16 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part. 11. 



MONTREAL SURKEMJERED. 



CANADA CEDED TO GREAT BRITAIN. 



Montreal was now the only place of 

 much strength, or consequence, in pos- 

 session of the French ; and towards this 

 point, at the opening of the campaign of 

 1760, the English concentrated all their 

 ■efforts. It was resolved that, while Gen. 

 Murray, with the English forces at Que- 

 bec, proceeded up the St. Lawrence, Col. 

 Haviland should lead on the forces from 

 lake Champlain, and General Amherst 

 should approach Montreal with a consid- 

 erahle force by the way of lake Ontario. 

 These armies moved forward with but 

 little opposition, and, what is remarkable, 

 • without any knowledge of eaclr otlicr's 

 progress, they all arrived at Montreal on 



the 6th and 7th of September, within two 

 days of each other. 



Amherst began immediately to prepare 

 for laying siege to the city, and was get- 

 ting on his artillery for that purpose, when 

 he received a flag of truce from Vaudreuil, 

 the French commander, who sent two 

 officers, demanding proposals for a capit- 

 ulation. Amherst stated his terms, to 

 which the French finally submitted, and, 

 on the 8th of September, 1760, the whole 

 province of Canada was surrendered to 

 the British ; and by the treaty of peace 

 signed at Paris, Fel)ruary 10, 1763, this 

 province was formally ceded to the King 

 of Great Britain. 



CHAPTER II. 



SETTLEMENT AND CONTROVERSY WITH NEW YORK. 



Section I. 

 Vermont previous to the year 1760. 



During the Colonial and Indian wars, 

 *.,>ie territory of Vermont, as already remar- 

 <iv.ed, was the great thoroughfare, through 

 which most of their expeditions pro- 

 "ceeded, and on which many of their battles 

 'iverc fought. Being situated nearly at 

 an equal distance from the French on the 

 one hand and the English on the otlier, it 

 was constantly exposed to the dcj)reda- 

 lions of both, and became the favoritt- lurlt- 

 ing place of tlieir Indian allies. On this 

 account the settlement of the country had 

 long been regarded as dangerous and im- 

 practicable: nor was it until after the com- 

 plete conquest of Canada by the English 

 in 1760, that any considerable settleuients 

 were made. Several places, it is true, 

 had been previously occupied both by the 

 French and English ; but they are rather 

 to be regarded as military posts than ac- 

 tual settlements. 



The first civilized establishment with- 

 in the present limits of Vermont, v»-as 

 made in 17'24, by the erection of fort Dum- 

 mer, in the southeastern corner of the 

 township uf Brattleborough. The whole 

 of this tract of country had previously, 

 from time immemorial, been in possession 

 of the native Indians. But it does not 

 appear that, subsequently to the discovery 

 of this territory bj' Champlain, the natives 

 iiad resided here in very larg„' numlvers. 



The western parts of Vermont, includ- 

 ing the southern portion of lake Cliani- 

 plain, appear to have been claimed by 

 the Iroquois and the northern and north- 

 eastern jjarts by the Coossucks and St. 

 Francis Indians, but the territory seems 

 rather to have been regarded as a hunting 

 ground'than a permanent residence. 



Although this tract of country was in 

 some parts mountainous and unproduc- 

 tive, the forests were, in general, well 

 stored with game, and the lakes, rivers 

 and smaller streams abounded in excellent 

 fish, which might have afl'ordcd subsis- 

 tence to a very considerable population 

 in the savage state. Wo must therefore 

 look to some other cause for the scantiness 

 of the population of these regions, than 

 the incapacity of the country to support 

 it ; and this is undoubtedly to be found in 

 its local situation with respect to the vari- 

 ous Indian nations. Lying on the fron- 

 tier of several powerful tribes who were 

 incessantly at war witli. each otlier, it 

 became the bloody theatre of their battles 

 and was constantly ex])Osed to liostile inva- 

 sions from every quarter. Hence we 

 perceive that the same cause prevented 

 its becoming a permanent residence of the 

 Indians in earlier times, vv"iiich operated 

 during tlie colonial wars to prevent its 

 being settled by the French and English. 



As early as the year 1752, it was pro- 

 posed by the English to lay out two town- 

 s'uips and commence a settlement at Coos 



