[DDi-GiiT^] BATTLE OF THE PLAINS OF ABRAHA:^[ 385 



*^ ordre essuyèrent sans s'ébranler nos premières décharges. Ils ripos- 

 " tèrent ensuite avec beaucoup de vivacité, et le mouvement qu'un dé- 

 '' tachement de leur centre d'environ 200 hommes fit en avant, la bayon- 

 " nette au bout du fusil, suffit pour faire prendre la fuite à presque 

 "toute notre armée; la déroute ne fut totale que parmi les troupes 

 "réglées ; les Canadiens accoutumés à reculer à la manière des Sauvages, 

 " (et des anciens Parthes) et à retourner ensuite à l'ennemi avec plus 

 " de confiance qu'auparavant se rallièrent en quelques endroits, et à la 

 " faveur des petits lois dont ils étaient environnés, ils forcèrent différens 

 '• corps à plier, mais enfin il fallut céder à la supériorité du nombre." 



By this evidence it is seen that the eminence on which the French 

 army was drawn up, was greater than the elevated ground occupied by 

 the English. This agrees exactly with the profile, on which the two 

 elevations are denoted by the letters A and B. It may be interesting 

 to those who are unfamiliar with the city of Quebec, to obtain a few par- 

 ticulars regarding the different levels and the appearance of the ground 

 between the ridge, Claire Fontaine, and the hill; and also between the 

 hill and the centre of the race course, in 1785. The profile, on plan 

 N"o. 1, gives the elevation of the ground at the particular place desig- 

 nated, but it is not a correct representation of the whole of the ground 

 between the Eiver St. Lawrence and Cote Ste. Geneviève, Many pro- 

 files would be necessary for this purpose. 



The appearance of the ground between the fortifications of the city 

 and the toll gate on the Grande Allée is deceptive, on account of the 

 number of houses which have been erected. Even a close inspection 

 from available points does not enable one to form a very clear idea of 

 what its aspect could have been at the time of the battle. 



Fortunately, a large ordnance map on which the elevations of all 

 this portion of Quebec are marked, has been preserved. This map is attri- 

 buted to Major Holland, and the elevations on it were taken from the 

 Eiver St. Lawrence during the years 1785-86. It is true that this map 

 was made 36 years after the battle, but it is not probable that there was 

 much alteration during the interval. In order to understand certain 

 passages of the text, it is necessary to have a knowledge of the surface 

 of the ground upon which the battle was fought. A few explanations 

 will be given concerning the levels of the race course, and also of the 

 ground on the south of Grande Allée between the Quebec gaol and 

 Claire Fontaine, at a period 26 years after the event. 



We will draw an imaginary line from about the centre of the race 

 course to the summit of the hill upon which the Quebec gaol now 

 stands. The line is nearly parallel with the River St. Lawrence, about 



