, 344 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA t 
guns, that commands the passes from the 
lower town. 
On the land side, the town owes its strength 
solely to the hand of art, and here the forti¬ 
fications are stupendous. Considerable addi¬ 
tions and improvements have been made to 
them since the place has been in the possession 
of Great Britain ; hut even at the time when 
it belonged to France, the works .were so 
strong, that had it not been for the conduct of 
M. de Montcalm, the French general, it is 
almost doubtful whether the genius of the im¬ 
mortal Wolfe himself wohld not have been 
baffled in attempting to reduce it. 
Had M. de Montcalm, when the first intel¬ 
ligence of the British array’s having ascend¬ 
ed the Heights of Abraham was carried to 
him, instead of disbelieving the account, and 
laughing at it as a thing impossible, inarched 
immediately to the attack, without giving 
General Wolfe time to form his men ; or had 
he, when the account was confirmed of the 
enemy's procedure, and of their having formed 
on the plain, waited for a large division of his 
troops, whose station was below the town, and 
who might have joined him in two hours, 
instead of marching out to give General 
"Wolfe battle with the troops he had with 
him at the time, the fate of the day might 
have turned out very differently; or had lie. 
