HISTORY OF VERMONT. f297 



and forty of their active young men, Enpjlish and 

 Indians, to make a diversion in favor of the fleet. 

 . About the same time, August the ninth, 

 that Winthrop set out for Albany, the ficet sail- 

 ed from Boston, for Quebec. It consisted of 

 between thirty and forty vessels ; the largest of 

 forty four guns, and the whole number of men 

 about two thousand. Sir William Phips, gov- 

 ernor of Massachusetts, had the chief command. 

 The fleet had a long passage from Boston, and 

 did not arrive before Quebec till the fifth of 

 October. From tlie lateness of the season, and 

 the retreat of Winthrop's arni)-. Sir William 

 Phips could have had but little prospect of suti- 

 cess. Count Frontenac had advanced with all 

 his forces to Montreal, to defend that part of 

 the country against the army, which was advan- 

 cing by way of lake Cham.plain. No sooner 

 had he received advice by his scouts that the 

 English army had retired to Albany, than he 

 set off with the greatest dispatch for Quebec, 

 and arrived in the city before the English fleet 

 had come to anchor. The baron Le Hontan, a 

 French officer who was then in Quebec, gives 

 this account of the proceedings ; that' count 

 Frontenac was at Montreal v/hen he heard that 

 the English fleet was in the river ; and had the 

 English made their descent before liis arrival at 

 Quebec, or two days after, they would have 

 carried the place without any contest ; as there 

 were not two hundred French in the city, and 

 it was open and exposed in every part ; but 

 that they lost the opportunity, by spending three 

 days in consultation, before they came to s^f 

 determination bow to act. 



