236 MASSACHUSETTS ATTACKS QUEBEC. [1G90. 



was agreed that the colony of that name should 

 furnish four hundred men, and Massachusetts, 

 Plymouth, and Connecticut three hundred and 

 fifty-five jointly ; while the Iroquois afterwards 

 added their worthless pledge to join the expedi- 

 tion with nearly all their warriors. The colonial 

 militia were to rendezvous at Albany, and thence 

 advance upon Montreal by way of Lake Champlain. 

 Mutual jealousies made it difficult to agree upon a 

 commander ; but Winthrop of Connecticut was at 

 length placed at the head of the feeble and dis- 

 cordant band. 



While Montreal was thus assailed by land, Massa- 

 chusetts and the other New England colonies were 

 invited to attack Quebec by sea ; a task formidable 

 in difficulty and in cost, and one that imposed on 

 them an inordinate share in the burden of the 

 war. Massachusetts hesitated. She had no money, 

 and she was already engaged in a less remote and 

 less critical enterprise. During the winter, her 

 commerce had suffered from French cruisers, which 

 found convenient harborage at Port Royal, whence 

 also the hostile Indians were believed to draw sup- 

 plies. Seven vessels, with two hundred and eighty- 

 eight sailors, were impressed, and from four to five 

 hundred militia-men were drafted for the service. 1 

 That rugged son of New England, Sir William Phips, 

 was appointed to the command. He sailed from 

 Nantasket at the end of April, reached Port Royal 



1 Summary of Muster Roll, appended to A Journal of the Expedition 

 from Boston ar/ainst Port Royal, among the papers of George Chalmers in 

 the Library of Harvard College. 



