that the place could not be taken till it should surrender for want of provisions; and that if he did not fear the public service might suffer, he would not stay one hour longer at the head of troops whose operations he could not direct. The garison defended themselves with resolution, and indulged for some time the hope of being relieved.

Colonel M'Lean, a veteran officer, had exerted himself to raise a Scotch regiment, under the title of Royal Highland Emigrants, to be composed of the natives of that country, who had lately arrived in America, and who, in consequence of the troubles, had not obtained settlements. With these, and a few hundred Canadians, the Colonel was posted near the junction of the Sorel with the St. Lawrence. General Carleton was at Montreal, where, with great difficulty, he had collected about a thousand men, chiefly Canadians. Among them were some regulars and volunteers, and several British officers. At the head of these troops he hoped to effect a junction with M'Lean, after which he designed to march with his whole force against Montgomery, and endeavour to raise the siege; but on attempting to cross over from Montreal, he was encountered and entirely defeated at Longuid by a detachment of American troops under Colonel Warner. Another party advanced on M'Lean, who, being entirely abandoned by his Canadians, so soon as they were informed of the

defeat

defeat of the Governor, and having also received information that Arnold was approaching Point Levy, precipitately retreated to Quebec. The Americans occupied the post he had abandoned, and immediately erected batteries on a point of land at the junction of the Sorel with the St. Lawrence, where they also constructed several armed rafts and floating batteries, to prevent Carleton, with the vessels at Montreal, from escaping down the river.

Montgomery, who, notwithstanding the difficulties he experienced from his troops, was pressing the siege of St. John's with great vigour, advanced his works very near the fort, when the account of the success at Longuid reached him. On receipt of this intelligence, he permitted one of the prisoners to go into the fort, with whom he sent in a flag of truce, and a letter to Major Preston, the commanding officer, requiring him to surrender, and thereby prevent the further effusion of blood, which must necessarily be occasioned by a fruitless and obstinate resistance. All hopes of relief having now vanished, and having endeavoured in vain to obtain some delay, the garrison capitulated, on being allowed, in consideration of their brave defence of the place, the honours of war.

Scarcely was this first success obtained, when the fatal consequences of short enlistments began to discover themselves. The time of service for which

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which the troops had engaged being now near expiring, great difficulty was experienced in prevailing on them to proceed farther; and the General was under the necessity of stipulating explicitly, that all who wished it, should be discharged at Montreal, before he could induce them even to march against that place. Having effected this compromise, he proceeded against Montreal, while his floating batteries, under Colonel Easton, advanced up the St. Lawrence, and not only effectually prevented the armed vessels of the enemy from making the escape they had projected to Quebec, but drove them from their anchors still higher up the river.

Montreal was not in a condition to be defended. Montgomery, after engaging to allow the Canadians their own laws, the free exercise of their religion, and the privilege of governing themselves, took peaceable possession of the town, and Governor Carleton retired to his flotilla. While preparations were making to attack the vessels with the floating batteries, under Colonel Easton, aided by some boats from Montreal, carrying a few field pieces, and their destruction was considered as certain, the Governor was conveyed in a boat with mutiled oars, down the river in a dark night, and made his escape to Quebec. The fleet soon afterwards surrendered, and the General prepared with the utmost expedition, to proceed with the few troops

troops who were willing to follow him to the capital of Canada.

At Montreal he found, to his extreme mortification, that his promise to discharge them was claimed by many of his soldiers. He offered a suit of the clothes taken with that town, to those who would engage to serve only till the 15th day of April; but they could not be, generally, prevailed on to re-enlist. These untoward circumstances only stimulated their gallant leader to more vigorous exertions. In a letter to General Schuyler, of the 17th November, he says, "I have had great difficulties about the troops; I am afraid many of them will go home; however, depending on my good fortune, I hope to keep enough to give the final blow to ministerial politics in this province.; and I hope effectual measures will be taken to prevent their laying hold of it again.”

It was necessary to leave a sufficient number of his small corps at Montreal, St. John's, and Chamblie, to garrison those places, keep open the communication between Quebec and the United Colonies, preserve the dependence of the Canadians, overawe the Indians, and hold in check the garrisons above him at Detroit and Niagara. When these essential objects were provided for with the utmost possible economy of men, they yet formed - such deductions from his force, as to leave but . little more than three hundred men to follow their General in the enterprise against Quebec.

General Washington foreseeing that the whole force of Canada would be concentrated about Montreal, had projected an expedition against Quebec, by a detachment from his camp before Boston, which was to march by the way of Kennebec river, and passing through the dreary wilderness lying between the settled parts of Maine and the St. Lawrence, and crossing the rugged mountains and deep morasses which abounded in that country, to penetrate into Canada about ninety miles below Montreal.

The object proposed by this hardy enterprise, was either to compel Carleton, whose force would not admit of a division, to draw his troops from the upper country, and thereby open an easy passage to the army invading the province by the way of the river Sorel, or, if he should maintain that position, to take possession of Quebec, which all his accounts assured him was absolutely unable to hold out against the force which would appear béfore it; and, if attacked by an American army before the return of Carleton, would surrender without firing a shot.

This arduous enterprise was committed to Colonel Arnold. About a thousand men, consisting of New England infantry, some volunteers*, a company of artillery, under a Captain Lamb, and

* Colonel Burr, since Vice-President of the United States, was of this number.

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