268 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



posts, communicatioais and passes as may be a foundation to our 

 possession of a future Dominion in America, we are still engaged in 

 a petty skirmishing war. . . If we have changed the point and 

 brought it to its true issue, its natural crisis, whether we, as Province 

 of Great Britain, or Canada as the Province of France, shall be sup- 

 reme in America, then the service to be done is a general invasion 

 of Canada in conjunction with the European troops and fleet; then 

 is our natural strength employed, and we must be as naturally 

 superior. .Tihis being fixed, the nexit point is where the real attack 

 must be made. The siame reasons that show the necessity of such 

 an attack show that it will never effectually le carried on over land. . 

 . . Experience has now shown that the possession the enemy has 

 of the posts of strength would render the passage to Canada by land 

 the work of a campaign, even with success, but finally also the success 

 doubtful. (Tjhe going to take possession O'f the country in 1760 

 after Quebec had been taken in 1759 proved ' the work of a cam- 

 paJgn.O 



".Tihe road to Quebec up the St. Lawrence is possessed by the 

 superiority -of our marine navigation. T^here is neither danger nor 

 difficulty, nor do I see how there can be any opposition to hinder the 

 fleet getting up to the Island of Orleans; and a superior army in 

 possession of that may by proper measures command the rest of the 

 way to Quebec.^ If our army can once set dawn before Quebec it 

 must take it; if Quebec be taken, the capitulation may at least strip 

 Canada of all regulars; after which the inhabitants might possibly 

 be induced to surrender. . . . 



" But although this attempt on Quebec by way of the St. Lawrence 

 River may be the only real and will be the only effectual attack on 

 Canada, yet one other, if not two, false attacks will be necessary, one 

 by way of Lake Champiain, the other by way of Lake Ontario, ffihat 

 by way of Lake Champiain may, as far as Crown Point, be offensive, 

 and should then change into a defensive measure." ... " As to 

 action on Lake Ontario, an appearance of an attack by that way 

 must greatly alarm the enemy at Montreal " (and serve other pur- 

 poses) .2 



Pownall, in claiming to be the first proposer of his measures, 

 evidently refers to being the first in England and in official quarters 

 there. 



"»Tihe first paper," he says, "was written at a time when the sub- 

 *' jcct was entirely new; scarce ever brought forward to consideration 

 *'here in England; and when authentic accounts of the true state of 



' "Did not the event literally justify this?" 

 ' P. 249. 



