ON GAPE BEBTON. 191 



Hoveudeii Walker uever sucwoded (I'm) in gcHiug beyoud the month of the St. Lawreuee, 

 but after a loss of eight transports and nearly nine hundred men decided to give up even 

 the project of attacking the little French post of Plaisance and to return to England.' 

 The whole expedition was destined to failure from the very start, as the chief command 

 of the veteran regiments which had followed Marlborough to victory on the continent of 

 Europe was actually entrusted to a notoriously incompetent brother of Mrs. Masham, who 

 had supplanted the famous Duchess in Queen Anne's ailections. The Duke had refused 

 to give him a colonelcy on the ground that he was a " good for nothing," - but court favour 

 foisted him, at last, upon an expedition whoso issue reflected disgrace on all concerned in 

 it and sadly discouraged the English colonists who were looking forward anxiously toits 

 success. Their hopes had already been considerably raised by the advantage previously 

 gained by G-eneral Nicholson — ^an able man long connected with the government oi the 

 colonies — who succeeded in 1710 in taking possession of Port Royal.' From that time 

 Acadie ceased to be a French possession, and the people of New England felt that the first 

 step had been taken towards ridding themselves of a dangerous neighbour in America. 

 Half a century, however, would pass before all their hopes could be realized and England 

 reign supreme in the valley of the St. Lawrence. 



' It appears thai Sir Hovonden was forced by public opinion in England to retreat to South Carolina and to 



write a book in his defence : — " Wlien I perceived myself unworthy to serve my,o\vn nation any longer [see p. 21 of 



his Journal of the Expedition] I thought it more consistent with my principles, and indeed more honourable to 



retreat to the Diost distant part of the King's dominions, and pass the rest of my Ufe in a private state of solitude 



and retirement." In concluding his apology or defence (see App. XV to this work) he consoles himself with this 



poetic outburst : — 



To conclude. 



" How thoughtless is the Man, and how unblest ! 

 Who suffers Fortune to invade his Rest : 

 Who vainly grieves at Injuries of Fate, 

 Wliicli eases none : But does more Ills create : 

 Fondly pursuing Methods, for Redress, 

 AVhich ruffle, and destroy his inward Peace. 

 Man i.s a world, and to himself can be, 

 • The Seat of Happiness, or of INIisery : 

 Whose reason, is the JNIonarch of his Mind, 

 And uncontroul'd should rule and uncontin'd ; 

 What boots it then, tho' fickle Chance deprives, 

 Of outward Benefits, Chance only gives ? 

 The' all the States on Earth should be at Tars 

 Involv'd in foreign, or intestine Wars ; 

 While his small Kingdom, undisturb'd shall be, 

 From civil Discords, and rude Tumults free; 

 Fortune's Insults, he'll treat with just Disdain, 

 And she'll attempt his set'lod Peace in vain. 

 Let him secure a calm Repose within, 

 He's safe : For Sorrows only then begin, 

 • When headstrong liassions dare rebellious prove. 



And reason from the Throne, by Force remove." 



2 Bancroft, "History of the U. S.," ii. 200, 201 (N. Y., 1888, author's last éd.). 



^ The French Governor Subercase, who surrendered Port Royal to General Nicholson, had a commission from 

 the French king as " Governor of Acadie, Cape Breton and the adjacent islands and countries." By his surrender 

 then Cape Breton came also into the possession of England until 1713, when France awoke to its importance. 

 Douglas, " Summary of the British Settlements," i. 315-346 ; Murdoch, " Hist, of Nova Scotia," i. 318. 



