96 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



of communication from the River Raisin to the foot of the Longue 

 Sault; the remainder of that corps was quartered at St. Philippe 

 and St. Pierre. The 49th and Canadian Voltigeurs marched from 

 Coteau to Montreal ; the 1st Battalion of Royal Marines were trans- 

 ferred from Montreal to Isle aux Noix to relieve the detachment of 

 the 13th and the whole of the latter regiment was concentrated at 

 St. Jean for the winter. The right wing of the Regiment de Meuron 

 relieved the sedentary militia from duty at Montreal and the left 

 wing was stationed at Chambly. The flank companies of regiments 

 of the line and embodied militia, provisionally organized into battalions 

 were ordered to rejoin their corps. One brigade of field artillery was 

 quartered at Longueuil, another at Chambly; the reserve and head- 

 quarters at Montreal. The battalions of Embodied Militia were 

 distributed in the following manner: 1st Battalion at Laprairie; 

 2nd Battalion at Chateauguay and La Fourche; 3rd Battalion at 

 Yamaska and Beloeil; 4th Battalion at St. Jean, L'Acadie, and in 

 advance of the latter post; 5th Battalion at Lachine, Coteau du Lac 

 and the Cedars. The Frontier Light Infantry occupied Odelltown 

 and its vicinity. The headquarters and two troops of the 19th Light 

 Dragoons were stationed at Laprairie; one troop was at the Halfway 

 House; another at Chambly. Captain Watson's troop of Dorchester 

 Provincial Dragoons was quartered at St. Jean and furnished despatch 

 riders for L'Acadie and Chateauguay. The company of Guides was 

 billetted at Laprairie and supplied couriers on the line of communica- 

 tion between St. Anne and Montreal. 



Six gunboats of the row galley pattern had been conveyed from 

 Sorel to Isle aux Noix upon large trucks specially built for the purpose. 

 Three of them were armed with one long 24 pounder in the bow 

 which could only fire on a line with the keel, and a 32 pounder carron- 

 ade mounted on a traversing carriage in the stern which could be 

 laid in almost any direction. The others were armed only with a 

 24 pounder in the bow. Each of them required a crew of from thirty 

 to fifty according to its size. 



Captain Pring was directed to make an extensive reconnaissance 

 on Lake Champlain with the sloops and as many gunboats as could 

 be manned. Moving from Isle aux Noix on the morning of November 

 17, he sent forward his gunboats to observe the shore from Champlain 

 to Chazy. A landing was effected at each of those places without 

 opposition and it was ascertained beyond doubt that Hampton's 

 whole force had retired to Plattsburg where the American squadron 

 was moored in the harbour under the guns of a battery. 



Patrols were pushed forward from Odelltown and Chateauguay 

 to Champlain and the Four Corners and the vicinity of the French 



