History of the War with Indian Savages, Article 8
ARTICLE VIII. A Little Account of the Greateſt Action, that ever New England Attempted.
I have Read or Heard, That when the Inſufferable Abuſes, which the Engliſh Nation ſuffered from the Abbeys, were in the Parliament complained of, the Total Diſſolution of thoſe Abbeys, was much forwarded, by a Speech of a Gentleman in the Houſe of Commons, to this purpoſe; That his own Houſe had been much annoy'd by Rooks building in a Tree, near unto it, and that he had uſed many ineffectual ways to diſturb, and diſrooſt theſe miſchievous Rooks: until at Laſt, he found out an infallible way to be delivered from the Rooks, and that was to cut down the Tree that Lodged 'em. The Diſtreſſes into which New-Eng…and was now fallen, made this very compariſon to be thought of. The Indian Rooks grievouſly infeſted the Countrey; and while the Country was only on the Defenſive Part, their Men were Thinned, their Towns were Broken, and their Treaſures conſumed, without any Hope of ſeeing an End of theſe Troubleſome Tragedies. The French Colonies to the Northward, were the Tree, in which thoſe Rooks had their Neſts; and the French having in perſon firſt fallen upon the Engliſh of New-England, it was thought that the New-Englanders might very juſtly take this Occaſion, to Reduce thoſe French Colonies under the Engliſh Government, and ſo at once take away from all the Rooks for ever, all that gave 'em any Advantage to Infeſt us. Accordingly, a Naval Force, with about Seven Hundred men, under the Conduct of Sr. William Phips, was diſpatch'd away to L'accady, and Nova Scotia. This Fleet, ſetting Sail from New-England, April 28. 1690. in a Fortnight Arrived at Port-Royal, and Sir William having the Fort Surrendred unto him, took Poſſeſſion of that Province, for the Crown of England. But this was only a ſtep towards a far greater Action! There was no Speech about the Methods of Safety made, which did not conclude, with, a, Delenda eſt Carthago. It was become the concurring Reſolution, of all New-England, with New-York, that a vigorous Attack ſhould be made upon Canada, at once, both by Sea, and Land. A Fleet of Thirty Two Sail, under the Command of Sr. William Phips, was Equipp'd at Boston, and began their Voyage, Aug. 9. and the whole Matter was put into Form, with ſo much Contrivance and Caution, and Courage, that nothing but an Evident Hand of Heaven, was likely to have given ſuch a Defeat unto it, as ha's been indeed generally and Remarkably given unto all the Colonies of America, when they have Invaded one another. If this Expedition did miſcarry, and if Canada proved unto New England, what it prov'd unto the Spaniards, when at their Deſerting it, they call'd it, Il Capo de Nada or, The Cape of Nothing (whence the Name Canada) there is no New Englander, but what will mentain, that it was with a leſs Diſgraceful miſcarriage, than what baffled, every one of thoſe, that were made in this War, againſt the French Iſlands, by more powerful Fleets of thoſe, who were forward Enough to Reproach New-England. I am ſure, he that Reads the Account of what was done at Martineco, in the Relation of the Voyage of M. de Gennes, lately publiſhed, muſt be very eaſy in his Reflections upon what was done at Canada. And I will add, That if the New-England men return'd re infecta from Canada, yet they did not leave Two Hundred men behind them to the mercy of the French, as they who moſt Reproached New England, ſoon after did at Guadalupa.
The fuller Narrative of theſe memorable Things, the Reader may find written, in, The Life of Sir William Phipps, lately publiſhed; of wh…ch I muſt here give this Atteſtation, That as my Acquaintance with the Author, gives me Aſſurance, of his being as Willing to Retract a Miſtake, as unwilling to Commit one, and of his Care in whatever he writes, to be able to make the profeſſion of Oecolampadius, Nolui aliquid Scribere, quod improbaturum putem Christum: So I have Compared this Narrative with the Journals of the Expedition, and I find the moſt Conteſted paſſages of the Story (nor did I ever hear of any more than one or two little circumſtantial paſſages conteſted, as carrying a ſound a little too Rhetorical; but, I ſay, I find them) to be the very Expreſs Words thereof, contained in thoſe Journals; and more than ſo, that very credible Perſons, concerned therein, have readily offered their Depoſitions upon Oath, to the Truth of what is Written. So I take my leave of that Hiſtory, and of Sir William Phipps, the Memorable Subject of that Hiſtory, whom I leave under this
EPITAPH. Bonus non est, qui non ad Invidiam uſque Bonus eſt. [A Digreſſion.]
REader, ſince we can give no better an Account, of the Laſt Engliſh Expedition to Canada, why may we not for a Minute or Two, Refreſh our ſelves, with a Story of an Old one.
In the very year, when the Maſſachuſett-Colony began, the Engliſh Attempted the Conqueſt of Canada, and though the Firſt Attempt miſcarried, the Second proſpered. The Story of it, makes a Chapter, in Father Hennepins Account of the Vaſt Country lately diſcovered, betwixt Canada, and Mexico: and this is the Sum of it.
While a Colony was forming it ſelf at Canada, an Engliſh Fleet was Equipp'd, in the year, 1628. under the Command of Admiral Kirk, with a Deſign to take Poſſeſſion of that Country. In their Vogage, having taken a French Ship, at the Iſle Percee, they Sailed up the River, as far as Tadouſac, where they found a Bark, in which they ſet aſhore ſome Souldiers, to Seize on Cape Tourment. And here a Couple of Salvages diſcovering them, ran away to adviſe the people of Quebeck, that the Engliſh were approaching. When the Fleet arrived, the Admiral Summoned the Town to Surrender by a Letter to Monſieur Champelin, the Governour; But the Governour notwithſtanding his being ſo Surpriſed with the Invaſion, made ſuch a Reſolute Anſwer, that the Engliſh, (though as the Hiſtorian ſays, they are a People that will ſooner Dy than quit what they once undertake) did conclude the Fort Quebeck, was in a much better Condition for Defence than it really was; and therefore deſiſting from any further Attempt at this Time, they returned into England, with Reſolution further to purſue their Deſign at a more favourable Opportunity.
Accordingly, on July 19. 1629. in the Morning, the Engliſh Fleet appear'd again, over againſt the Great Bay of Quebeck, at the point of the Iſle of Orleans; which Fleet Conſiſted of Three men of War, and Six other Veſſels. Admiral Kirk ſending a Summons form'd in very Civil Expreſſions, for the Surrender of the Place, the miſerable State of the Country, which had been by the Engliſh Interceptions, hindred of Supplies from France, for Two years together, oblig'd the Sieur Champelin to make a ſofter Anſwer, than he did before. He ſent Father Joſeph Le Caron, aboard the Admiral to treat about the Surrender, and none of his Demands for Fifteen Dayes, and then for Five Dayes, Time to Conſider on't, could obtain any longer Time, than till the Evening, to prepare their Articles. Upon the Delivery of this Meſſage, a Council was held, wherein ſome urged, that the Engliſh had no more than Two Hundred men, of Regular Troops aboard, and ſome others which had not much of the Air of Souldiers; and that the Courage of the Inhabitants was much to be relied upon, and therefore it was beſt for to run the risk of a Siege: But Monſieur Champelin, apprehending the Bravery of the Engliſh, remonſtrated unto the Council, that it was better to make a Surrender on Good Terms, than be all out in pieces by an unreaſonable Endeavour to Defend themſelves. Upon this, the Articles regulating all matters, were got ready, and Father Joſeph had his Commiſſion, to carry them aboard the Engliſh Admiral, where the Signing of them was defe…r'd until To Morrow. On July 20. the Articles of Capitulation were Signed, on both ſides, and the Engliſh being Landed, were put in poſſeſſion of Canada, by the Governour of it. The French Inhabitants, who were then in the Country, had twenty Crowns a piece given them, the reſt of their Effects remained unto the Conquerers, but thoſe who were willing to ſtay, were favoured by the Engliſh with great Advantages. The Fleet ſet Sail again for England, Sept. 14. and arrived at Plymouth, Octo. 18. in that year.