WALKER'S EXPEDITION.
Scheme of La Ronde Denys.—Boston warned against British Designs.—Boston to be ruined.—Plans of the Ministry1.—Canada doomed2.—British Troops at Boston.—The Colonists3 denounced.—The Fleet sails for Quebec.—Forebodings of the Admiral.—Storm and Wreck4.—Timid Commanders.—Retreat.—Joyful News for Canada.—Pious5 Exultation6.—Fanciful Stories.—Walker Disgraced.
[Pg 156]Military aid from Old England to New, promised in one year and actually given in the next, was a fact too novel and surprising to escape the notice either of friends or of foes8.
The latter drew strange conclusions from it. Two Irish deserters from an English station in Newfoundland appeared at the French post of Placentia full of stories of British and provincial9 armaments against Canada. On this, an idea seized the French commandant, Costebelle, and he hastened to make it known to the colonial minister. It was to the effect that the aim of England was not so much to conquer the French colonies as to reduce her own to submission10, especially Massachusetts,—a kind of republic[Pg 157] which has never willingly accepted a governor from its king.[147] In sending ships and soldiers to the "Bastonnais" under pretence11 of helping12 them to conquer their French neighbors, Costebelle is sure that England only means to bring them to a dutiful subjection. "I do not think," he writes on another occasion, "that they are so blind as not to see that they will insensibly be brought under the yoke13 of the Parliament of Old England; but by the cruelties that the Canadians and Indians exercise in continual incursions upon their lands, I judge that they would rather be delivered from the inhumanity of such neighbors than preserve all the former powers of their little republic."[148] He thinks, however, that the design of England ought to be strongly represented to the Council at Boston, and that M. de la Ronde Denys will be a good man to do it, as he speaks English, has lived in Boston, and has many acquaintances there.[149]
[Pg 158]The minister, Ponchartrain, was struck by Costebelle's suggestion, and wrote both to him and to Vaudreuil in high approval of it. To Vaudreuil he says: "Monsieur de Costebelle has informed me that the chief object of the armament made by the English last year was to establish their sovereignty at Boston and New York, the people of these provinces having always maintained a sort of republic, governed by their council, and having been unwilling15 to receive absolute governors from the kings of England. This destination of the armament seems to me probable, and it is much to be wished that the Council at Boston could be informed of the designs of the English court, and shown how important it is for that province to remain in the state of a republic. The King would even approve our helping it to do so. If you see any prospect16 of success, no means should be spared to secure it. The matter is of the greatest importance, but care is essential to employ persons who have the talents necessary for conducting it, besides great secrecy17 and prudence18, as well as tried probity19 and fidelity20. This affair demands your best attention, and must be conducted with great care and precaution, in order that no false step may be taken."[150]
Ponchartrain could not be supposed to know that while under her old charter Massachusetts, called by[Pg 159] him and other Frenchmen the government of Boston, had chosen her own governor, New York had always received hers from the court. What is most curious in this affair is the attitude of Louis XIV., who abhorred21 republics, and yet was prepared to bolster22 up one or more of them beyond the Atlantic,—thinking, no doubt, that they would be too small and remote to be dangerous.
Costebelle, who had suggested the plan of warning the Council at Boston, proceeded to unfold his scheme for executing it. This was to send La Ronde Denys to Boston in the spring, under the pretext23 of treating for an exchange of prisoners, which would give him an opportunity of insinuating24 to the colonists that the forces which the Queen of England sends to join their own for the conquest of Acadia and Canada have no object whatever but that of ravishing from them the liberties they have kept so firmly and so long, but which would be near ruin if the Queen should become mistress of New France by the fortune of war; and that either they must have sadly fallen from their ancient spirit, or their chiefs have been corrupted25 by the Court of London, if they do not see that they are using their own weapons for the destruction of their republic.[151]
La Ronde Denys accordingly received his instructions, which authorized26 him to negotiate with the "Bastonnais" as with an independent people, and offer them complete exemption27 from French hostility[Pg 160] if they would promise to give no more aid to Old England either in ships or men. He was told at the same time to approach the subject with great caution, and unless he found willing listeners, to pass off the whole as a pleasantry.[152] He went to Boston, where he was detained in consequence of preparations then on foot for attacking Canada. He tried to escape; but his vessel28 was seized and moored29 under the guns of the town, and it is needless to say that his mission was a failure.
The idea of Costebelle, or rather of La Ronde,—for it probably originated with him,—was not without foundation; for though there is no reason to believe that in sending ships and soldiers against the French, England meant to use them against the liberties of her own colonies, there can be no doubt that she thought those liberties excessive and troublesome; and, on the other side, while the people of Massachusetts were still fondly attached to the land of their fathers, and still called it "Home," they were at the same time enamoured of their autonomy, and jealously watchful30 against any abridgment31 of it.
While La Ronde Denys was warning Massachusetts of the danger of helping England to conquer Canada,[Pg 161] another Frenchman, in a more prophetic spirit, declared that England would make a grave mistake if she helped her colonies to the same end. "There is an antipathy," this writer affirms, "between the English of Europe and those of America, who will not endure troops from England even to guard their forts;" and he goes on to say that if the French colonies should fall, those of England would control the continent from Newfoundland to Florida. "Old England"—such are his words—"will not imagine that these various provinces will then unite, shake off the yoke of the English monarchy32, and erect33 themselves into a democracy."[153] Forty or fifty years later, several Frenchmen made the same prediction; but at this early day, when the British provinces were so feeble and divided, it is truly a remarkable34 one.
The anonymous35 prophet regards the colonies of England, Massachusetts above all, as a standing36 menace to those of France; and he proposes a drastic remedy against the danger. This is a powerful attack on Boston by land and sea, for which he hopes that God will prepare the way. "When Boston is reduced, we would call together all the chief men of the other towns of New England, who would pay heavy sums to be spared from the flames. As for Boston, it should be pillaged37, its workshops,[Pg 162] manufactures, shipyards, all its fine establishments ruined, and its ships sunk." If these gentle means are used thoroughly38, he thinks that New England will cease to be a dangerous rival for some time, especially if "Rhodelene" (Rhode Island) is treated like Boston.[154]
While the correspondent of the French court was thus consigning39 New England to destruction, an attack was preparing against Canada less truculent40 but quite as formidable as that which he urged against Boston. The French colony was threatened by an armament stronger in proportion to her present means of defence than that which brought her under British rule half a century later. But here all comparison ceases; for there was no Pitt to direct and inspire, and no Wolfe to lead.
The letters of Dudley, the proposals of Vetch, the representations of Nicholson, the promptings of Jeremiah Dummer, agent of Massachusetts in England, and the speech made to the Queen by the four Indians who had been the London sensation of the last year, had all helped to draw the attention of the[Pg 163] ministry to the New World, and the expediency41 of driving the French out of it. Other influences conspired42 to the same end, or in all likelihood little or nothing would have been done. England was tiring of the Continental43 war, the costs of which threatened ruin. Marlborough was rancorously attacked, and his most stanch44 supporters the Whigs had given place to the Tories, led by the Lord Treasurer45 Harley, and the Secretary of State St. John, soon afterwards Lord Bolingbroke. Never was party spirit more bitter; and the new ministry found a congenial ally in the coarse and savage46 but powerful genius of Swift, who, incensed47 by real or imagined slights from the late minister, Godolphin, gave all his strength to the winning side.
The prestige of Marlborough's victories was still immense. Harley and St. John dreaded48 it as their chief danger, and looked eagerly for some means of counteracting49 it. Such means would be supplied by the conquest of New France. To make America a British continent would be an achievement almost worth Blenheim or Ramillies, and one, too, in which Britain alone would be the gainer; whereas the enemies of Marlborough, with Swift at their head, contended that his greatest triumphs turned more to the profit of Holland or Germany than of England.[155] Moreover, to send a part of his army across the Atlantic would tend to cripple his movements and diminish his fame.
[Pg 164]St. John entered with ardor50 into the scheme. Seven veteran regiments52, five of which were from the army in Flanders, were ordered to embark53. But in the choice of commanders the judgment54 of the ministers was not left free; there were influences that they could not disregard. The famous Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, lately the favorite of the feeble but wilful55 queen, had lost her good graces and given place to Mrs. Masham, one of the women of her bedchamber. The new favorite had a brother, John Hill, known about the court as Jack56 Hill, whom Marlborough had pronounced good for nothing, but who had been advanced to the rank of colonel, and then of brigadier, through the influence of Mrs. Masham; and though his agreeable social qualities were his best recommendation, he was now appointed to command the troops on the Canada expedition. It is not so clear why the naval57 command was given to Admiral Sir Hovenden Walker, a man whose incompetence58 was soon to become notorious.
Extreme care was taken to hide the destination of the fleet. Even the Lords of the Admiralty were kept ignorant of it. Some thought the ships bound for the West Indies; some for the South Sea. Nicholson was sent to America with orders to the several colonies to make ready men and supplies. He landed at Boston on the eighth of June. The people of the town, who were nearly all Whigs, were taken by surprise, expecting no such enterprise on[Pg 165] the part of the Tory ministry; and their perplexity was not diminished when they were told that the fleet was at hand, and that they were to supply it forthwith with provisions for ten weeks.[156] There was no time to lose. The governors of New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island were summoned to meet at New London, and Dudley and Nicholson went thither59 to join them. Here plans were made for the double attack; for while Walker and Hill were to sail up the St. Lawrence against Quebec, Nicholson, as in the former attempt, was to move against Montreal by way of Lake Champlain. In a few days the arrangements were made, and the governors hastened back to their respective posts.[157]
When Dudley reached Boston, he saw Nantasket Roads crowded with transports and ships of war, and the pastures of Noddle's Island studded with tents. The fleet had come on the twenty-fourth, having had what the Admiral calls "by the blessing60 of God a favorable and extraordinary passage, being but seven weeks and two days between Plymouth and Nantasket."[158]
The Admiral and the General had been welcomed[Pg 166] with all honor. The provincial Secretary, with two members of the Council, conducted them to town amid salutes61 from the batteries of Copp's Hill and Fort Hill, and the Boston militia62 regiment51 received them under arms; after which they were feasted at the principal tavern63, and accompanied in ceremony to the lodgings64 provided for them.[159] When the troops were disembarked and the tents pitched, curious townspeople and staring rustics65 crossed to Noddle's Island, now East Boston, to gaze with wonder on a military pageant66 the like of which New England had never seen before. Yet their joy at this unlooked-for succor67 was dashed with deep distrust and jealousy68. They dreaded these new and formidable friends, with their imperious demeanor69 and exacting70 demands. The British officers, on their part, were no better pleased with the colonists, and one of them, Colonel King, of the artillery71, thus gives vent72 to his feelings: "You'll find in my Journal what Difficultyes we mett with through the Misfortune that the Coloneys were not inform'd of our Coming two Months sooner, and through the Interestedness, ill Nature, and Sowerness of these People, whose Government, Doctrine73, and Manners, whose Hypocracy and canting, are insupportable; and no man living but one of Gen'l Hill's good Sense and good Nature could have managed them. But if such a Man mett with nothing he could depend on,[Pg 167] altho' vested with the Queen's Royal Power and Authority, and Supported by a Number of Troops sufficient to reduce by force all the Coloneys, 'tis easy to determine the Respect and Obedience74 her Majesty75 may reasonably expect from them." And he gives it as his conviction that till all the colonies are deprived of their charters and brought under one government, "they will grow more stiff and disobedient every Day."[160]
It will be seen that some coolness on the part of the Bostonians was not unnatural76. But whatever may have been the popular feeling, the provincial authorities did their full part towards supplying the needs of the new-comers; for Dudley, with his strong Tory leanings, did not share the prevailing77 jealousy, and the country members of the Assembly were anxious before all things to be delivered from war-parties. The problem was how to raise the men and furnish the supplies in the least possible time. The action of the Assembly, far from betraying any slackness, was worthy78 of a military dictatorship. All ordinary business was set aside. Bills of credit for ￡40,000 were issued to meet the needs of the expedition. It was ordered that the prices of provisions and other necessaries of the service should stand fixed79 at the point where they stood before the approach of the fleet was known. Sheriffs and constables80, jointly81 with the Queen's officers, were ordered to search all the town for provisions and liquors, and[Pg 168] if the owners refused to part with them at the prescribed prices, to break open doors and seize them. Stringent82 and much-needed Acts were passed against harboring deserters. Provincial troops, in greater number than the ministry had demanded, were ordered to be raised at once, and quartered upon the citizens, with or without their consent, at the rate of eightpence a day for each man.[161] Warrants were issued for impressing pilots, and also mechanics and laborers83, who, in spite of Puritan scruples84, were required to work on Sundays.
Such measures, if imposed by England, would have roused the most bitter resentment85. Even when ordered by their own representatives, they caused a sullen86 discontent among the colonists, and greatly increased the popular dislike of their military visitors. It was certain that when the expedition sailed and the operation of the new enactments87 ceased, prices would rise; and hence the compulsion to part with goods at low fixed rates was singularly trying to the commercial temper. It was a busy season, too, with the farmers, and they showed no haste to bring their produce to the camp. Though many of the principal inhabitants bound themselves by mutual88 agreement to live on their family stores of salt provisions, in order that the troops might be better supplied with fresh, this failed to soothe89 the[Pg 169] irritation90 of the British officers, aggravated91 by frequent desertions, which the colonists favored, and by the impossibility of finding pilots familiar with the St. Lawrence. Some when forced into the service made their escape, to the great indignation of Walker, who wrote to the governor: "Her Majesty will resent such actions in a very signal manner; and when it shall be represented that the people live here as if there were no king in Israel, but every one does what seems right in his own eyes, measures will be taken to put things upon a better foot for the future."[162] At length, however, every preparation was made, the supplies were all on board, and after a grand review of the troops on the fields of Noddle's Island, the whole force set sail on the thirtieth of July, the provincials92 wishing them success, and heartily93 rejoicing that they were gone.
The fleet consisted of nine ships of war and two bomb-ketches, with about sixty transports, store-ships, hospital-ships, and other vessels94, British and provincial. They carried the seven British regiments, numbering, with the artillery train, about fifty-five hundred men, besides six hundred marines and fifteen hundred provincials; counting, with the sailors, nearly twelve thousand in all.[163]
[Pg 170]Vetch commanded the provincials, having been brought from Annapolis for that purpose. The great need was of pilots. Every sailor in New England who had seen the St. Lawrence had been pressed into the service, though each and all declared themselves incapable96 of conducting the fleet to Quebec. Several had no better knowledge of the river than they had picked up when serving as soldiers under Phips twenty-one years before. The best among them was the veteran Captain Bonner, who afterwards amused his old age by making a plan of Boston, greatly prized by connoisseurs97 in such matters. Vetch had studied the St. Lawrence in his several visits to Quebec, but, like Bonner, he had gone up the river only in sloops98 or other small craft, and was, moreover, no sailor. One of Walker's ships, the "Chester," sent in advance to cruise in the Gulf100, had captured a French vessel commanded by one Paradis, an experienced old voyager, who knew the river well. He took a bribe101 of five hundred pistoles to act as pilot; but the fleet would perhaps have fared better if he had refused the money. He gave such dismal102 accounts of the Canadian winter that the Admiral could see nothing but ruin ahead, even if he should safely reach his destination. His tribulation103 is recorded in his Journal. "That which now chiefly[Pg 171] took up my thoughts, was contriving104 how to secure the ships if we got up to Quebec; for the ice in the river freezing to the bottom would have utterly105 destroyed and bilged them as much as if they had been squeezed between rocks."[164] These misgivings106 may serve to give the measure of his professional judgment. Afterwards, reflecting on the situation, he sees cause for gratitude107 in his own mishaps108; "because, had we arrived safe at Quebec, our provisions would have been reduced to a very small proportion, not exceeding eight or nine weeks at short allowance, so that between ten and twelve thousand men must have been left to perish with the extremity109 of cold and hunger. I must confess the melancholy110 contemplation of this (had it happened) strikes me with horror; for how dismal must it have been to have beheld111 the seas and earth locked up by adamantine frosts, and swoln with high mountains of snow, in a barren and uncultivated region; great numbers of brave men famishing with hunger, and drawing lots who should die first to feed the rest."[165]
All went well till the eighteenth of August, when there was a strong head-wind, and the ships ran into the Bay of Gaspé. Two days after, the wind shifted to the southeast, and they set sail again, Walker in his flagship, the "Edgar," being at or near the head of the fleet. On the evening of the twenty-second they were at some distance above the great Island of Anticosti. The river is here about seventy miles[Pg 172] wide, and no land had been seen since noon of the day before. There was a strong east wind, with fog. Walker thought that he was not far from the south shore, when in fact he was at least fifty miles from it, and more than half that distance north of his true course. At eight in the evening the Admiral signalled the fleet to bring to, under mizzen and main-topsails, with heads turned southward. At half-past ten, Paddon, the captain of the "Edgar," came to tell him that he saw land which he supposed must be the south shore; on which Walker, in a fatal moment, signalled for the ships to wear and bring to, with heads northward112. He then turned into his berth113, and was falling asleep, when a military officer, Captain Goddard, of Seymour's regiment, hastily entered, and begged him to come on deck, saying that there were breakers on all sides. Walker, scornful of a landsman, and annoyed at being disturbed, answered impatiently and would not stir. Soon after, Goddard appeared again, and implored114 him for Heaven's sake to come up and see for himself, or all would be lost. At the same time the Admiral heard a great noise and trampling115, on which he turned out of his berth, put on his dressing-gown and slippers116, and going in this attire117 on deck, found a scene of fright and confusion. At first he could see nothing, and shouted to the men to reassure118 them; but just then the fog opened, the moon shone out, and the breaking surf was plainly visible to leeward119. The French pilot, who at first could not be found, now[Pg 173] appeared on deck, and declared, to the astonishment120 of both the Admiral and Captain Paddon, that they were off the north shore. Paddon, in his perplexity, had ordered an anchor to be let go; Walker directed the cable to be cut, and, making all sail, succeeded in beating to windward and gaining an offing.[166]
The ship that carried Colonel King, of the artillery, had a narrow escape. King says that she anchored in a driving rain, "with a shoal of rocks on each quarter within a cable's length of us, which we plainly perceived by the waves breaking over them in a very violent manner." They were saved by a lull121 in the gale122; for if it had continued with the same violence, he pursues, "our anchors could not have held, and the wind and the vast seas which ran, would have broke our ship into ten thousand pieces against the rocks. All night we heard nothing but ships firing and showing lights, as in the utmost distress123."[167]
Vetch, who was on board the little frigate124 "Despatch125," says that he was extremely uneasy at the course taken by Walker on the night of the storm. "I told Colonel Dudley and Captain Perkins, commander of the 'Despatch,' that I wondered what the Flag meant by that course, and why he did not steer126 west and west-by-south."[168] The "Despatch" kept well astern, and so escaped the danger. Vetch heard through the fog guns firing signals of distress; but[Pg 174] three days passed before he knew how serious the disaster was. The ships of war had all escaped; but eight British transports, one store-ship, and one sutler's sloop99 were dashed to pieces.[169] "It was lamentable127 to hear the shrieks128 of the sinking, drowning, departing souls," writes the New England commissary, Sheaf, who was very near sharing their fate.
The disaster took place at and near a rocky island, with adjacent reefs, lying off the north shore and called Isle129 aux ?ufs. On the second day after it happened, Walker was told by the master of one of the wrecked130 transports that eight hundred and eighty-four soldiers had been lost, and he gives this hasty estimate in his published Journal; though he says in his Introduction to it that the total loss of officers, soldiers, and sailors was scarcely nine hundred.[170] According to a later and more trustworthy statement, the loss of the troops was twenty-nine officers, six hundred and seventy-six sergeants131, corporals, drummers, and private soldiers, and thirty-five women attached to the regiments; that is, a total of seven hundred and forty lives.[171] The loss of the sailors is not given; but it could scarcely have exceeded two hundred.
[Pg 175]The fleet spent the next two days in standing to and fro between the northern and southern shores, with the exception of some of the smaller vessels employed in bringing off the survivors132 from the rocks of Isle aux ?ufs. The number thus saved was, according to Walker, four hundred and ninety-nine. On the twenty-fifth he went on board the General's ship, the "Windsor," and Hill and he resolved to call a council of war. In fact, Hill had already got his colonels together. Signals were made for the captains of the men-of-war to join them, and the council began.
"Jack Hill," the man about town, placed in high command by the influence of his sister, the Queen's tire-woman, had now an opportunity to justify133 his appointment and prove his mettle134. Many a man of pleasure and fashion, when put to the proof, has revealed the latent hero within him; but Hill was not one of them. Both he and Walker seemed to look for nothing but a pretext for retreat; and when manhood is conspicuously135 wanting in the leaders, a council of war is rarely disposed to supply it. The pilots were called in and examined, and they all declared themselves imperfectly acquainted with the St. Lawrence, which, as some of the captains observed, they had done from the first. Sir William Phips, with pilots still more ignorant, had safely carried his fleet to Quebec in 1690, as Walker must have known, for he had with him Phips's Journal of the voyage. The expedition had lost about a twelfth part of its[Pg 176] soldiers and sailors, besides the transports that carried them; with this exception there was no reason for retreat which might not as well have been put forward when the fleet left Boston. All the war-ships were safe, and the loss of men was not greater than might have happened in a single battle. Hill says that Vetch, when asked if he would pilot the fleet to Quebec, refused to undertake it;[172] but Vetch himself gives his answer as follows: "I told him [the Admiral] I never was bred to sea, nor was it any part of my province; but I would do my best by going ahead and showing them where the difficulty of the river was, which I knew pretty well."[173] The naval captains, however, resolved that by reason of the ignorance of the pilots and the dangerous currents it was impossible to go up to Quebec.[174] So discreditable a backing out from a great enterprise will hardly be found elsewhere in English annals. On the next day Vetch, disappointed and indignant, gave his mind freely to the Admiral. "The late disaster cannot, in my humble136 opinion, be anyways imputed137 to the difficulty of the navigation, but to the wrong course we steered138, which most unavoidably carried us upon the north shore. Who directed that course you best know; and as our return without any[Pg 177] further attempt would be a vast reflection upon the conduct of this affair, so it would be of very fatal consequence to the interest of the Crown and all the British colonies upon this continent."[175] His protest was fruitless. The fleet retraced139 its course to the gulf, and then steered for Spanish River,—now the harbor of Sydney,—in the Island of Cape7 Breton; the Admiral consoling himself with the reflection that the wreck was a blessing in disguise and a merciful intervention140 of Providence141 to save the expedition from the freezing, starvation, and cannibalism142 which his imagination had conjured143 up.[176]
The frigate "Sapphire144" was sent to Boston with news of the wreck and the retreat, which was at once despatched to Nicholson, who, if he continued his movement on Montreal, would now be left to conquer Canada alone. His force consisted of about twenty-three hundred men, white and red, and when the fatal news reached him he was encamped on Wood Creek145, ready to pass Lake Champlain. Captain Butler, a New York officer at the camp, afterwards told Kalm, the Swedish naturalist146, that when Nicholson heard what had happened, he was beside himself with rage, tore off his wig147, threw it on the ground and stamped upon it, crying out, "Roguery! Treachery!"[177] When his fit was over, he did all that was now left for him to do,—burned the wooden[Pg 178] forts he had built, marched back to Albany, and disbanded his army, after leaving one hundred and fifty men to protect the frontier against scalping-parties.[178]
Canada had been warned of the storm gathering149 against her. Early in August, Vaudreuil received letters from Costebelle, at Placentia, telling him that English prisoners had reported mighty150 preparations at Boston against Quebec, and that Montreal was also to be attacked.[179] The colony was ill prepared for the emergency, but no effort was spared to give the enemy a warm reception. The militia were mustered151, Indians called together, troops held in readiness, and defences strengthened. The saints were invoked152, and the aid of Heaven was implored by masses, processions, and penances153, as in New England by a dismal succession of fasts. Mother Juchereau de Saint-Denis tells us how devout154 Canadians prayed for help from God and the most holy Virgin155; "since their glory was involved, seeing that the true religion would quickly perish if the English should prevail." The general alarm produced effects which, though transient, were thought highly commendable156 while they lasted. The ladies, according to Mother Juchereau, gave up their ornaments157, and became more modest and more pious. "Those of Montreal," pursues the worthy nun158, "even outdid those of Quebec; for they bound themselves by oath to wear neither ribbons nor lace, to keep[Pg 179] their throats covered, and to observe various holy practices for the space of a year." The recluse159 of Montreal, Mademoiselle Le Ber, who, by reason of her morbid160 seclusion161 and ascetic162 life, was accounted almost a saint, made a flag embroidered163 with a prayer to the Virgin, to be borne against the heretical bands of Nicholson.
When that commander withdrew, his retreat, though not the cause of it, was quickly known at Montreal, and the forces gathered there went down to Quebec to aid in repelling164 the more formidable attack by sea. Here all was suspense165 and expectancy166 till the middle of October, when the report came that two large ships had been seen in the river below. There was great excitement, for they were supposed to be the van of the British fleet; but alarm was soon turned to joy by the arrival of the ships, which proved to be French. On the nineteenth, the Sieur de la Valterie, who had come from Labrador in September, and had been sent down the river again by Vaudreuil to watch for the English fleet, appeared at Quebec with tidings of joy. He had descended167 the St. Lawrence in a canoe, with two Frenchmen and an Indian, till, landing at Isle aux ?ufs on the first of October, they met two French sailors or fishermen loaded with plunder168, and presently discovered the wrecks169 of seven English ships, with, as they declared, fifteen or sixteen hundred dead bodies on the strand170 hard by, besides dead horses, sheep, dogs, and hens, three or four hundred large iron-[Pg 180]hooped casks, a barrel of wine and a barrel and a keg of brandy, cables, anchors, chains, planks171, boards, shovels172, picks, mattocks, and piles of old iron three feet high.[180]
"The least devout," writes Mother Juchereau, "were touched by the grandeur173 of the miracle wrought174 in our behalf,—a marvellous effect of God's love for Canada, which, of all these countries, is the only one that professes175 the true religion."
Quebec was not ungrateful. A solemn mass was ordered every month during a year, to be followed by the song of Moses after the destruction of Pharaoh and his host.[181] Amazing reports were spread concerning the losses of the English. About three thousand of "these wretches"—so the story ran—died after reaching land, without counting the multitudes drowned in the attempt; and even this did not satisfy divine justice, for God blew up one of the ships by lightning during the storm. Vessels were sent to gather up the spoils of the wreck, and they came back, it was reported, laden176 with marvellous treasures, including rich clothing, magnificent saddles, plate, silver-hilted swords, and the like; bringing also the gratifying announcement that though the autumn tides had swept away many corpses177, more than two thousand still lay on the rocks, naked and in attitudes[Pg 181] of despair.[182] These stories, repeated by later writers, find believers to this day.[183]
When Walker and his ships reached Spanish River, he called another council of war. The question was whether, having failed to take Quebec, they should try to take Placentia; and it was resolved that the short supply of provisions, the impossibility of getting more from Boston before the first of November, and the risks of the autumnal storms, made the attempt impracticable. Accordingly, the New England transports sailed homeward, and the British fleet steered for the Thames.
Swift writes on the sixth of October in his Journal to Stella: "The news of Mr. Hill's miscarriage178 in his expedition came to-day, and I went to visit Mrs. Masham and Mrs. Hill, his two sisters, to condole179 with them." A week after, he mentions the arrival of the general himself; and again on the sixteenth writes thus: "I was to see Jack Hill this morning, who made that unfortunate expedition; and there is still more misfortune, for that ship which was admiral of his fleet [the "Edgar"] is blown up in the Thames by an accident and carelessness of some rogue148, who[Pg 182] was going, as they think, to steal some gunpowder180: five hundred men are lost."
A report of this crowning disaster reached Quebec, and Mother Juchereau does not fail to improve it. According to her, the Admiral, stricken with divine justice, and wrought to desperation, blew up the ship himself, and perished with all on board, except only two men.
There was talk of an examination into the causes of the failure, but nothing was done. Hill, strong in the influence of Mrs. Masham, reaped new honors and offices. Walker, more answerable for the result, and less fortunate in court influence, was removed from command, and his name was stricken from the half-pay list. He did not, however, blow himself up, but left England and emigrated to South Carolina, whence, thinking himself ill-treated by the authorities, he removed to Barbadoes, and died some years later.[184]
FOOTNOTES:
[148] "Je ne les crois pas assez aveugles pour ne point s'apercevoir qu'insensiblement ils vont subir le joug du parlement de la vieille Angleterre, mais par14 les cruautés que les Canadiens et sauvages exercent sur leurs terres par des courses continuelles je juge qu'ils aiment encore mieux se délivrer de l'inhumanité de semblables voisins que de conserver toute l'ancienne autorité de leur petite république."—Costebelle au Ministre, 3 Décembre, 1710. He clung tenaciously182 to this idea, and wrote again in 1712 that "les cruautés de nos sauvages, qui font horreur à rapporter," would always incline the New England people to peace. They had, however, an opposite effect.
[149] It is more than probable that La Ronde Denys, who had studied the "Bastonnais" with care, first gave the idea to Costebelle.
[150] Ponchartrain à Vaudreuil, 10 Ao?t, 1710. Ponchartrain à Costebelle, même date. These letters are in answer to the reports of Costebelle, before cited.
[151] Costebelle à Ponchartrain, 3 Décembre, 1710.
[152] Instruction pour Monsieur de la Ronde, Capitaine d'Infanterie des Détachements de la Marine95, 1711. "Le dit sieur de la Ronde pourroit entrer en négociation et se promettre de faire cesser toutes sortes d'hostilités du c?té du Canada, supposé que les Bastonnais promissent d'en faire de même de leur c?té, et qu'ils ne donassent aucun secours à l'avenir, d'hommes ni de vaisseaux, aux puissances de la vieille Angleterre et d'Ecosse."
[153] "La vieille Angleterre ne s'imaginera pas que ces diverses Provinces se réuniront, et, secouant le joug de la monarchie Anglaise, s'érigeront en démocratie."—Mémoire sur la Nouvelle Angleterre, 1710, 1711. (Archives de la Marine.)
[154] "Pour Baston, il faudrait la piller, ruiner ses ateliers, ses manufactures, tous ses beaux établissements, couler bas ses navires, ... ruiner les ateliers de construction de navires."—Mémoire sur la Nouvelle Angleterre, 1710, 1711. The writer was familiar with Boston and its neighborhood, and had certainly spent some time there. Possibly he was no other than La Ronde Denys himself, after the failure of his mission to excite the "Bastonnais" to refuse co-operation with British armaments. He enlarges with bitterness on the extent of the fisheries, foreign trade, and ship-building of New England.
[155] See Swift, Conduct of the Allies.
[156] Boston, devoted183 to fishing, shipbuilding, and foreign trade, drew most of its provisions from neighboring colonies. (Dummer, Letter to a Noble Lord.) The people only half believed that the Tory ministry were sincere in attacking Canada, and suspected that the sudden demand for provisions, so difficult to meet at once, was meant to furnish a pretext for throwing the blame of failure upon Massachusetts. Hutchinson, ii. 173.
[157] Minutes of Proceedings184 of the Congress of Governors, June, 1711.
[158] Walker to Burchett, Secretary of the Admiralty, 14 August, 1711.
[159] Abstract of the Journal of the Governor, Council, and Assembly of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay.
[160] King to Secretary St. John, 25 July, 1711.
[161] The number demanded from Massachusetts was one thousand, and that raised by her was eleven hundred and sixty. Dudley to Walker, 27 July, 1711.
[162] Walker prints this letter in his Journal. Colonel King writes in his own Journal: "The conquest of Canada will naturally lead the Queen into changing their present disorderly government;" and he thinks that the conviction of this made the New Englanders indifferent to the success of the expedition.
[163] The above is drawn185 from the various lists and tables in Walker, Journal of the Canada Expedition. The armed ships that entered Boston in June were fifteen in all; but several had been detached for cruising. The number of British transports, store-ships, etc., was forty, the rest being provincial.
[164] Walker, Journal; Introduction.
[165] Ibid., 25.
[166] Walker, Journal, 124, 125.
[167] King, Journal.
[168] Vetch, Journal.
[169] King, Journal.
[170] Compare Walker, Journal, 45, and Ibid., 127, 128. He elsewhere intimates that his first statement needed correction.
[171] Report of ye Soldiers, etc., Lost. (Public Record Office.) This is a tabular statement, giving the names of the commissioned officers and the positions of their subordinates, regiment by regiment. All the French accounts of the losses are exaggerations.
[172] Hill to Dudley, 25 August, 1711.
[173] Vetch, Journal. His statement is confirmed by the report of the council.
[174] Report of a Consultation186 of Sea Officers belonging to the Squadron under Command of Sir Hovenden Walker, Kt., 25 August, 1711. Signed by Walker and eight others.
[175] Vetch to Walker, 26 August, 1711.
[176] Walker, Journal, Introduction, 25.
[177] Kalm, Travels, ii. 135.
[178] Schuyler, Colonial New York, ii. 48.
[179] Vaudreuil au Ministre, 25 Octobre, 1711.
[180] Déposition de Fran?ois de Marganne, Sieur de la Valterie; par devant Nous, Paul Dupuy, Ecuyer, Conseiller du Roy, etc., 19 Octobre, 1711.
[181] Monseigneur de Saint-Vallier et l'Histoire de l'H?pital Général de Quebec, 209.
[182] Juchereau, Histoire de l'H?tel-Dieu de Québec, 473-491. La Ronde Denys says that nearly one thousand men were drowned, and that about two thousand died of injuries received. La Ronde au Ministre, 30 Décembre, 1711.
[183] Some exaggeration was natural enough. Colonel Lee, of the Rhode Island contingent187, says that a day or two after the wreck he saw "the bodies of twelve or thirteen hundred brave men, with women and children, lying in heaps." Lee to Governor Cranston, 12 September, 1711.
[184] Walker's Journal was published in 1720, with an Introduction of forty-eight pages, written in bad temper and bad taste. The Journal contains many documents, printed in full. In the Public Record Office are preserved the Journals of Hill, Vetch, and King. Copies of these, with many other papers on the same subject, from the same source, are before me. Vetch's Journal and his letter to Walker after the wreck are printed in the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, vol. iv.
It appears by the muster-rolls of Massachusetts that what with manning the coast-guard vessels, defending the frontier against Indians, and furnishing her contingent to the Canada expedition, more than one in five of her able-bodied men were in active service in the summer of 1711. Years passed before she recovered from the effects of her financial exhaustion188.
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1
ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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probity
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| n.刚直；廉洁，正直 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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bolster
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| n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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insinuating
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| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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corrupted
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| （使）败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏 | |
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authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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exemption
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| n.豁免，免税额，免除 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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abridgment
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| n.删节，节本 | |
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monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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consigning
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的现在分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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40
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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43
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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stanch
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| v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的 | |
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45
treasurer
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| n.司库，财务主管 | |
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46
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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incensed
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| 盛怒的 | |
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48
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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49
counteracting
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的现在分词 ) | |
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ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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51
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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53
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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54
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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55
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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56
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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57
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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58
incompetence
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| n.不胜任，不称职 | |
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59
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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salutes
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| n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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rustics
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| n.有农村或村民特色的( rustic的名词复数 )；粗野的；不雅的；用粗糙的木材或树枝制作的 | |
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pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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jointly
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| ad.联合地，共同地 | |
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stringent
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| adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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enactments
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| n.演出( enactment的名词复数 )；展现；规定；通过 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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provincials
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| n.首都以外的人，地区居民( provincial的名词复数 ) | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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connoisseurs
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| n.鉴赏家，鉴定家，行家( connoisseur的名词复数 ) | |
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sloops
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| n.单桅纵帆船( sloop的名词复数 ) | |
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sloop
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| n.单桅帆船 | |
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100
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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101
bribe
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| n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通 | |
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102
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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103
tribulation
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| n.苦难，灾难 | |
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104
contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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105
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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106
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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107
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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108
mishaps
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| n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 ) | |
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109
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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110
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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111
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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112
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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113
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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114
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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115
trampling
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| 踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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116
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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117
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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118
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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119
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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120
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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121
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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122
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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123
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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124
frigate
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| n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰 | |
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125
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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126
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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127
lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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128
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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129
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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130
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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131
sergeants
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| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
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132
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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133
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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134
mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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135
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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136
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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137
imputed
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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138
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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139
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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140
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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141
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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142
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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143
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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144
sapphire
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| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
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145
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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146
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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147
wig
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| n.假发 | |
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148
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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149
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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150
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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151
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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152
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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153
penances
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| n.（赎罪的）苦行，苦修( penance的名词复数 ) | |
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154
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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155
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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156
commendable
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| adj.值得称赞的 | |
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157
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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158
nun
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| n.修女，尼姑 | |
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159
recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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160
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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161
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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162
ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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163
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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164
repelling
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| v.击退( repel的现在分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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165
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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166
expectancy
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| n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额 | |
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167
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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168
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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169
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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170
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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171
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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172
shovels
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| n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份 | |
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173
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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174
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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175
professes
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| 声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉 | |
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176
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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177
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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178
miscarriage
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| n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产 | |
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179
condole
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| v.同情；慰问 | |
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180
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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181
rapport
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| n.和睦，意见一致 | |
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182
tenaciously
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| 坚持地 | |
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183
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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184
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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185
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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186
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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187
contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
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188
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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