[wood] an URSULINE EPIC 41 



General Murray, now in command of tlie British army of occupation, 

 quickly won golden opinions by his justice and generosity. He and his 

 men cheerfully gave up a whole day's rations every week for the benefit 

 of the poor, and always paid religious processions of all kinds " the 

 cx)mpliment of the hat." And it soon became known that, before leaving 

 for England, Townshend, though obliged to borrow money from the fleet 

 for the needs of the army, had yet sent Bougainville enough to help the 

 French sick and wounded. 



Murray established his headquarters in the convent, -which was also 

 used as an officers' hospital and had a guai-d of Highlanders. The 

 sanctity of the cloisters was religiously observed, and not a single com- 

 plaint was ever made against the British garrison. On the contrary, 

 the officers and men did all tliey could for the nuns, shovelling the snow 

 for them, seeing they got the best food tliat could be had, and generally 

 making them as happy as possible under the circumstances. As the 

 winter began to set in the annalist records that the Highlanders, "exposed 

 by the peculiarities of their costume to suffer severely from the climate, 

 became objects of compassion to the nuns, who set to work to l-cnit long 

 thick stockings to cover the legs of the poor strangers." Captain Knox, 

 of the 43rd, records another pleasant amenity in his journal for the 30th 

 of November. " The nuns of the TJrsuline convent having presented the 

 Governor and other Officers with a set of crosses of St. Andrew, curiously 

 worked, they were displayed in compliment to this day : in the comer of 

 the field of each cross was wrought an emblematical heart, expressive of 

 that attachment and affection which every good man naturally bears to 

 his native coim.try." 



Thus passed the terrible 1759. How different from 1659, when 

 La Mère Marie de l'Incarnation was writing home to France her patriotic 

 congratulations on the Peace of the Pyrenees and the rising glories of 

 His Most Christian Majesty, Le Grand Monarque and Eoi Soleil ! 



French hopes began to revive with the spring of 1T60. The gallant 

 de Levis was gathering his forces at Montreal ; his army was to be joined 

 by all the able-bodied manhood of the country as he came down; and 

 the Fleur de Lys was to float from the Citadel again. On the 21st of 

 April Murray ordered all the inhabitants, except the nuns, to leave 

 Quebec. All private property left behind was stored in the EécoUet 

 church, on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, watched by two 

 delegates chosen by the townsfolk, and placed under a strong guard. 

 On the 23rd the ice moved down and navigation opened. On the 25th 

 Levis' vessels began to arrive at Pointe-aux-Trembles ; and a desperate 

 struggle was seen to be imminent. On the 28th every British soldier 

 that could be spared from actually manning the walls marched out tQ 



