been able to agree upon any ordinances. Monsieur St. Luke La Corne, and others of the Counsellors, would not hear of Juries, but insisted on following the letter of the Quebeck Act. The Governour suddenly broke up the Council, and set off for Montreal. On his way there, every attempt was made to induce the Canadians to join him. Arms for two thousand men were sent up by laud, and ammunition in proportion, to arm those Canadians who should join him on the road; and reports came down to this place that he had not arms enough for the numbers that had joined him. But all this would not make the Canadians about Quebeck stir. At one time St. John’s was said to be invested by five thousand Provincials; then it was said they were retired; then the River Chambly (that is, Richelieu or Sorel ) was said to be full of them, and that they were sending circular letters about the country; then Montreal was said to be surrounded by them; in short, not a single report could be depended on. We, however, learnt at last that Jeremiah Duggan and young Livingston, who are settled on the River Chambly, (that is, Richelieu or Sorel,) had joined them with a hundred and fifty Canadians, and that he had nearly taken the Governour prisoner, as also Lord Pitt. And soon after, unexpectedly and all on a sudden. Lady Maria Carleton’s passage was taken on board one of the vessels in the barbour, and she set off in two days, with her family, for England. The fortifications of this Town were ordered to be put into an immediate state of defence; a barrier-gate built on the hill which divides the upper Town of Quebeck from the lower; every avenue stockaded; several large vessels taken into the Government’s service, pierced, and mounted with cannon; an embargo laid on all shipping by Proclamation; the sailors taken to man the ships of war, and for other services, such as erecting batteries and the like; and Lord Pitt and others took their passage for England. This struck every one with amazement, as we did not know which way to look for the attack, every motion made by the Provincials being kept a secret from us. In this general apprehension, many fell to packing up their goods, others made preparations to move out of Town; some talked of making a good defence, others a good capitulation. However, just in the midst of this desponding situation (when the communication between St. John’s and Montreal was cut off, and the enemies had appeared about La Prairie, and even at La Chine ) the last post brought us news from Montreal, that Jeremiah Duggan had crossed the river at Long Point, with some of that banditti, and Colonel Allen at the head, and some Canadians, and had marched towards Montreal; but that the people of Montreal had by some chance received intelligence of their approach, and that thereupon the English inhabitants of that Town, with a few Canadians, had immediately turned out to oppose them; and that Major Campbell had headed the party, and that they had met with the others, and given them battle near Colonel Christie’s farm. Duggan’s people were pretty stiff, but the Canadians who were with them left them, and took to a barn. Our people, however, got the better, and took Allen prisoner, with thirty or forty of this banditti; but Duggan set off before the rout, and made his escape. Captain Cardon was wounded, and soon died of the wound; Alexander Patterson was wounded in the belly. Duggan had given his followers reason to expect that when they had crossed the river, all the Canadians would join them. He promised them one shilling three pence per diem, and the plunder. It is lamentable to think of the Province being thrown into this distracted state, with an entire stop to trade.

EXTRACT OF ANOTHER LETTER FROM QUEBECK, DATED OCTOBER 1, 1775.

After the taking of Ticonderoga and Crown Point by the Provincials, by surprise, about May last, and the subsequent incursion into the Province, near St. John’s, by a small party of the Provincials under one Allen, Governour Carleton, who was then at Montreal, sent forward all the Troops that he could spare, to intrench themselves at St. John’s, in the strongest manner they could, under the direction of Mr. Marre, Engineer. He at the same time sent down to Quebeck for all the ship-carpenters that could be got; and a number of them went up, under the direction of Captain Zachary Thompson, to build vessels and craft to replace those that were lost upon Lake Champlain; and it was expected by every one, that they could be ready to be launched about the end of August; and that, if the Canadians could be raised, an expedition would be attempted to retake those forts. Upon this occasion, every invention that could be imagined was made use of to get the Canadians to rise; but the appointment of several officers that had formerly been in the pay of the French King, and of some very young men, mere striplings, to the command of the Militia, was so disagreeable to them, that none of them would enlist. They well remembered the treatment they had received from such gentry before the conquest, and therefore desired that Englishmen might be appointed to command them, and upon these youths threatening them to return with the soldiers to force them to a compliance, they rose in bodies of twelve and fifteen hundred men, armed with all kinds of instruments, and were determined to be cut to pieces rather than submit; and the Governour was obliged to appease them.

The two Frasers, Captain Nairne, and Captain Ecuyer, were employed to prevail on them to rise about and below the Town of Quebeck, but to no purpose; so fixed was the determination of neutrality throughout the Province.

Colonel Claus and Colonel Johnson arrived at Montreal, by the way of Oswego, with some Mohawk Indians, who, with some other Nations of Indians who had been sent for, and came down about the same time, made up the number of about fifteen hundred persons, men, women and children, of whom about three hundred were fighting men. Upon the arrival of these Indians, the Canadians were tried again, and sundry and terrible false alarms were spread. This occasioned some few of them to turn out as volunteers, with some Indians, to reconnoitre, and they fell in with other reconnoitring parties, and skirmishes ensued, which were magnified to an incredible degree. At last, some Indians, who had taken an empty batteau while the people were ashore, got wounded as they were getting away with it. That sickened them. However, they shot one of the party ashore, and then, waiting at some distance till the rest of the party were gone, they went ashore and cut his head off, and brought it to Montreal. By the papers in his pocket, it appeared to be Captain Baker. It was then reported, that he had instructions from General Schuyler to give no quarter to Canadians or Indians; but that appearing so impolitick, it was soon contradicted. Some time after, a skirmish happened, but the circumstances of the Canadians having taken arms was not true. At last, the Indians began to be troublesome, and were entirely useless.

The Governour, therefore, finding all his efforts to be in vain to enable him to fulfil his engagements, and give proof of his influence over the Canadians through his friends, the noblesse of the Province, was obliged to have recourse to the English, who had been represented as few in number, of little consequence, and not worthy of even the notice, and much less of the protection of Government.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE CAMP AT CAMBRIDGE, OCTOBER 1, 1775.

We have just received an account, that Colonel Arnold had got safe fifty miles up the Kennebeck River, found all the batteaus ready, and proceeded six days ago, his men in good spirits, and with every encouragement. The Captain of this vessel says, if he gets to Quebeck before Carleton can get down from St. John’s with the Troops, it will surrender without a shot being fired. That there is the greatest collection of arms and ammunition that has been in one place in America for a long time. He says, he saw not less than ten thousand quarter casks of powder in the magazine, and that there is all other ammunition in proportion.

The General has directed three vessels to be armed and manned, to intercept the transports daily arriving at Boston, with provisions, &c. The people of this Province, particularly on the coast, are much pleased with it, and we expect to derive no small advantage from it. There has been no movement in either camp here for several days, and scarcely a gun fired, except about five or six days ago, a cannon shot from our lines, passed through the barrack on Boston Neck, took off the leg of a Captain of the