in a council of war, raising expectation of the speedy arrival of an English fleet, caused a division among the officers. Under the pressure of these adverse occurrences, D'Anville was either seized with an apoplectic fit, or took a poisonous draught, and suddenly expired. D'Estournelle, who succeeded him in the command of the fleet, proposed in a council of officers to abandon the expedition, and return to France. The rejection of his proposal caused such extreme agitation, as to bring on a fever, which threw him into a delirium, and he fell on his sword. The French, thus disconcerted in their plan, resolved to make an attempt on Annapolis; but, having sailed from Chebucto, they were overtaken by a violent tempest off Cape Sable, and what ships escaped destruction returned singly to France.

A more remarkable instance of preservation seldom occurs. Had the project of the enemy succeeded, it is impossible to determine to what extent the American colonies would have been distressed or desolated. When man is made the instrument of averting public calamity, the divine agency ought still to be acknowledged; but this was averted without human power. If philosophers would ascribe this extraordinary event to blind chance, or fatal necessity, Christians will surely ascribe it to the operation of that BEING, who, in ancient time, caused the stars, in their courses, to fight against Sisera.'"-Holmes' Annals.

Conquest of Nova Scotia.-"The command of the expedition against Nova Scotia was given to Lieutenant Colonel Monkton, a British officer of respected military talents. The troops, destined for this service, were almost entirely drawn from Massachusetts, and amounted to about three thousand men. The New England forces were commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Winslow of Marshfield, a major general of the militia, and an officer of great respectability and influence. The troops embarked at Boston on the 20th May, 1755, and arrived on the 25th at Annapolis Royal; whence, on the first of June, they sailed, in a fleet of forty-one vessels, to Chignecto. After being joined by about three hundred regulars with a small train of artillery, they marched for the French fort Beausejour. At the river Mussaguash, on the west side of which the French claimed, they found a block house, with some small cannon and swivels, and a breast

* Hutchinson, ii. ch. iv. The French, from the day in which they left France in June to the day in which they left Chebucto, buried 2400 men, 1100 of whom died at Chebucto. One third of the Indians, who visited the French cantonments, died. The disease subsided there, without becoming epidemic. On this occasion, the assembly of Massachusetts gave the governor unlimited power to strengthen the works at Castle William, and do whatever he should think necessary for the immediate defence of the harbour of Boston; and such additional works were made to the Castle, as rendered it, for its extent, the most considerable fortress by sea in the English colonies.

work, with troops judiciously posted to oppose their progress; but, after a conflict of about an hour, they effected a passage, with the loss of one man only, the French burning their blockhouse and village. They now encamped about two miles from fort Beausejour; and Lieutenant Colonel Winslow, with three hundred men, having dislodged a party of the enemy from an eminence, advanced within six hundred yards of the fort. The entrenchments were opened, and, on the sixteenth, the enemy surrendered. The garrison was allowed to march out with the honours of war, and to be transported with their effects to Louisbourg, at the expense of the king of Great Britain, on condition of not bearing arms for six months. The name of fort Beausejour was now changed to Cumberland. The fort at Gaspareau necessarily surrendered next; and was allowed the same terms as the former. The French force in Nova Scotia being subdued, a difficult question occurred, what ought to be done with the inhabitants. These amounted to about seven thousand, and were of a mild, frugal, industrious and pious character. But, though they had chosen to be denominated neutrals, they had furnished the French and Indians with intelligence, quarters, provisions, and aid in annoying the government of the province; and three hundred of them were actually found in arms at fort Beausejour. An offer was made to such of them as had not been openly in arms, to be allowed to continue in possession of their land, if they would take the oath of allegiance without any qualification; but they unanimously refused it. On the whole, after the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia and his council had consulted with Admirals Boscawen and Mostyn on the necessary measures to be adopted toward them, it was determined to disperse them among the British colonies. This measure was principally effected by the New England forces, whose commander, uniting humanity with firmness, was eminently qualified for the difficult and ungrateful service. In this entire expedition, the English had but twenty men killed, and about the same number wounded.

Battle of Lake George.t-"This battle was fought at the head of Lake George, September 8th, 1755, between the provincial troops under the command of Major General, afterwards Sir

At Grand Pre, where Colonel Winslow had the immediate command, there were made prisoners 483 men and 337 women, heads of families, 527 of their sons and 576 of their daughters, amounting in all to 1923 souls. To prevent the resettlement of those who escaped, the country was laid waste. In the district of Minas only, there were destroyed 255 houses, 276 barns, 155 outhouses, 11 mills, and 1 church. One thousand of the proscribed and wretched Acadians were transported to Massachusetts, where many of them embarked for France.

+ Dwight's Travels, 3d vol. Dr. Dwight visited the battle grounds, and derived much of his information from eye witnesses of the action. The loss of the French was estimated at eight hundred, that of the English but two hundred.

William Johnson, aided by a body of Indians, led by the celebrated Hendrick; and a body of French, Canadians, and Indians, commanded by Monsieur le Baron de Dieskau. This nobleman arrived from France, in company with Monsieur de Vaudreuil, Governour General of Canada, and brought with him from Brest, 3000 regular troops, destined to act under his command against the British colonies. Of these six hundred were taken, with the Lys and Alcide men of war, by Admiral Boscawen. A thousand were left at Louisburgh. The remainder were landed at Quebec. The Baron was instructed to reduce Oswego; a fortification on the south side of Lake Ontario, and on the eastern side of the river Oswego, or Onondaga. This fortress was of considerable importance, from its position in the country of the Iroquois; and enabled the English in a great measure to exclude the French from any very dangerous communication with that people. In obedience to these instructions he proceeded directly to Montreal; and having despatched seven hundred men up the river St. Lawrence, made preparations to follow them. Before his departure, however, intelligence reached that city, that a considerable army was assembling at the head of Lake St. Sacrament, now Lake George, with an intention to reduce fort Frederic, since called Crown Point, and perhaps to invade Canada. At a council, convened upon this news, Baron Dieskau was vehemently solicited, and with no small difficulty prevailed upon, to direct his course up Lake Champlain. At Fort Frederic he waited some time for the arrival of the English army; but finding no prospect of their approach, determined to go and seek them. Accordingly, he embarked with 2000 men in batteaux, and landed at the head of South-bay, in the township of Skeensborough, now Whitehall; about sixteen or eighteen miles from Sandy-hill, and in the route which he took, about twenty-eight or thirty from the head of Lake George. An English prisoner, taken by his scouts, informed him, that Fort Edward, then called Fort Lyman, (from Major Genernl Lyman, under whose direction this fortress had been erected the preceding summer,) was defenceless; and that the army of General Johnson was in the same state; being without fortifications, and without cannon. Upon this information Dieskau determined immediately to attack the fort. As soon as he formed his determination, he explained to his troops the advantages of the proposed measure, which was certainly worthy of his military character. Had the design succeeded; and in the infant state of the works, it would in all probability have been successful; the army under Johnson would have been cut off from all supplies; and must either have marched immediately back, and fought the enemy, then formidable by success, as well as numbers, and skill, furnished with cannon and other supplies

from the fort, and choosing his own ground for action; or they must have surrendered at discretion. The great body of his troops, however, consisting of Canadians and Indians, were illfitted to comprehend a measure of this magnitude; and as little disposed to venture upon its execution. Either they had been informed, or they suspected, that the fort was defended by cannon objects of peculiar dread to both these classes of men. In spite of the exhortations of their commander, they absolutely refused to advance against the fort; but professed their readiness, at the same time, to attack the army under Johnson, entirely destitute, as the Baron had told them, and as he himself believed, of both cannon and works. In vain did he attempt to overcome their reluctance. There was, therefore, no alternative left, but either to attack Johnson, or to retrace his course to South bay. Without hesitation he marched his army towards the head of Lake George.

Gen. Johnson's first intimation of the approach of his enemy had been given by a scout, who discovered the French army on their march from South bay towards Fort Edward. Upon the receipt of this intelligence he dispatched several messengers, to advertise Col. Blanchard, who commanded that fortress, of his danger.

On the night of Sunday, September 7, at 12 o'clock, information was brought, that the enemy had advanced four miles on the road from Fort Edward to Lake George; or half way between the village of Sandy-Hill and Glen's falls. A council of war was held early in the morning, at which it was resolved to send a party to meet them. The number of men, determined upon at first, was mentioned by the General to Hendrick; and his opinion was asked. He replied, 'If they are to fight, they are too few. If they are to be killed, they are too many. The number was accordingly increased. Gen. Johnson also proposed to divide them into three parties. Hendrick took three sticks, and, putting them together, said to him, Put these together, and you can't break them. Take them one by one, and you will break them easily.' The hint succeeded, and Hendrick's sticks saved the party, and probably the whole army, from destruction.

The party detached consisted of twelve hundred, and were commanded by Col. Ephraim Williams, whose character has been already given in these Letters; a brave and skillful officer, greatly beloved by the soldiery, and greatly respected by the country at large. Lieut. Col. Whiting, of New-Haven, was second in command, and brought up the rear. Col. Williams met the enemy at Rocky brook, four miles from Lake George. Dieskau had been informed of his approach by his scouts, and arranged his men in the best possible order to receive them, extending his line on both sides of the road in the form of a half-moon. Johnson did not begin to raise his breast-work until after Williams had marched; nor, as a manuscript account of this transaction, now before me, declares, until after the rencounter between Williams and the enemy had begun.

Williams marched his men directly into the hollow of the halfmoon. This will be explained by the fact, that the whole country was a deep forest. When the enemy saw them completely within his power, he opened a fire of musketry on the front, and on both flanks, of the English at the same moment. The English fell in heaps; and at the head of them their gallant commander. Hendrick also was mortally wounded, fighting with invincible courage in the front of his people. He was shot in the back: a fact which filled him with disdain and anguish; as he thought, that he should be believed to have fled from the enemy. The truth was; the horns of the half-moon were so far advanced, that they in a great measure inclosed the van of the English, and fired upon them from the rear. From this fire Hendrick received the wound which terminated his life.

Upon the death of Col. Williams, Lieut. Col. Whiting succeeded to the command of the detachment. He was an officer of great merit, and had gained much applause at the reduction of Louisburgh; and, in consequence of his gallant conduct at that siege, had been made a Captain in the regular British service. Whiting, seeing the danger of his men, immediately ordered a retreat; and conducted it so judiciously, that he saved the great body of them from destruction, in circumstances of extreme peril; in which their own confusion and alarm, and the situation of the ground, threatened their extermination no less than the superior numbers of the enemy.

The noise of the first fire was heard at Lake George. Efforts began then to be made in earnest by the General for the defence of the camp and a party of three hundred men were despatched under Lieut. Col. Cole, to support the retreating corps. A few stragglers, both English and Indians, came into the camp, and announced, what had indeed been already sufficiently evident from the approaching sound of the musketry, that the French army was superiour in numbers and strength to Col. Williams' corps, and was driving them towards the camp. Some time after the whole party that escaped,' says Gen. Johnson, came in in large bodies: a decisive proof of the skill, and coolness, with which Lieut. Col. Whiting conducted this retreat. These men also arranged themselves in their proper places; and took their share in the engagement, which followed.

About half after eleven o'clock the enemy appeared in sight; marching up the road in the best order towards the centre of the English. When they came to the bottom of an open valley, directly in front of the elevation, on which Fort George was afterwards built, and on which the centre of the English army was posted; Dieskau halted his men about fifteen minutes, at the distance of little more than one hundred and fifty yards from the breast-work. I have never seen a reason, assigned for this measure. I think I can assign one.

The Indians were sent out on the right flank, and a part of the Canadians on the left, intending to come in upon the rear of the English, while the main body attacked them in front. The ground was remarkably favourable to this design; being swampy, thickly forested, and, therefore, perfectly fitted to conceal the approach of these parties.