' A N A D A. 



Canada, of getting out of the hands of the savages. I told 

 v ' him, that I would give him every assistance in my 

 power, and to this purpose bid him lay hold ; but in 

 a few moments he was torn from my side, and by his 

 shrieks 1 judged was soon demolished." " It was 

 computed, that 1500 hundred persons were killed or 

 made prisoners by these savages during this fatal day. 

 Many of the latter were carried off by them, and 

 never returned. A few, through favourable accidents, 

 found their way back to their native country, after 

 having experienced a long and severe captivity." 

 " That the unprovoked cruelty of this commander 

 was not approved by the generality of his country- 

 men, I have since been convinced by many proofs. 

 One only, however, which I received from a person, 

 who was witness to it, I shall at present give. A 

 Canadian merchant, of some consideration, having 

 heard of the surrender of the English fort, celebrated 

 the fortunate event with great rejoicings and hospi- 

 tality, according to the custom of that country ; but 

 no sooner did the news of the massacre, which en- 

 sued, reach his ears, than he put an immediate stop 

 to the festivity, and exclaimed, in the severest terms, 

 against the inhuman permission ; declaring, at the 

 same time, that those, who had connived at it, had 

 thereby drawn down on that part of their king's do- 

 minions the vengeance of heaven." (See Carver's 

 Travels in North America, p. 316, &c. ) It has been 

 alleged, in extenuation of this bloody transaction, that 

 it was impossible to restrain the fury of the Indians ; 

 but it will not be easy to convince the world, that a 

 body of 10,000 Christian troops could not have pre- 

 vented the massacre from becoming so general ; and 

 there is a practical proof of the contrary, in the con- 

 duct of Sir William Johnson in the invasion of Ca- 

 uada, who made such unwearied exertions to keep 

 the Indians, in the English army, within the bounds 

 ef humanity, that not a peasant, woman, or child 

 was hurt by them, or even a house burnt, while they 

 were in the enemy's country. 



It would occupy too large a space of the present 

 article to attempt a detailed account of even the prin- 

 cipal expeditions and occurrences, in the course of 

 this contest for existence, between the rival colonies ; 

 but it may be remarked in general, as a very unac- 

 countable circumstance, that the province of Canada, 

 which was so thinly inhabited and so poorly provid- 

 ed, should have been able to withstand, for such a 

 length of time, the whole power of the English set- 

 tlements ; which, in addition to their decided superio- 

 rity by sea, were able to bring five times the number 

 of fighting men into the field. The frequent discom- 

 fiture and tardy progress of the British forces, may 

 be ascribed chiefly to the inexperience of their com- 

 manders in the American mode of warfare, to the 

 endless dissensions between the provinces and their 

 governors, and to the prevalence of personal animo- 

 sities and of private interests among those who should 

 have united in the service of their country. About 

 the year 1758, however, the arms of Great Britain 

 began to be attended with better success in North 

 America; .and it ought to be recorded, that Sir Wil- 

 liam Johnson, by his good conduct as a commander, 

 as well as by his extraordinary influence with the In- 

 iiaas a a negociator, was eminently instrumental in 



giving this favourable turn to the state of affairs, 

 and in preparing the way for the final subjugation of 

 Canada. The operations of the campaign, for this 

 purpose, were directed in three different quarters, so aa 

 gradually to approach each other, and at length to unite 

 in one point. General Wolfe, with 8000 men, was 

 appointed to undertake the siege of Quebec. Gene- 

 ral Amherst, at that time commander in chief of the 

 forces in America, was directed, with 12,000 men, to 

 reduce Ticonderago and Crown-point, and then cross- 

 ing lake Champlain, to co-operate with General 

 Wolfe., Brigadier General Prideaux, assisted by Sir 

 William Johnson's abilities and advice, was commis- 

 sioned to attack fort Niagara, and thence to proceed 

 to form a junction with the other commanders, for 

 the siege of Montreal. These three different divi- 

 sions, by a wonderful concurrence of favourable cir- 

 cumstances, accomplished their respective objects ; 

 and actually met at the walls of Montreal, within 24- 

 hours of each other. A more particular account of 

 their progress and exploits has already been given 

 in the aticle AMERICA ; and we have only to mention 

 the general result in this place. By the capitulation 

 of Montreal on the 7th of September 1760, the re- 

 duction of Canada was completed ; and it was finally 

 ceded to Great Britain, by the definitive treaty of 

 peace in 1763. The province was found by the 

 conquerors in a very impoverished condition ; and 

 the inhabitants, in many places, were supplied with 

 provisions from the stores of the army. For several 

 years after the conquest, the country continued in 

 a very unsettled state } and presented innumerable 

 obstacles to the British traders. The Indian tribes, 

 either not considering the French government as suf- 

 ficiently authorised to transfer their allegiance to 

 Great Britain, or excited against their new masters 

 by the Popish missionaries, who resided among them; 

 carried on, for some time, a desultory and destruc- 

 tive warfare ; rendered all intercourse with the interior 

 extremely hazardous ; and prevented the extension of 

 settlements, either for the purposes of trade or cultiva- 

 tion. The most formidable confederacy of the na- 

 tives was directed by a celebrated Indian warrior 

 named Pontiac, who had always been strongly at- 

 tached to the French interest. In the year 1763 he 

 took by surprise fort Michillimackinac, which is si- 

 tuated between the lakes Huron and Mihigan ; but 

 treated the garrison with considerable humanity. In 

 the following year, he made a similar attempt against 

 fort Detroit, between lake Erie and lake St Clair j 

 but having been thwarted in his designs, and the 



garrison having received a considerable reinforcement, 

 e proposed an accommodation, concluded a peace, 

 and received a pension from the British government, 

 as the purchase of his friendship. The confederate 

 Indians soon after returned to their different pro- 

 vinces, and gradually became reconciled to the con- 

 querors of the country. 



Previous to the year 1 664-, the supreme authority 

 in Canada was entirely military ; and the will of the mem. 

 governor was the sole fountain of justice. At that 

 period, a code of laws, founded upon the practice 

 in Paris, was given to the colony, and a council of 

 state was established in the capital. This council 

 consisted of the governor, the bishop, the intendantj 



