that fortress as the only means of preventing the evils to which the neighbouring inhabitants were exposed; but neither the government of his own Colony, nor the successive Commanders in Chief of the British forces, would listen to his propositions to that effect. In one of his letters to the Governour of Virginia, he observes, "The supplicating tears of the women, and moving petitions of the men, melt me with such deadly sorrow, that I solemnly declare, if I know my own mind, I could offer myself a willing sacrifice to the butchering enemy, provided that would contribute to the people's ease." Thus the third year of the war was closed, without a solitary advantage to the cause of Great Britain, if we except the gallant and spirited enterprise of Colonel Moncton-who, with a body of Provincials, raised under the authority of the Assembly of Massachusetts, drove the French from their possessions in Nova Scotia.

In the year of 1758, things every where wore a different aspect. Mr. Pitt, after many dismissals and reappointments, had been at length firmly established as Principal Secretary of State, with unlimited influence over the House of Commons, and the most unbounded control over his Hanoverian master. The Earl of Loudon had returned to England, to find a better soil for the growth of laurels, and the chief command was placed in the more efficient hands of the enterprising Major General, afterwards Lord, Amherst one of the greatest Generals that England ever boasted. Admiral Boscawen arrived from England early in the year with powerful reinforcements, and no time was lost in concerting measures for an active and spirited opening of the campaign. The number of troops, Regulars and Provincials, now VOL. I. 6

at the disposal of the Commander in Chief, showed that Mr. Pitt was determined to retrieve the errours of his predecessorus, and make up by one decisive blow, for the three years which had been lost in consultations and councils of war. No less than fifty thousand men were now assembled a force incomparably greater than any which had ever before been seen in the new world. With twelve thousand of these men, General Amherst determined to proceed to the attack of Louisburg, the garrison of which had been considerably reduced since the abandonment of the expedition against it under the Earl of Loudon. For this purpose, he embarked on board of the fleet under Admiral Boscawen, and anchored in sight of the fortress on the 2d of June. In a few days afterwards the place was formally invested, and on the 27th of July the Chevalier Drucourt, the Governour, was compelled to accept the terms of capitulation offered by the besiegers. By this event, the whole island of Cape Breton, and several ships of the line and frigates, came into the possession of the English. It was in this siege, that Brigadier General Wolfe first excited universal attention, by the display of those brilliant talents, and that lofty intrepidity of conduct, which afterwards so eminently distinguished his short but glorious career.

General Abercrombie, about the same time, undertook at the head of fifteen thousand men, to march against the Forts of Ticonderoga and William Henry; but he met with so warm a reception in his assault upon the former, that he was compelled to retreat with the loss of two thousand men. This so completely dispirited him, that he would not consent to renew the attack; but, though his force was still much superiour to that of the enemy, drew them off and returned to

his camp at lake George. Lord Howe was among the number of those who fell on this occasion, and to his grief for the loss of this most amiable and heroick young nobleman to whom he was most ardently attached, may perhaps be attributed that state of mind in the General, which induced him to abandon an enterprise that must have proved successful in its further prosecution. Colonel Bradstreet, who had been detached by General Abercrombie with a considerable force against Frontenac, a fort situated on the northern bank of the St. Lawrence at the foot of Lake Ontario, was more successful, having reduced that post without much loss.

The defence of the middle and southern Colonies had, in the mean time, been confided to Brigadier General Forbes, who, to the great joy of Washington, lent a more willing ear than had yet been given, to the proposition for the immediate reduction of Fort Duquesne. The General's force, however, was so variously dispersed, that six months were consumed in bringing it together; and though Washington was constantly urging the necessity of expedition, and using every remonstrance, which his experience and knowledge of the country authorised him to make, against useless delays, it was not until the 5th of November, that the army reached Loyal Hannah, still ten days march from their place of destination. Here a council of war was held, on the propriety of proceeding further, so late in the season, which, like most councils of war, came precisely to that determination which would have rendered all their exertions fruitless and perhaps have destroyed the army, if chance had not stepped in to reverse their decision. The council had determined that it was unadvisable to pro

ceed any further that campaign" and the only alternative left was either to spend the winter in a dreary wilderness with an army of eight thousand men, or to retrace their steps over mountains and morasses, rendered every day more and more difficult and dangerous by ice and snows. It was fortunately not left for the council to choose between these two evils-a few scattering Indians who were made prisoners, gave such information of the weakened state of the garrison at Fort Duquesne, that the General was induced to proceed, contrary to the advice of his council, and on the 25th of November they entered the Fort without opposition-the enemy having previously dismantled and abandoned it, that all their forces might be concentrated to oppose the vigorous measures of the British in the North. The capture of Fort Duquesne, (which now received the name of Fort Pitt, in compliment to the great man at the head of the Ministry in England,) put an end to the war in the South, and a formal treaty of peace was soon after concluded between the British and all the Indian nations spread over the extensive country between the Ohio and the Lakes. The following speech of an Indian Warrior, at the meeting of the commissioners for settling the treaty of peace will show in a clear light the different conduct pursued by the English and French, towards these despised natives of the forest, and the sort of right by which the former laid claim to the lands which they now held by force of arms." Bretheren-I have raised my voice, and all the Indians have heard me as far as the Twightwees, and have regarded my voice, and are now come to this place. Bretheren, the cause why the Indians of Ohio left you is owing to yourselves. The Governour of Virginia settled in our

lands, and disregarded our messages: but, when the French came to us, they traded with our people, used them kindly and gained their affections. Our cousins on the Minisinks tell us, they were wronged of a great deal of land, and pushed back by the English, settling so fast upon them as not to know whether they have any lands remaining in surety. You deal hardly with us; you claim all the wild animals of the forests, and will not let us come on your lands so much as to hunt after them; you will not let us peel the bark of a single tree to cover our cabins--surely this is hard. Our fathers, when they sold the land, did not purpose to deprive themselves of hunting the wild deer, or using a branch of wood. Bretheren, we have already acquainted you with our grievances; and we have referred our cause to the great King. I desire to know if King George has yet decided this matter, and whether justice will be done to the Minisinks ?"-In reply to this appeal of simple eloquence, the poor Indians were assured by the English commissioners that "full justice should be done to the Minisinks" and that "fresh earth should be put to the roots of the tree of peace between the British and Indian nations, in order that it might bear up against every storm, and flourish as long as the sun shone, and the rivers continued to flow." Let the history of Indian wrongs tell how worthily this promise was fulfilled.

The events of 1758 sufficiently showed that nothing was wanting to the complete success of the English arms in America, but a vigorous prosecution of the measures which had been so ably planned. General Amherst was determined, not to stop short of gaining the whole northern Continent. To accomplish this daring project, the army were divided into three grand