[DOUGiirv] BATTLE OF THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM 387 



with the boundary of the race course property, and proceeding from 

 this point a distance of 2,800 feet towards Cl'aire Fontaine, the ground 

 is ahnost flat. 



The elevation at the western extremity of this line is 269 feet, 

 and the elevation at the eastern extremity of the line is 271 feet, show- 

 ing a variation of two feet in a distance of 2,800 feet. Another line 

 parallel with this, 2,000 feet south, (100 yards south of Grande Allée) 

 gives a variation of 21 feet in this distance of 2,800 feet. 



From this plan it is apparent that the most even piece of ground 

 was north of the Grande' Allée, and the most uneven ground was be- 

 tween the Eiver St. Lawrence 'and the Grande Allée, bounded on the 

 west by the race course, and on the' east by Claire Fontaine. 



While considering the appearance of the' surface of the ground, it 

 may be interesting to note that a coppice of several hundred feet in 

 area, is shown on this plan, nearly midway between de Salaberry Street 

 and Claire Fontaine, on the St. John's Road. This position, it will be 

 observed, is in the vicinity of the Canadians on the right of the French 

 army, on plan A, and between the English and French lines. Refer- 

 ring to the testimony of Townshend, we find that "the enemy lined the 

 "bushes in their front with fifteen hundred Indians and Canadians, 

 "and, I daresay, had placed most of their best marksmen there, who 

 " kept up a very galling, though irregular fire, upon our whole line." 



Knox also refers to this coppice. " But what galled us most was 

 "a body of Indians and other marksmen they had concealed in the 

 " corn opposite to the front of our right wing, and a coppice that stood 

 " opposite to our centre, inclining towards our left.'' 



General Malartic informs us that after the French army gained 

 the heights, " some platoons of soldiers of the colony were exchanging 

 " shots with the English from behind some brushwood and stones 

 " (fredoche ?) which were between the two armies." 



The late George Desbarats published in 1871, a Journal of the 

 Siege of Quebec, " by An Officer of the Expedition,"' bearing the ini- 

 tials, P. M. (Major Moncrief). 



At the time of the publication of this Journal its authorship was 

 disputed, as it was proved to be an exact copy of the journal of Mr. 

 James Thompson, of Quebec. 



Mr. Thompson is said to have assisted Mr. Hawkins in the pre- 

 paration of his book, " Picture of Quebec." 



It is therefore interesting to be able to refer to this source. 



In this journal the coppice is described as being situated between 

 the two armies. '" In the space between the two armies were some 



