i8o ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758.
fiege ; and confifted of about 350 Canadians only^ including 60 In- dians.
The enemy was at firft very flow in making his approaches ; for on the 15th of July he was three hundred toifes from the place. He was employed in fecuring his camp by redoubts and epaulements, ^hinking we had many Canadians and Indians behind him. We, on our parts, ufed every method to deftroy and retard his work, both by the fire of the place and that of the fhips in the harbour. The commodore of thofe fhips warmly folicited leave to quit the piacej but knowing the im- portance of their ftay to its fafety, I refufed it; It was our bufinefs to defer the determination of our fate as long as poflible. My accounts from Canada affured me, that M. de Montcalm was marching to the enemy, and would come up with them between the 15th and 20th of July. I faid, then, « If the fhips leave the harbour
- on the loth of June (as they
- defire) the Englifh admiral will
- enter it immediately after;' and
we fhould have been loll before theend of the month ; which would have put it in the power of the generals of the befiegers to have employed the months of July and Auguil, in fending fuccours to the troops marching againft Ca- nada, and to have entered the fiver St. Laurence at the proper feafon. This object alone ieemed to me of fufficient importance to require a council of war, whofe opinion was the fame with mine, and conformable to the ling's in- tentions. The fituation of the Ihips was no lefs critical than ours, four of them were burnt.
with two corps of caferns, by the enemy's bombs. At laft, on the 29th of July, no fhips being left, and the place being open in dilFe- rent parts of the king's, the dau- phin's, and the queen's baftions, a council of war determined to afk to capitulate.
I propofed much the fame article* as were granted at Portmahon : But the generals would liflen to no propofals, but our being pri- foners of war. I annex their letter, and my anfwer, by which you will fee that I vi^as refolved to wait the general afiault, when Mr. Prevot, commifTary-general and in - tendant of the colony, brought me a petition from the traders and inhabitants, which determined me to fend back the ofiicer who carried my former letter, to make our fubmiffion to the law of force ; a fubmiffion which, in our condi- tion, was inevitable. This con- dition was fuch, that, for eight days, the officers had not, any more than the private men, one moment'sreft, nor indeed any place in which to take reit. In all be- fieged towns there are entrench- ments, where thofe who are not on duty may retire, and be covered from the enemy's fire ; but at Louifbourg we had not a fafe place even for the wounded ; fo that they were almoft as much expofed every minute of the four and twenty hours, as if they had been on the covered-way. Neverthelefs the men did not murmur in the leafl, nor difcover the fmalleft dif- content; which was owing to the good example and exaft difcipline of their officers. None dcfcrted but foreigners, Germans ; on? of whom prevented an intended fally. As he had gone over to
the
