The bill, however, passed in the Commons by a majority of thirtysix, and was returned, on the 18th of June, to the House of Lords, whither Pitt, now Earl of Chatham, went to oppose it, although very ill at the time. "It will involve this country," said he, “in a thousand difficulties, and is subversive of that liberty which ought to be the groundwork of every constitution." And he prophesied "that it would shake the affections and confidence of his Majesty's subjects in England and Ireland, and lose him the hearts of all the Americans." But the bill passed, nevertheless,-only six siding with Pitt, while twenty-six Peers voted against him.

The city of London, always in front of the battle for constitutional liberty, became speedily alarmed; and, on the 22d of June, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council petitioned the King not to give his sanction to the bill. He gave them an evasive answer, and immediately after proceeded to the House of Lords, and signified his 'assent thereto; observing "that it was founded on the clearest principles of justice and humanity, and would, he doubted not, have the best effect in quieting the minds and promoting the happiness of his Canadian subjects."

As soon as the Act reached Quebec, the English settlers met in the greatest alarm, and promptly petitioned the King, as well as both Houses of Parliament, for its repeal or amendment. They complained that it deprived them of the franchise they had inherited from their ancestors, that they had lost the protection of English laws, the Habeas Corpus, and the trial by jury in civil causes, which was disgraceful to them as Britons, and ruinous to their properties.

In the American colonies the passing of this Act awoke a storm of indignation. All they had struggled for beyond the Alleghanies, almost, was taken from them at one swoop. Their Congress, on the 24th of October, endeavoured by a forcible address to awaken the people of Canada to a just sense of what it deemed their true interests. They were now invited to elect delegates to represent their province in the "Continental Congress," to be held in Philadelphia on May 10th of the following year. But this document produced no effect among the simple Canadians. Not one in a thousand ever saw it, and even if they had, cared little for the privileges of English freemen, and looked upon their own laws and customs as by far the most desirable. These had now been secured to them, and they were fully satisfied.

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This Congress enumerated the Quebec Act among its grievances. Its provi sions in favour of Roman Catholics gave great offence to the Protestant clergy of the American colonies, and led the majority of them to support the Revolution.

Sir Guy Carleton returned from England in the latter end of the year, when a meeting of the new Council, into which several Roman Catholic gentlemen had been admitted, was held, and such measures taken under the Quebec Act as were deemed immediately necessary for the public welfare. The Governor's return was gladly hailed by the people, with whom his humane conduct and liberal sentiments had rendered him deservedly popular. On all possible occasions he had shown himself their friend, and had interfered in many instances to protect them from the extortions and oppressions of the English civil officers.

Meantime, the final struggle of America for independence was rapidly approaching, owing to the arbitrary and vacillating conduct of the British Parliament, and the firm determination of the colonies to resist taxation without representation. Lord Chatham's bill for composing all difficulties and disputes, was rejected; and, as neither Parliament would recede as a body from its assumption of the right to tax the colonies, on the one hand, nor the latter, on the other, give up the determination to preserve the privileges secured to them by their charters, and their position as British freemen intact, both parties now looked forward to a fearful contest. For a brief space a calm, with presage of a terrible storm, settled darkly over North America, and the crisis approached with the first days of early spring. On the 19th of April the Americans began

the struggle for constitutional liberty by the battle of Lex- 1775. ington; and, blood once shed, it was evident that the sword alone could now decide the unnatural quarrel between the mother-country and her offspring.

While the New England militia besieged General Gage, the British commander, in Boston, a small force was promptly raised in Connecticut and elsewhere for the capture of Ticonderoga. Led by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allan, it crossed Lake Champlain on the night of the 9th of May, and succeeded next morning in capturing the fort, in which were only a few men, by surprise, without firing a shot. Crown Point had only a garrison of a sergeant and twelve men, and was immediately afterwards taken possession of. And thus the Americans, at the first outset of the contest, acquired two strongly fortified positions, and a large amount of military stores. The speedy capture, also, of the only British sloop of war on Lake Champlain, gave them complete command of its waters.

On receiving intelligence of these offensive operations, General Carleton at once resolved to possess himself, if possible, of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and regain the command of the lake. Con

sidering that the French feudal law still prevailed in Canada, and that the seigniors, accordingly, as well as their tenants, owed military service to the King, and would forfeit their lands by not rendering it, he resolved to enroll the militia on these grounds. Many of the seigniors took the same view as the Governor of this matter, and showed great alacrity in assembling their tenants to explain to them the situation of the province, the services expected from them, and the absolute necessity of preparing for hostilities. But the peasantry, who had not yet forgotten the hardships they had suffered during the last war, and whose long absence from military training had sunk them into inglorious and contented ease, stoutly resisted the claims of their seigniors. They stated the latter had no right to command their military services; and, that when they had paid them their quit-rent, and the other seigniorial dues, no further claim on them could be established.

This determination of the habitants placed the Governor in an awkward position. For the defence of the Colony and its numerous frontier posts, he had only the 7th and 26th regiments, containing together scarcely eight hundred effective men; and he felt that unless aided by the Canadians he could only make a very ineffectual resistance in case of attack. He accordingly endeavoured to call out the militia of the province by proclamation, and declared martial law to be in force, at the same time, in his government; but even these measures proved ineffectual. As a last resort the Governor applied to Bishop De Briand for his aid and influence. The Bishop promptly responded by a mandate to his clergy, to be read in their churches, exhorting the people to take up arms in defence of their country. Even this appeal failed. The British authorities had as yet acquired no influence with the masses, who knew little of the quarrel in progress, and wished to give themselves the least possible trouble about it; and while they had no leaning whatever towards the Americans, they preferred to remain neutral as long as they could. In short, they felt like a conquered people; if their homes were threatened with danger they would defend them, but they cared little to take up arms in defence of their rulers.

The American Congress, however, believed the Canadian people to be favourable to their cause, and resolved to anticipate the British by striking a decided blow in the north. They accordingly despatched a force of nearly two thousand men, under Schuyler and Montgomery, to penetrate into Canada by the Richelieu. After taking the forts along that river, they were next to possess themselves of Montreal; then descend to Quebec, and form a junction there with Colonel

Amold, who was to proceed up the Kennebec with eleven hundred men and surprise the capital of Canada if possible.

On the 5th of September the American army arrived at the Isleaux-Noix, whence Schuyler and Montgomery scattered a proclamation among the Canadians, stating that they only came against the British, and had no design whatever on the lives, the properties, or the religion of the inhabitants. General Schuyler being unwell now returned to Albany, and the chief command devolved on Montgomery, who having received a reinforcement invested Fort St John on the 17th, and sent some troops to attack the fort at Chambly, while Ethan Allan was despatched with a reconnoitring party towards Montreal. Allan proceeded to the St Lawrence, and being informed that the town was weakly defended, and believing the inhabitants were favourable to the Americans, he resolved to capture it by surprise, although his force was under two hundred men. General Carleton had already arrived at Montreal to make dispositions for the protection of the frontier. Learning, on the night of the 24th, that a party of Americans had crossed the river, and were marching on the town, he promptly drew together two hundred and fifty of the local militia, chiefly English and Irish, and with thirty men. of the 26th regiment, in addition, prepared for its defence. Allan, however, instead of at once proceeding to attack Montreal, took possession of some houses and barns in the neighbourhood, where he was surrounded next day, and compelled to surrender after a loss of five killed and ten wounded. The British lost their commanding officer, Major Carsden, Alexander Paterson, a merchant of Montreal, and two privates. Allan and his men were sent prisoners to England, where they were confined in Pendennis Castle.

While these occurrences were transpiring at Montreal, Montgomery was vigorously pressing forward the siege of Fort St John, which post was gallantly defended by Major Preston of the 26th regiment. His conduct was not imitated by Major Stopford, of the 7th, who commanded at Chambly, and who surrendered in a cowardly manner on two hundred Americans appearing before the works with two six-pounders. This was a fortunate event for Montgomery, whose powder was nearly exhausted, and who now procured a most seasonable supply from the captured fort. His fire was again renewed, but was bravely replied to by the garrison, who hoped that General Carleton would advance and raise the siege. This the latter was earnestly desirous to do, and drew together all the militia he could collect, and the few troops at his disposal, for

that purpose, and pushed across the river towards Longueiul on one of the last days of October. General Montgomery had foreseen this movement, and detached a force with two field-pieces to prevent it. This force took post near the river and allowed the British to approach within pistol-shot of the shore, when they opened such a warm fire of musketry and cannon that General Carleton was compelled to order a retreat on Montreal. Montgomery duly apprised Major Preston of these occurrences, and the garrison being now short of provisions and ammunition, and without any hope of succour, surrendered on the 31st October and marched out with all the honours of war.

With Fort St John and Chambly a large portion of the regular troops in Canada was captured, and the Governor was in no condition to resist the American army, the main body of which now advanced upon Montreal, while a strong detachment proceeded to Sorel to cut off the retreat of the British towards Quebec. General Carleton with Brigadier Prescott and one hundred and twenty soldiers quitted Montreal, after destroying all the public stores possible, just as the American army was entering it. At Sorel, however, their flight was effectually intercepted by an armed vessel and some floating batteries, and Prescott, finding it impossible to force a passage, was compelled to surrender. The night before General Carleton had fortunately eluded the vigilance of the Americans, and passed down the river in a boat with muffled oars. Montgomery treated the people of Montreal with great consideration, and gained their good-will by the affability of his manners, and the nobleness and generosity of his disposition.

While the main body of the American invading force had been completely successful thus far, Arnold sailed up the Kennebec and proceeded through the vast forests lying between it and the St Lawrence in the hope of surprising Quebec. The sufferings of his troops from hunger and fatigue were of the most severe description. So great were their necessities that they were obliged to eat dogs' flesh, and even the leather of their cartouch boxes; still, they pressed on with unflagging zeal and wonderful endurance, and arrived at Point Levi on the 9th of November. But their approach was already known at Quebec. Arnold had enclosed a letter for Schuyler to a friend in that city, and imprudently intrusted its delivery to an Indian, who carried it to the Lieutenant-Governor. The latter imme diately began to make defensive preparations, and when the Ameri cans arrived on the opposite side of the river, they found all the shipping and boats removed, and a surprise out of the question.