322 NATURA»L AND CIVIL 



followed. The wind came round again to the 

 cast, and '^vouid have carried them to Qnebce 

 in two days ; but instead of making another at- 

 tempt, they were eight days beating down the 

 river, against an easterly wind, before they ar- 

 rived at Spanish river in tlie island of cape Bre- 

 ton. At that place a council of war \\as held, 

 and after some fruitless consultations it was 

 unanimously resolved, not to make any further 

 trial to go up the river St. La\ATence, and not to 

 make any attempt against the French at Pla- 

 centia in Nev, foundland ; but to return, as soon 

 as they could, to England. On September the 

 sixteenth, the fleet sailed for England, and the 

 American troops and vessels departed for their 

 respective colonies ; October the ninth, Walk- 

 er arrived at Portsmouth. Here the scene was 

 closed ; in addition to the other misfortunes, on 

 the filteenth, the admiral's ship the Edgar, of 

 seventy guns, was blow n up ; having on board- 

 above four hundred m.en, m.any other persons 

 who came on board to visit their friends, and 

 most of the admiral's papers. 



The army designed to invade Canada by- 

 way of lake Champlain, had not advanced far 

 from Albany, belbre they received intelligence 

 of the disastCT which had attended the fleet. 

 Nothing remained for Nicholson, but to disband 

 his army and return. The m.arquis de Vaii- 

 dricuj liad been at Quebec, waitirig for the arri- 

 val of the English licet. lie received intelli- 

 eence bv tlic fishermen, and other vessel'), that 

 many ships l;ud been stove, that much riuiilary 

 apparatus, and many dead bodies with red coats 

 hftd beeft driven on siioix:, and that the river was 



