France continued to send reinforcements of men, and supplies of ammunition to Quebec, for the purpose of prosecuting her ambitious projects; and the ministry of Great Britain exhorted the governors of the provinces in North America to repel the incursions of the enemy.

A. D.

1755

Admiral Boscawen being sent with a squadron of ships to protect the province of Nova-Scotia, captured two French vessels, the Alcide and the Lys. About the same time, general Braddock, who had been sent to Virginia, took upon him the command of the forces destined to act against the French on the Ohio'; and, on the ninth of July, while advancing without proper caution, he was suddenly attacked by a general fire, both in front and flank, from an invisible enemy concealed behind the trees and bushes. The van-guard immediately fell back, and horror and confusion seized the ranks. The general himself was killed by a musket-shot; and the few remaining soldiers instantly fled and left their baggage and ammunition in the hands of the enemy.

Sir William Johnsop, who had been appointed to the command of an expedition against Crown Point, being attacked by the French and Indians near Oswego, on the south-east side of the lake Ontario, defeated the enemy with great loss, but was unable to proceed on the ulterior object of his orders.

In this year happened a terrible catastrophe, which united all parties in one common sentiment of humanity. On the first of November, an earthquake destroyed the greatest part of the city of Lisbon, with an immense number of its inhabitants, while the survivors, destitute of the necessaries of life, were exposed to misery and famine. On this occasion, the parliament of Great Britain generously voted one hundred thousand pounds for the distressed Portuguese.

A. D.

1756

The next year, a treaty between his Britannic majesty and the king of Prussia was signed, by which they mutually engaged not to suffer any foreign troops to enter Germany. On the other hand, the queen of Hungary, though she owed every thing to Great Britain, concluded a treaty of mutual guarantee and support with France; and she refused to his Britannic majesty the auxiliaries that she had agreed to furnish, on account of her dangerous neighbour, the king of Prussia.

Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Legge, the most popular members of administration, disapproving of the political measures which had been adopted, as ruinous and absurd, were dismissed from office; and the seals were soon after transferred from sir Thomas Robinson to Mr. Fox, whose abilities were universally acknowledged.

The French equipped a formidable squadron of ships at Brest, and assembling a number of land forces and transports, threatened England with an invasion. To meet the attack, several thousand of foreign mercenaries were called upon to assist the country, on the presumption that the menaces of France would be carried into effect; but, under the pretence of an invading armament, the French prepared an expedition, which too well succeeded.

A formidable fleet sailed from Toulon with forces to invade Minorca; and when admiral Byng, who had been sent out too late, arrival at Gibraltar, he found that the enemy had landed, and were besieging Fort St. Philip, which was defended by general Blakeney. The admiral being reinforced by a detachment from the garrison at Gibraltar, proceeded to Minorca, and perceived the British colours still flying at the castle of St. Philip. However, before a landing could be effected, the French fleet, under La Galissoniere, appeared; but though an engagement ensued, both commanders seemed averse to the continuance of the battle; and the French admiral, taking advantage of Byng's hesitation, sailed away.

In a council of war, which was held immediately after this indecisive engagement, it was unanimously agreed, that it was impracticable to relieve the castle of St. Philip, and that it would be advisable to return to Gibraltar, which might require immediate protection. General Blakeney receiving no assistance, at length capitulated on honourable terms.

The ministry, irritated against admiral Byng, who had complained that the English fleet had been too long delayed, and that the ships under his command were unfit for service, took no steps to lessen the odium which popular prejudice attached to him; on the contrary, they were pleased to find the blame transferred from themselves, and that the admiral's imputed misconduct exonerated them from censure.

The unfortunate admiral was brought to trial, and the

court determined, that during the engagement off A. D.. Minorca, he did not use his utmost endeavours to 1757 take, seize, and destroy, the ships of the French

king, nor exert his utmost power for the relief of the castle of St. Philip; and, that the punishment attached to this sentence was death; but, as they believed that his misconduct arose neither from cowardice nor disaffection, they earnestly recommended him to mercy.

All the friends and relations of the unhappy man exerted their influence to obtain a remission of his sentence, which popular clamour alone had extorted from his judges; but, the sovereign was told, that the death of Byng was necessary to appease the fury of the people; and, in spite of every application, a warrant was signed for his execution. Thus abandoned to his fate, the unfortunate admiral was not wanting to himself on this trying occasion. Conscious of the uprightness of his intentions, he advanced to the quarter-deck with a firm and deliberate step, and throwing down his hat, kneeled on a cushion, tied one handkerchief over his eyes, and dropped another as a signal to his executioners, when five balls passed through his body, and he fell dead without a struggle.

Notwithstanding this sacrifice, the clamours against the administration continued to increase; and the ministry found it necessary to admit into a participation of office Mr. Pitt and Mr. Legge, who were alike distinguished for their spirit and integrity; but adverse as these two patriots were to his majesty's scheme of continental politics, they could not agree with their colleagues, and were dismissed from their situations. Addresses, however, poured in from all parts, in favour of the discarded minister; and the king thought proper to reinstate Mr. Pitt in his former situation of secretary of state, and Mr. Legge in the office of chancellor of the exchequer.

Public affairs were adverse at the commencement of this administration. An unsuccessful attempt was made against Rochefort; but what was infinitely more disastrous, the duke of Cumberland, unable to contend with the great military talents of marshal d'Etrees, was obliged to capitulate at Closter Seven, by which Hanover was left in the hands of the French, and an army of thirty-eight thousand Hanoverians were disarmed and disbanded. This inglorious convention seems to have been the crisis of the war,

which, under the guidance of other ministers, produced the most splendid events.

In America, after the return of lord Loudon to England, the chief command devolved on major general Abercrombie. On the 27th of July, Louisburgh and Cape Breton surrendered to the British under major-general AmA. D. herst; and Fort du Quesne, which the French had 1758 evacuated, was garrisoned under the name of Pittsburgh, in compliment to the minister. The English also concluded a treaty with the Indian nations inhabiting the country between the Apalachian mountains and the lakes; and such was the spirit of enterprise which now animated the cabinet, that the conquest of Canada was projected as the business of a single campaign.

To accomplish this important object, major-general Wolfe, who had already distinguished himself by his military talents, was directed to undertake the siege of Quebec, while general Amherst, after reducing Ticonderoga and Crown Point, was to cross the lake Champlain, and join Wolfe under the walls of the capital of Canada,

The British forces under general Wolfe arrived in the river of St. Lawrence, and encamped near the falls of the Montmorenci, M. de Montcalm, the French commander, though his troops were superior in number to the invaders, had taken every precaution of defence, which the nature of the country afforded. The city of Quebec was tolerably fortified; and Montcalm, having reinforced the troops of the colony, with this army occupied an advantageous situation from the river St. Charles to the falls of the Montmorenci.

On the last day of July, the British general made disposition for an assault, under cover of the fire from the ships in the river; but the English grenadiers, impetuously attacking the enemy's entrenchments in disorder, were repulsed with great loss, and Wolfe was obliged to

retreat.

This mortifying check preyed on the spirits of the gallant Wolfe, who could not brook the most distant prospect of censure or disgrace, and who declared that he would rather die than fail of ultimate success. At length, a new plan of operations was concerted for landing the troops in the night within a league of Cape Diamond, in hopes of ascending the heights of Abraham, which rise abruptly