50 THE, ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



in detail furnished to Ensign Dawson by a smuggler, stated the whole 

 number of troops at Burlington, then commanded by Brigadier 

 General Parker, to be 3,026, composed of one troop of light dragoons, 

 a detachment of artillery with nine field guns, the 4th, 30th, 31st, 

 and five companies of the 11th United States Infantry. This informa- 

 tion, it would appear, was absolutely accurate. So far from enter- 

 taining any intention of acting on the offensive he asserted that they 

 seemed to be in the greatest fear of an attack whenever the wind 

 blew up the lake from Isle aux Noix. 1 



Captain Austin Cuvillier of the 5th Battalion of Embodied 

 Militia, and member of the Legislative Assembly for the County of 

 Huntingdon, made a daring and entirely successful reconnaissance 

 of the enemy's post which had been established recently on the Salmon 

 River and ascertained that it was occupied by such a small and ineffi- 

 cient body of militia as to be wholly negligible. 2 



Prevost's letter asking for seamen was delivered to Captain 

 Pearce of H.M.S. Rifleman on July 9, who stated that his orders 

 to sail from Quebec on August 1, were imperative, and besides he 

 could not possibly comply without first obtaining leave from the Admir- 

 al commanding on the Halifax station as the senior officer acting in 

 command in the Admiral's absence had already censured Russell 

 for leaving his ship without orders and announced his intention of 

 reporting his action. 3 



Twelve days later, the sloop of war Wasp, commanded by Cap- 

 tain Thomas Everard, arrived at Quebec, and the Governor General's 

 letter was presented to him. It was accompanied by an extract 

 from a report by Colonel John Murray, the commandant at St. 

 Jean, stating that the enemy's force in the vicinity of Lake Champlain 

 was being concentrated at Burlington in expectation of being rein- 

 forced for the purpose of invading Lower Canada. The appearance 

 of even a very small naval force on the lake would probably derange 

 their plans and delay this movement. 4 



Everard showed no hesitation in complying. His orders indeed 

 restricted his stay at Quebec to fourteen days only, but he readily 

 agreed to undertake any special service which could be accomplished 

 in that time and would even shoulder the responsibility of extending 

 the period for two or three days. Accident had brought upon the 

 scene as energetic and enterprising an officer as could have been selected. 

 No time was lost in unnecessary preparations and on the evening of 



1 Intelligence dated "Odletown; July 2;" Rowan to Baynes, July 8. 



2 Cuvillier to Lethbridge, June 19. 



3 Glasgow to Prévost, July 9. 



4 Everard to Sir John B. Warren, July 21. 



