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cordingly, on the opening of the following year, 1759, 
the miniftry again determined to attack three different 
parts-of North America at the fame time. General Am- 
herft, the commander in chief, with a body of twelve 
them fan d men, was to attack Crown-Point, that had 
hitherto braved the Engliflt army. General Wolfe, at 
f!ie oppofite quarter was to enter the river St. Lawrence, 
and undertake the fiege of Quebec, the capital of the 
French dominions in America ; while general Prideaux 
and fir William johnfon were to attempt a French fort, 
near the catarafts of Niagara. This laft-named expedi¬ 
tion was the firfl that fucceeded. The fort of Niagara 
was a place of great importance, and ferved to command 
all the communication between the northern and weftern 
French fettlements. The fiege was begun with vigour, 
and promifed an eafy conqueft ; but general Prideaux was 
killed in the trenches, by the burfting of a mortar; fo 
that the whole command devolved upon general Johnl'on, 
who omitted nothing to pufh forward the vigorous opera¬ 
tions of his predeceffor, to which alfo he added his own 
popularity with the foldiers under him. A body of 
French troops, who were fenfible of the importance of^ 
this fort, attempted to relieve it, but Johnfon attacked 
them with intrepidity, and in lefs than an hour their 
whole army was put to the rout, and the garrifon furren- 
dered prifoners of war. The fuccefs of general Amherft 
was lefs fplendid, though not lei's ferviceable ; for upon 
arriving at the deftined place, he found the forts both of 
Crown-Point and Ticonderoga deferted and deftroyed. 
There now remained but one grand and decifive blow, 
to put all North-America into the polfefiion of the Eng- 
lilh ; and this was the taking of Quebec, the capital of 
Canada. Admiral Saunders was appointed to command 
the naval part of the expedition; the fiege by land was 
committed to the conduct of general Wolfe. This yodng 
foldier, who ,was not yet thirty-five, had diftinguilhed 
liimfelf on many former occaiions, particularly at the 
fiege of Louilbourg ; a part of the fuccefs of which was 
jufily afcribed to him, who, without being indebted to 
family or connections, had raifed liimfelf by merit to the 
prefent command. When we coniider the fituation of 
the town on the lideofagieat liver, the fortifications 
with which it was lecured, the natural ftrengih of tlie 
country, the great number of velfelsand floating batteries 
the enemy had provided for the defence of the place, the 
numerous bodies of lavages Continually hovering round 
the Englilh army, we mult own there was fuch a combi¬ 
nation of difficulties as might dilcourage and perplex the 
mod refolute commander. The general liimfelf feemed 
perfectly fer.fible of the difficulty of the undertaking. 
After (fating in a letter to the miniftry, the dangers that 
prefented, “ I know, (faid lie,) that the affairs of Great 
Britain require the molt vigorous meafures. But then 
the courage of a handful of brave menjhould be exerted 
only where there is tome hope of a favourable event. At 
prefent the difficulties are fo various, that 1 am at a lofs 
how to determine.” The only profpeCt of attempting 
the town with fuccefs was by landing a body of troops in 
the night below the town, who were to climb up th,e 
banks of the river, and take pofteftion of the groupd on 
the back of the city. This attempt, however, appeared 
peculiarly difeouraging. The ftreafn was rapid, the' 
fliore (helving, the bank above lined with centinels, the 
landing-place fo narrow as to be eafily milled in the dark, 
and the lleepnefs of the ground fuch as hardly to be fur- 
mounted in the day-time. All thefe difficulties were re¬ 
moved by the conduCt of the general, and the bravery of 
the troops' Colonel Howe, with the light infantry and 
the Highlanders, afeended the woody precipices with ad¬ 
mirable courage and activity, and diilodged a body of 
troops that defended a narrow path-way up the bank ; 
thus a few mounting, the general drew the reft up as they 
arrived. General de Montcalm, the French commander, 
was no fooner appri(ed that the Engliffi had gained thefe 
heights, which he had confidently deemed inacceffible, 
Vol. VI. No. 386, 
than he refolved to hazard a battle ; and a furious en¬ 
counter quickly began. This was one of the mod def- 
perate engagements fought during the war. The French 
general was (lain; the fecond in command (hared the 
fame fate. General Wolfe was ftationed on the right, 
where the attack was mod warm : as he flood confpicu- 
ous in the front line, be had been aimed at by the enemy’s 
ntarkfmen, and received a (hot in the wrift, which, how¬ 
ever, did not oblige him to quit the field. Having wrap¬ 
ped a handkerchief round his hand, he continued giving 
orders without the lead emotion, and advanced at the 
head of the grenadiers with their bayonets fixed ; but a 
fecond ball pierced his breaft; fo that, unable to pro¬ 
ceed, he leaned on a foldier that was next him. Now 
ftruggling in the agonies of death, and juft expiring, he 
heard a voice cry, “ They run !” upon which he feemed 
for a moment to revive, and afking who ran, was informed 
the French. Expreffing his wonder that they ran fo 
foon, and unable to gaze any longer, be funk on the fol- 
dier’s breaft, and his laft words were, “ 1 die happy.” 
The furrender of Quebec was the confequence of this 
victory ; and with it foon after the total fubjeCtion of all 
Canada. The French, the following feafon, made a vi¬ 
gorous effort to retake the city; but by the refolution of 
governor Murray, and the appearance of an Engiifli fleet 
under the command of lord Colville, they were forced to 
abandon the enterprife. To thefe conquefts about the 
fame time was added the reduction of the ifland of Gua- 
daloupe, under commodore More and general Hopfon, an 
acquisition alfo of great importance. 
The fuccefles in India and America were decifive, and 
achieved at no great expence ; while the efforts of the 
Engliffi in Europe, and the operations cf their great ally 
the king of Pruffia, were alfo aftoniffiing, yet produced no 
fignal advantage. A defenfive war in Germany was all 
that could be expeCted; and the king of Pruffia main¬ 
tained liimfelf againft the united powers of the continent 
with unexampled bravery. The French and Imperialifts, 
amidft the depth of winter, formed the fiege of I.eipfic. 
The capture of that city would have been fatal to the 
interefts of Frederic; therefore, by one of thofe rapid 
marches for which he was famous, he feemed with his 
army unexpectedly to rife up before the town. Such 
was the terror of his arms, that even vanquifhed as he 
feemed, the French, though fuperior in numbers, raifed 
the fiege, and retreated. He was refolved to purfue, and 
overtook them at the village of Rofbach, where he gain¬ 
ed fo complete a victory, that night alone faved the 
French army from deftruCtion. In the mean time, the 
Auftrians in another part of the empire were victorious, 
and had taken the prince of Bevern, the king of Pruffia’s 
favourite general, prifoner. The king, therefore, imme¬ 
diately after having gained the battle of Rofbach, again 
undertook a forced march of two hundred milCs, in the 
depth of winter, and came up with the Auftrian army 
near Brellau. He there difpofed his forces with his uftiai 
celerity and judgment, and obtained another fignal vic¬ 
tory, in which he took not lefs than fifteen thoufand pri¬ 
foners. Breflau, with a garrifon of ten thoufand men, 
furrendered. Thefe fuccefles difpirited the enemy, and 
began to give his Hanoverian allies freflt hopes of being 
able to expel the French from their territories. 
Soon after the capitulation of Clofter Seven, both (ides 
began to complain that the treaty was not ftriCtly obferv- 
ed. The Hanoverians exclaimed againft the rapacity of 
the French general, and the brutality of It is foldiers. 
The French retorted the charge, accufed them of info- 
lencc and infurreCtion, and refolved to bind tlfem more 
ftriCtly to the terms of their agreement. Treaties be¬ 
tween nations are feldom obferved any longer than in- 
tereft or fear upholds the union ; and among nations that 
take every advantage, political faith is a term without 
meaning. The Hanoverians only wanted a pretext to 
take arms, and a general to head them., Neither were 
long wanting. The oppreffions of the French were fo 
8 Y fevere } 
