- and refolution. In the mean time, General Carleton was indefatigable in his endeavours to raise a force fufficient for its relief. Attempts had been for fome time made by Colonel M'Lean, for raifing a Scotch regiment, under the title of Royal Highland Emigrants, to be compofed of natives of that country who had lately arrived in America, and who in confequence of the troubles had not obtained fettlements. With thefe and fome Canadians, to the amount of a few hundred men, the Colonel was pofted near the junction of the Sorel with the river St. Lawrence. The General was at Montreal, where, with the greatest difficulty, and by every poffible means, he had got together near a thousand men, compofed principally of Canadians, with a few regulars, and fome English officers and volunteers, With thefe he intended a junction with M'Lean, and then to have marched directly to the relief of St. John's. But upon his attempting to pass over from the ifland of Montreal, he was encountered at Longueil by a party of the Provincials, who eafily repulfed the Canadians, and put a stop to the whole defign. Another party had pushed M Lean towards the mouth of the Sorel, where the Canadians having received advice of the Governor's defeat; immediately abandoned him to a man, and he was obliged to make the best of his way to Quebec with the emigrants,

In the mean time, Montgomery pushed on the fiege of St. John's with great vigour, had advanced his works very near the body of the fort, and was making prepara

tions for a general affault. Nor was there lefs alacrity fhewn in the defence, the fpirit as well as the fire of the garrifon being equally fupported to the laft. In this ftate of things, an account of the fuccefs at Longueil, accompanied by the prifoners who were taken, arrived at the camp, upon which Montgomery fent a flag and a letter by one of them to Major Prefton, hoping, that as all means of relief were now cut off by the Governor's defeat, he would, by a timely furrender of the fort, prevent that farther effufion of blood, which a fruitless and obftinate de fence must neceffarily occafion.

The Major endeavoured to obtain a few days time in hopes of being relieved; but this was refufed, on account of the latenefs and feverity of the feafon; he alfo endeavoured, in fettling the terms of capitulation, to obtain liberty for the garrifon to depart for Great Britain, which proved equally fruitlefs, and they were obliged, after being allowed the honours of war on account of their brave defence, to lay down their arms, and furrender themfelves Nov. 3d,, prifoners. They They were allowed their baggage and effects, the officers to wear their fwords, and their other arms to be preferved for them till the troubles were at an end. In all tranfactions with our forces, Montgomery writ, fpoke, and behaved with that attention, regard, and politeness, to both private men and officers, which might be expected from a man of worth and honour, who found himself involved in an unhappy quarrel with his friends and countryinen. All the prifoners were fent up the Lakes by the way

them down upon the batteries, means were fuccefsfully taken for conveying the Governor in a dark night, in a boat with muffled pad. dles, paft the enemies guards and batteries, and he arrived fafely at Quebec, which he found environed with danger from an unexpected quarter, As it was impracticable to fave the fhips, General Prefcot was obliged to enter into a capitulation with the Provincials, by which the whole of the river naval force, confifting of eleven armed veffels, was furrendered into their hands, the General himself, with feveral other officers, fome gentlemen in the civil department, Canadian volunteers, and near 120 English foldiers, all of whom had taken refuge on board upon the approach of General Montgomery to Montreal, becoming prifoners of war.

Whilft the Provincials were thus carrying on the war in Upper Canada from the New-York fide, and by the old beaten courfe of the Lakes, an expedition, confiderably diftinguished by its novelty, fpirit, enterprize, by the difficulties that oppofed, and the conftancy that fucceeded in its execution; was undertaken directly against the lower part of the province and the city of Quebec, from the New-England fide, by a route which had hitherto been untried, and confidered as impracticable, This expedition was undertaken by Colonel Arnold, who about the middle of September, at the head of two regiments, confifting of about 1100 men, marched from the camp near Bofton, to New bury Port, at the mouth of the river Merrimack, where veffels were in readiness to convey them

by fea to the mouth of the river Kennebec, in New Hampshire; a voyage of about forty leagues.

On the 22d of the fame month

The

they embarked their stores and troops in zoo batteaux, at Gardiner's Town, on the Kennebec, and proceeded with great difficulty up that river, having a rapid ftream, with a rocky bottom and fhores, continually interrupted by falls and carrying places, with numberlefs other impediments to encounter. In this paffage the batteaux were frequently filled with water, or overfet; in confequence of which a part of their arms, ammunition, and provifions were fometimes loft, At the numerous carrying places, befides the labour of loading and reloading, they were obliged to convey the boats on their fhoulders. great carrying place was above twelve miles acrofs. That part of the detachment which was not employed in the batteaux, marched along the banks of the river, and the boats and men being difpofed in three divifions, each divifion encamped together every night. Nor was the march by land more eligible than the paffage by water, They had thick woods, deep fwamps, difficult mountains, and precipices, alternately to encounter, and were at times obliged to cut their way for miles together through the thickets. At the carrying places they were obliged to traverse the fame ground feveral times heavy loaded. From all these impediments their progress was of courfe very flow, being in general only from four or five to nine or ten miles a day, The conftant fatigue and labour caufed many to fall fick, which added to

their

their difficulties, and provifions grew at length fo fcarce, that fome of the men eat their dogs, and whatever elfe of any kind that could be converted to food.

When they arrived at the head of the Kennebec, they fent back their fick, and one of the Colonels took that opportunity of returning with his divifion, under pretence of the scarcity of provifions, without the confent or knowledge of the Commander in Chief, who had marched forwards. By this defertion, and the fick that were returned, Arnold's detachment was reduced about one third from its original number. They, however, proceeded with their ufual conftancy; and having croffed the heights of land, as a ridge that extends quite through that continent is called, and from whence the waters on either fide, take courfes directly contrary to thofe on the other, they at length arrived at the head of the river Chandiere, which running through Canada, falls into the river St. Lawrence, near Quebec. Their difficulties now were growing to an end, and they foon approached the inhabited parts of Canada; on the 3d of November, a party which they had pushed forward returned with provifions, and they foon after came to a houfe, being the first they had beheld for thirtyone days, having spent that whole time in traverfing an hideous wil derness, without ever meeting any thing human.

The Canadians received them here with the fame good-will that Montgomery's corps had experienced in the neighbourhood of Montreal; they fupplied them liberally with provifions and ne

ceffaries, and rendered them every other affiftance in their power. Arnold immediately published an addrefs to the people figned by General Washington, of the fame nature with that which had been before iffued by Schuyler and Montgomery. They were invited to join with the other colonies in an indiffoluble union. To range themselves under the ftandard of general liberty. They were informed, that the armament was fent into the province, not to plunder, but to protect and animate them; that they themselves were enjoined to act, and to confider themselves, as in the country of their best friends; they were requested, therefore, not to defert their habitations, nor fly from their friends; but to provide them with fuch fupplies as their country afforded; and he pledged himself for their fafety and fecurity, as well as for an ample compenfation.

The city of Quebec was at this time in a state of great weakness, as well as internal difcontent and disorder.

The British merchants and inhabitants had been long much difgufted and diffatisfied. Their oppofition to the Quebec Act, and the petitions which they had fent to England upon that fubject, had been grievously refented by their own government; and from that period, they had, as the difcontented faid, not only been flighted and treated with indifference; but even regarded with an apparent eye of diftruft and fufpicion. They complained, that as the great political object in that country, was to attach the native Canadians inviolably to government, fo the French nobleffe, and