MOTTE, Emmanuel Auguste Le Cahideuc, Comte du Boys de la (mott), French naval officer, born in Rennes, 7 June, 1683; died in his castle of Des Mottes, near Rennes, 23 October, 1764. He entered the navy as a midshipman in 1698, and for his valor during the expedition to Rio Janeiro in June, 1711, was promoted captain. He was employed afterward in the West Indies and in Canada, and gained, on 28 November, 1747, off Martinique, a brilliant naval victory over the English. He was promoted rear-admiral in 1751, and appointed in June of the same year governor-general of Santo Domingo and the French possessions in the West Indies west of Martinique. Govrenor Motte fixed his residence in Port au Prince, and did much to improve the colony. During his administration the French possessions attained great prosperity. La Motte founded the city of Jeremie, and built, both in Cape Francais and Port au Prince, navy-yards that soon rivalled that of Martinique, also opening highroads, erecting bridges, draining marshes, importing from Europe many useful trees and seeds, founding public libraries in all the principal cities, and establishing schools everywhere for the negroes. He was succeeded in 1753 by the Marquis de Vaudreuil, to the great regret of all the inhabitants, and was sent to command a fleet in Canada. In 1757 he received orders to relieve Louisburg, and gained a decisive victory over a superior English force, which has been often celebrated by marine painters. He was promoted vice-admiral in 1762, and was employed till the conclusion of peace in Canada and the West Indies, retiring after the treaty of Paris in 1763. His statue was erected afterward in Port au Prince, but it was destroyed during the troubles of 1792.