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chants, and others of the first character and distinction, the question was renewed, and after much address and management, it was finally carried by a majority of one.

All parties united at once, and entered into the measures of the governor, with zeal and spirit. Governor Shirley laid a general embargo throughout the colony, and sent dispatches to the governors of all the other colonies, as far south as Pennsylvania, requesting an embargo, and a cordial co-operation in an expedition against Louisburg. New-York, and the colonies to the south, felt but little interest in the enterprise and therefore declined the invitation; but Connecticut agreed to furnish 500 men, RhodIsland 300, and New-Hampshire 300, and the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode-Island agreed to furnish transports for their troops, and all the armed marine force they could command, as cruizers to protect the transports.

The plan of this expedition thus being settled, a Colonel Pepperell of New-Hampshire was selected as the most popular man, and invested with the chief command. Colonel Pepperell was an officer of modest worth, and merit; but a merchant of extensive business, and engaged with great reluctance, as well as diffidence, in the enterprise. All New-England was now engaged in the greatest enterprise that had ever been attempted in the New World; men, money, transports, a naval force, arms, ammunition, camp utensils, and military stores of all kinds were all collected, as if by the power of magice, and in three months the expedition was ready. The general with about 4000 troops embarked, and the fleet sailed from Nantasket, the 24th of March, and arrived at Canso the 4th of April, 1745. Roger Wolcott, Esq. Deupty Governor of Conneticut, appeared at the head of the Connecticut troops, and held the second command in the expedition.

Governor Shirley had sent an express to commodore Warren, upon the West-India station, to support the ex

pedition with his squadron; but he declined to engage without orders; the commodore however received orders from the admirality in a few days, and on the last of April joined the expedition with his squadron, which gave renewed strength, confidence, and spirits to the enterprise. The troops were all landed at the bay of Chapeaurogue the 30th of April, and the fleet took their station off the harbour, and Louisburg was invested before they had any knowledge of the expedition; the general surprise rendered all opposition to the landing of the troops, faint and ineffectual, and the troops without further resistance, destroyed all the houses and stores that lay without the walls, and took the grand battery without exchanging a single shot.

Thus having entered upon the arducus duties before them, their next object was to bring their artillery to bear upon the town; to effect this, it became necessary to draw their cannon through a deep morass, up to their knees in mud; this task, arduous, and difficult as it was, they soon accomplished, assisted by the fire of the main battery, which they had taken from the enemy; this fire became very alarming, and destructive to the town. Having surmounted the difficulties of the morass, and constructed batteries for their cannon, they were now prepared to co-operate with the fleet in one general assault upon the town. At this critical moment a store ship from France, for the relief of the garrison, appeared off the harbour, and was taken by the fleet; this was a valuable acquisition to the besiegers, and a severe blow to the besieged. The general next ordered a detachment of 400 men, to attack and carry the island battery; this attack failed with the loss of 60 men killed and 116 taken prisioners, which occasioned an express to Boston for a reinforcement. Massachusetts sent on 400 men, and Connecticut 200, and at this critical moment, one 60 and one 40 gun ship arrived from England, and joined the fleet, May 22d; and early in June, two 60

gun ships and one of 80 guns, arrived and joined the fleet," which now consisted of 11 sail besides the provincial fleet.

Elated with their prospects, the general pushed the siege, by a heavy cannonade from his batteries, which, silenced the harbour battery, demolished the west gate, and greatly distressed the town; and at the same time prepared to enter the harbour with the fleet, and the town by a general assault; but the governor sent out a flag, requesting a parley, and proposed articles of capitulation, which were rejected; and others sent in by the general and commodore, which were accepted, and on the 17th of June, they entered the city in triumph, and the garrison were embarked for France. The reinforcements from Massachusetts and Connecticut, had not then arrived, nor the 300 men from Rhode-Island; these were all safe for the next expedition. The news of this glorious event arrived in Boston the 3d of July, by express, and from thence spread like lightning through the country; a burst of universal joy beamed in every countenance, and glowed in every breast.

*

The French flag continued to wave upon the walls, which decoyed in several India ships, supposed to be. worth 600,000l. sterling. Governor Shirley embarked immediately for Louisburg; persuaded most of the army to remain in garri-on through the winter, and took the command, until his majesty's pleasure could be known.

An armament of seven ships of war, had sailed from France early in July, 1746, destined for the conquest of Novascotia, with orders to touch at Louisburg; but upon. intelligence at sea, of the fall of Louisburg, they returned to France.

The boldness of this enterprise, and the success with which it was crowned, astonished not only America, but

The loss of the Provincials in the capture of Louisburg did not exceed

100 men.

Europe, and led to a system of measures highly interesting and advantageous, both to England and her colonies.' England contemplated the reduction of Canada, and France the reduction of Louisburg and Novascotia, together with' the whole American scaboard, from Georgia to Maine; and to effect this, fitted out the Brest fleet of 70 sail, 14 of which were of the line, destined for the American coast. This fleet left Rochelle the 22d of June, with a land force of 3 or 4000 men, destined for the reduction of Louisburg, and the conquest of Novascotia. Detachments of this fleet were seen in those seas, and spread a general alarm throughout the American coast; but that God who had planted his church in the wilderness, and given her such a signal conquest, over the strong hold of Louisburg, appeared in as signal a manner for the protection of this. conquest, by sending storms, and adverse winds, which shattered the French fleet, and drove them off the American coast; some back to France, some to the West-Indies, whilst others were lost at sea, and the remnant, that arrived on the American coast, had to return to France with the melancholly tidings, that the whole expedition had failed; that one of their admirals had poisoned himself through grief, and another had run mad, and stabbed himself, through rage and disappointment, and that the remnant of the fleet were overtaken by a cold and terrible storm, off Cape Sables, on their return to France, where. they suffered severely, as they bid a final adieu to the. American coast.

Thus ended the French armada against the coast of America, and thus the church in the wilderness might say, with the illustrious Queen Elizabeth, "Deus flavit dissipantur."

The general alarm which the French fleet had spread through the colonics, together with the failure of the fleet,

and armament from England,* had prevented the contemplated expedition against Canada, and no enterprise was attempted, except a detachment of 400 men, destined against Novascotia, which failed of their object, with the loss of 160 men killed, wounded, and taken prisoners; and the rest returned under the protection of a convention, not to serve against Novascotia for the term of one year.

The grand expedition against Louisburg had given a general alarm to the savages, and restrained them from those ravages upon the frontiers, which we have hitherto noticed in times of war, excepting the back parts of NewHampshire, which will be noticed in their place. In November, 1747, the town of Boston was thrown into a high state of alarm and confusion, by a press-gang under orders from Commodore Knowles, which scowered the shipping and wharves, to obtain a supply of scamen, to replace such as had deserted from bis fleet: the people, alarmed at this outrage, flew to arms, (such as sticks, clubs, and pitchmops, &c.) and repaired to the house of the and demanded such officers of the fleet as were governor, there; but they were prevailed upon to desist for the present, after having spent their rage upon a deputy sheriff, and put him into the stocks, &c. They then withdrew until evening, when they again assembled in greater numbers, and assaulted the town-house, where the general court were sitting, broke the windows, &c. and then seized on such officers of the squadron as could be found in town.

In the midst of this outrage the governor left the court, and retired to his house, and the next day ordered out the militia to keep the peace, and the next night withdrew to the castle. The general court passed acts of severe cen

*The delay of this fleet was occasioned by the landing of the Pretender in Scotland, and the insurrection there which threatened the peace of England.