292 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. PVor EET 
tine way across the ice at about the distance of a mile. You may fancy'the ¢ab/eau at 
the moment. The day was one of the calmest and brightest of a Canadian winter. 
The whole scene bore that still and peaceful character peculiar to the Canadian land- 
scape at this season of the year. . . . Ina moment all is animation and excitement. 
Words of command thunder along the line—the men roused from the plodding quie- 
tude of the march are loading and priming and bayonetting—a reawakened volcano— 
orderlies are dashing here, aides-de-camps there, and dragoons everywhere. Sir John 
and his immediate staff, looking like so many military cucumbers, are reconnoitering 
through their telescopes in front, while up come the guns, the artillery drivers lashing 
and swearing, and the horses doing all they ought not to do, until a couple of pieces 
are brought to bear, and then the thunder of their reports and the whistling rush of the 
balls, and the reiterated commands discourse sweet music after the school of Charles 
XII. 
“T had just returned through a street, the lower part of which in conjunction with 
the Church Presbytery and nunnery was one mass of living flame. Every here and 
there lay the body of some unhappy rebel stretched out upon the snow, with a small 
group of five or six idlers standing round each, while the deep glow of the conflagra- 
tion brought into startling relief the livid features of the dead and the wondering 
countenances of the living. Here and there were groups of artillery removing their 
guns—soldiers searching for their billets—irregulars laden with plunder of the most 
incongruous description—horses that had broken loose rushing wildly here—tumbrils 
hurrying up from the vicinity of the flames in another direction—and then the din— 
the shouts—the wild laughter—the enquiries—the orders—and above all the deep 
diapason of the devouring fire. 
“The first detachment of the 43rd has reached Quebec. Pearson is not with it. 
The rest will be up soon. All the world is in glorious spirits and nobody seems to care 
a fig for the past or the future. Nothing but gaiety is in anticipation ; how I should 
_laugh at the change a Yankee invasion would effect! . . . You must not suppose 
that I have altogether lost sight of your late perils and present disquietude. I do not 
think you have any serious cause for alarm. Yet I cannot help thinking that Sir 
Francis has more on his hands than he bargained for. Navy Island and the Buffaloes 
never I guess came into his calculation. He has been taken by surprise not a little. 
I don’t imagine he will be quite so ready to despatch a// his troops on a future occasion. 
You will have the remainder of the 24th up by the same post with this letter. Ne 
After the battle of St. Eustache, the various districts lately so disaf- 
fected, made loud protestations of their loyalty. Having arrested some 
of the ring-leaders of the revolt, Sir John Colborne, deeming the country 
sufficiently pacified, returned to Montreal on the 19th December. 
Meanwhile Lord Gosford had been pressing his resignation upon the 
Home Government. This was accepted about the beginning of the new 
year, but owing to illness his Excellency did not leave Quebec till near 
the end of February. Sir Francis Head followed him very shortly. 
On January 14th Mr. Coffin writes: 
“Our latest intelligence here from London confirms a very unexpected and, at this 
moment, unfortunate occurrence. Col. Sir George Arthur is appointed to succeed Sir 
F. B. Head as Governor of Upper Canada with the rank of Brigadier General. ‘The 
