354 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



heartily engaged in the business. A regiment 

 was soon raised and sent on to Nova Scotia. 

 Success attended the operations of the British 

 and provincial troops. On their arrival at the 

 river Massaquash, the provincials attacked and 

 dispersed four hundred and fifty of the enemy 

 who were posted there, and took their block 

 bouse and brest works. On June the twelfth, 

 they invested the fort Beau-Sejour, and in four 

 days obliged it to submit. The next day they 

 took the fort at bay Verte, with a large quantity 

 of stores and provisions ; and disarmed the 

 Acadians to the number of fifteen thousand. 

 Captain Rons, with three frigates, sailed to the 

 mouth of St. John's river ; the French aban- 

 doned their fort, burst their cannon, blew up 

 their magazine, and deserted the place. The 

 English had but twenty men killed, and about 

 as many wounded in the whole of this expedi- 

 tion. It served to preserve Nova Scotia, to 

 destroy the French power in that part of Ameri- 

 ca, and to raise the reputation and military char- 

 acter of the provincials. 



After the death of Braddock, the command 

 of all the forces in North America devolved on 

 Sliirley, who had nov,' a commission giving him 

 the rank of major general. As soon as the 

 council at Alexandria was finished, Shirley re- 

 paired to Boston ; and made the most vigorous 

 exertions to compleat and hasten the troops, 

 which were designed to be under the command 

 of colonel Johnson, and that were to go with 

 colonel Winslow to Nova Scotia ; and also to 

 raise a number of battcau men, for the expedi- 

 tion to Niagara. Embarrassed with so many 



