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complain that they could not get any ; they used occa- 

 sionally to besiege the Intendant at his Palace with 

 their lamentations and prayers, but it was of no 

 avail ; the Intendant was surrounded by a crowd of 

 flatterers, who on retiring, gorged from his luxurious 

 board, could not understand how the poor could die of 

 hunger. 



Land of my fathers reclaimed from barbarism at the 

 cost of so much blood — so much treasure ; bountifully 

 provided with • nobles, priests, soldiers, fortifications 

 by the Great Louis ; sedulously, paternally watched 

 over by Colbert and Talon : to what depth of despair, 

 shall we say, degradation art thou sunk ! 



Proud old city, have you then no more defenders to 

 put forth, in your supreme hour of woe and desertion ! 

 Has then that dauntless race of Gentilshommes Cana- 

 diens, the d'lberville, Ste. Helene, de Eouville, de 

 Becancourt, de Eepentigny, disappeared without leav- 

 ing any successors ! 



And you stern old de Frontenac, you who replied so 

 effectually to the invader through the mouth of your 

 cannon, is your martial spirit quenched for ever, in 

 that loved fortress in which rest your venerated remains, 

 you who at one time (1689) were ready, at the head of 

 your Regulars and fighting Canadians, (1) to carry out 



(1) " He (de Callieres), says Parkman, laid before the King 

 a plan, which had, at least, the recommendations of boldness 

 and cheapness. This was to conquer New York with the 

 forces already in Canada, aided only by two ships of war. The 

 blow, he argued, should be struck at once, and the English 

 taken by surprise. A thousand regulars and six hundred 

 Canadian Militia should pass Lake Champlain and Lake 

 George, in canoes and bateaux, cross to the Hudson, and 

 capture Albany, where they would seize all the river craft, 

 and descend the Hudson to the town of New York, which, 

 as Callieres states, had then about two hundred houses and 

 four hundred fighting men. The two ships were to cruise at 

 the mouth of the Harbour, and wait the arrival of the troops, 

 which was to be made known to them by concerted signals, 

 whereupon they were to enter and aid in the attack. The 



