sequent report to the Secretary of State, he excused this unfortunate determination. "Having well weighed my peculiar position," said he, "and well knowing that in shutting myself within the walls of the city I should risk the whole stake on the chance of defending a wretched fortification, which could not be lessened by an action in the field."

Shortly after daybreak Murray formed his skeleton battalions on the Plains of Abraham, supported by twenty pieces of artillery, planted at the most favourable points. Having completed his order of battle, he rode to the front to reconnoitre the enemy's position. The previous night had been wet, so he found the French occupied in putting their arms into order, and in other respects unprepared, as he supposed, for action. Thinking this a favourable opportunity to assail them, he gave orders for an immediate attack, which was gladly obeyed by his little army, who pushed forward in admirable order over the brow of the heights and into the plains beyond.

De Levi at first could scarcely believe that the British seriously intended to attack his overwhelming force, and they had almost advanced within gun-shot range before he called his troops to arms. His line of battle, after a momentary confusion, was speedily formed, and some companies of grenadiers thrown into the woods on the right to cover his flank in that direction. These almost immediately encountered the skirmishers and light troops on the British left, who speedily drove them in on the main body, and following too far in pursuit got in front of their own artillery, and compelled its silence for a time. The advance of the British light troops was soon checked, however, by the steady front of the French supports, whose fire quickly compelled them to retire.

De Levi's army was by this time formed in battle array, and the action speedily became general. For an hour and three quarters did the battle rage with the utmost fury; but finally the numbers of the French prevailed. The British left was thrown into disorder and gave way; the right was also hardly pressed, and Murray was finally compelled to retreat, leaving nearly the whole of his guns in the hands of the enemy, and three hundred dead upon the field. The greater part of the wounded, amounting in all to seven hundred, he succeeded, however, in carrying with him.

Nearly a third of the British army were either killed or wounded; but still the French had dearly purchased their victory by a loss, according to their own admission, of fully eighteen hundred put hors

*

de combat. So exasperated were they at the obstinacy of the contest by so small a force, that they stained their triumph by refusing quarter to several English officers, and by giving up the British wounded, left on the field, to the fury of the Indians. Out of nearly one hundred of these unfortunate men, unavoidably abandoned by Murray in his retreat, only twenty-eight were sent to hospital; the rest were massacred by the savages.†

دو

But, if the British general had committed an error in hazarding a battle with his inferior force, he amply atoned for it by the resolute manner in which he prepared to defend the city. On the very evening of the battle he issued a general order to his troops, in which he sought to raise their spirits by stating, "that although the morning had been unfortunate to the British arms, yet affairs were not desperate; that a fleet might soon be expected; and it only remained for officers and men patiently to bear the unavoidable fatigues of a siege. The garrison was now reduced to two thousand two hundred effective men, but these were animated by the best spirit, and even the wounded men, who could not walk without crutches, seating themselves on the ramparts, made sand-bags for the works, and cartridges for the cannon. The soldiers' wives, of whom there were nearly five hundred, and all of whom with scarcely an exception had enjoyed excellent health during the winter, were also active in attending the wounded and cooking for the troops.

De Levi broke ground on the evening of the 28th, eight hundred yards from the ramparts, but several days elapsed before his batteries, consisting of thirteen guns and two mortars, opened upon the town. Murray had in the meantime placed one hundred and thirty-two guns in position on the walls, and as many of the infantry had been trained to act as artillerymen during the preceding winter, he was enabled to keep up a fire which completely overpowered that of the French. But the hopes of the besieged rested chiefly for deliverance on the arrival of the fleet. The French army looked also for aid from an expected squadron. On the 9th of May a frigate was seen rounding the headland of Point Levi, and standing towards the city. For a brief space an intense anxiety had complete possession of besiegers and besieged. But presently a flag is run up to the mizen peak of the strange ship, the Union Jack floats boldly out, and a boat puts off for the Lower Town, when the garrison, officers and men, mounted

Smith's Hist. Can., vol. i. p. 337.

† Conquest of Can., vol. ii. p. 232.

This, consisting of one frigate, two store-ships, and nineteen smaller vessels, was captured in Chaleur Bay by a British squadron from Louisburg.

the ramparts in the face of the enemy, and made the welkin ring with hearty British cheers. On the 15th two other frigates arrived under the command of Commodore Swainton. Next day, the French shipping above the town, consisting of two frigates and several armed vessels, were attacked and forced on shore or destroyed.

The following night the siege was raised, and De Levi precipitately retreated, leaving his provisions, guns, tents, ammunition, and intrenching tools behind. Murray had made preparations for a vigorous sally on the morning of the 17th, and when informed of the retreat of the besiegers, pushed rapidly out in pursuit with his grenadiers and light infantry, but was only able to capture some stragglers from their rear-guard. De Levi retreated to Jacques Cartier, and afterwards proceeded to Montreal, where the last stand was to be made against the efforts of the British.

The siege of Quebec, brief as it had been, furnished many opportunities to the officers of the different French departments to make money. They felt their time was short; and, resolving to make the most use of it, indulged in shameful peculations and public robberies. The people gradually became more and more dissatisfied, and several began to look forward to English rule as a benefit instead of injury. Murray increased this feeling by issuing a judicious proclamation on the 22d May. He stated briefly that the peaceable inhabitants would be fully protected, as well as those who at once laid down their arms, and remained neutral. France, her fleets defeated and her treasury exhausted, could give them no assistance. The bills of exchange of the preceding year drawn upon the Government by the Canadian officials were still undischarged, and the total depreciation of the colonial paper-money,* in consequence, must entail a train

* In the early settlement of Canada, there had been but little specie in it, and whatever sums of money that had been imported, were remitted to France, to purchase goods and other articles wanted by the inhabitants. The Court of France, with the view of increasing the quantity of money, issued, in the year 1670, a particular coin for all the French settlements in America, and directed that its value should be one-fourth more than it passed current at in France. This expedient had not the effect expected, which led the Government to substi tute la papier aux metaux, which answered every purpose, both in paying the troops and the other expenses of Government, until the year 1720, when the Government of France, not having made provision for the redemption of the stock, they sunk into discredit, and became of little or no value. This circumstance again introduced the use of gold and silver, but the merchants, finding remittances in cash both hazardous and difficult, presented a memorial to the King of France, requesting the introduction of paper-money: card-money was then introduced. On each card was stamped the arms of the King of France, and each was signed by the Governor, Intendant, and Comptroller. These bills were of different denominations,

of misfortunes they could alone escape by adhering to a nation like Britain, abounding in riches and great prosperity. It concluded by informing the inhabitants, that "if they withdrew themselves from the army of M. De Levi, and gave it no assistance, further injury should not be done their homes or growing crops, and that thus the evils of another famine would be averted."

This proclamation, which was widely circulated, had a most excellent effect upon the habitants. Several copies were even sent to Montreal, which so enraged the French general that he threatened to hang any person found with one in his possession. But his anger availed him little. The ardour of the peasantry visibly abated, and it was evident from the progress of events that the reign of French official oppression and extortion in Canada was rapidly drawing towards its close.

By the 22d of July Amherst had assembled an army ten thousand strong, and seven hundred Indians, at Oswego. On the roth of August he embarked en route for Montreal, and arrived at Ogdensburg on the 19th. The French fort at this place was invested next day. On the 23d the British batteries opened their fire, which was vigorously replied to by the garrison, who, however, surrendered at discretion on the 25th. Amherst learned that the Iroquois intended to massacre the French from one thousand livres to fifteen sous, and were preferred by the inhabitants to specie, and answered every purpose for which they were intended. In the month of October of every year, the holder was at liberty to bring these cards to the Intendant's Office, and had a right to demand bills of exchange on old France in payment. This right gave the paper-currency even a preference over ready cash, for the Government would not take cash for bills of exchange. Although the inhabitants might have brought all their cards to the year 1759 for payment, yet, being as current as cash, considerable quantities remained in circulation; as a proof of which it may be mentioned, that there were extant some of the cards of the year 1729 in the year 1759. It was at this period that the Intendant, and others concerned in the government of Canada, issued considerable quantities of bills of exchange, which they pretended were for the use of the Government, but as the French Court charged them with maladministration, this point continued in dispute until judgment was passed in France on Bigot, and other peculators, in the year 1763. Bigot was banished from France for life, the others for a shorter period. They were, moreover, condemned to make restitution of several sums in proportion to the frauds of which they had been found guilty. As the Canadians had always had great confidence in Bigot, who they supposed had been vested with full powers from the Court of France, they continued to take bills as usual, and in general paid the full value for them. Upwards of four millions and a half sterling of this paper remained at the conquest, unpaid. These bills, immediately after that event, became of little or no value; but by an arrangement with the French Government, at the peace, Great Britain obtained for her new subjects three millions in contracts, and six hundred thousand livres in money.— Smith's Hist. Can., vol. i. p. 344–346.

soldiers as soon as they gained admission within the works. This he sternly forbade, and declared if they attempted such an outrage that he would restrain them by force. They now sullenly threatened to return home, to which course Amherst gave his consent; but at the same time stated, that if they committed any acts of violence on their way, he would assuredly chastise them.

Passing down the St Lawrence, the British army, after losing eightyfour men and several boats in the Cedar Rapids, landed on the Island of Montreal, about nine miles from the town, on the 6th of September. Meantime Murray had left Quebec on the 14th of June, with a force of two thousand four hundred men of all ranks, and ascended the river, subduing some small posts on its banks, and compelling its inhabitants, whenever practicable, to submit to the authority of Great Britain. At Sorel he found De Bourlemaque posted with four thousand men, and judged it prudent to await the arrival of an expected reinforcement from Louisburg. This coming up he pursued his way. On the 7th September his troops were disembarked, and posted to the north-east of the town. On the following day, Colonel Haviland, who had penetrated into Canada by Lake Champlain and the Richelieu, also arrived at Montreal with a force of over three thousand men; and thus an army of nearly sixteen thousand men were assembled under the walls of what might be deemed a defenceless town. On the same day the Marquis De Vaudreuil signed the capitulation,* which severed Canada from France for ever. This

* Extracts from Articles of Capitulation.-27. The free exercise of the Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Religion, shall subsist entire, in such manner that all the states and the people of the towns and countries, places and distant posts, shall continue to assemble in the churches, and to frequent the sacraments as heretofore, without being molested in any manner, directly or indirectly. These people shall be obliged, by the English Government, to pay their Priests the tithes, and all the taxes they were used to pay under the Government of his Most Gracious Majesty.-" Granted, as to the free exercise of their religion; the obli gation of paying the tithes to the Priests will depend on the King's pleasure."

28. The Chapter, Priests, Curates, and Missionaries shall continue, with an entire liberty, their exercise and functions of cures, in the parishes of the towns and country." Granted."

29. The Grand Vicars, named by the Chapter to administer to the diocese during the vacancy of the episcopal see, shall have the liberty to dwell in the towns and country parishes, as they shall think proper; they shall at all times be free to visit the different parishes of the diocese with the ordinary ceremonies, and exercise all the jurisdiction they exercised under the French dominion. They shall enjoy the same rights in case of the death of the future Bishop, of which mention will be made in the following article.-"Granted, except what regards the following article."

30. If by the treaty of peace, Canada should remain a British Colony, the French