louisbourg. The active commissaire-ordonnateur in 1744 was François Bigot, who had arrived in Louisbourg in 1739. His jurisdiction included the administration of justice, finance, stores and provisions, and he was expected to promote religion and morality. The hospital and bakery were also included in his administration. Bigot was a member of the Conseil de Guerre, as was every commissaire-ordonnateur.
In 1759, Bigot was blamed for the loss of Quebec. He was arrested and sent back to France to await his trial. The main charges against him were embezzling, womanizing, and gambling. The duration of his trial was two years which he spent in the Bastilles, the main French prison. He was found guilty, but since he was a member of the upper class he was not be sentenced to death. Instead, he was exiled from France to Switzerland for the rest of his life. This episode was called l'Affaire du Canada.
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