of his own inability to give an accurate account, in all its forms, for want of that profeffional knowledge, without which, all relations of military operations must be not only defective, but difguftful to judicious readers, and more especially fo, in this cafe, to the living officers, who had a fhare in the honour of the day, and must regret any accidental mifrepresentation, arifing from ignorance of the fubject.

Suffice it then to fay, that never was a battle fought which did more honour to the officers, and even to the private men on both fides, than this. The highest encomiums were bestowed on, and justly merited by the marquis de Montcalm, the French general, who was mortally wounded, and who diftinguished himself in his laft moments, by an affectionate regard for his countrymen, in writing a letter to general Townfhend, to recommend the French prifoners" to that generous humanity, by which the British nation has been always diftinguifhed" he died in Quebec a few days after the battle. His fecond in command was left wounded on the field, and was conveyed from thence on board an English fhip, where he expired the next day.

The death of Montcalm, which was an irreparable lofs to France, in America, threw the Canadians into the utmost confternation; confufion prevailed in the councils held at Quebec, and feeing themselves invested by the British fleet, which, after the victory, failed up in a difpofition to attack the lower town, while the upper should be affaulted by general Townshend; they gave up all for loft, and fent out a flag of truce, with proposals of capitulation, which were judicioufly accepted by general Townshend and admiral Saunders, and figned early the next morning. A measure which

does

does the greatest honour to their judgment; for the place was not yet completely invefted, the enemy were on the point of receiving a ftrong reinforcement from Montreal, and M. de Bouganville, at the head of 800 fresh men, with a convoy of provifions, was almoft at the gates of the town on the day of its furrender. A new army was likewife affembling in the neighbourhood, with which the city continued to have a free communication on one fide after the battle; and the British troops in a little time, the feafon being far advanced, mult have been obliged to defift from their operations by the severity of the weather, and even to have retired with their fleet before the approach of winter, when the river St. Laurence is conftantly frozen up.

-It is difficult to defcribe the various emotions with which the people were affected, when the news of this aftonishing fuccefs in Canada arrived in England. The melancholy difpatch which general Wolfe had fent off, after his difappointment at the falls of Montmorenci, owing to contrary winds, was not received, or at least not made known to the public, till two days before the ship arrived which had been dispatched with the joyful news of the victory, and the furrender of Quebec, to which was tacked the mournful fequel of the death of the Conqueror of Canada.

A mixture of pity and affliction attended the national triumph upon this occafion, and was ftrongly expreffed in the congratulatory addreffes, prefented by all the corporate bodies and public focieties of the three kingdoms, to his late majefty.

A day of folemn thankfgiving was appointed throughout all the dominions of Great Britain; and, when the parliament affembled, Mr. Pitt, in the house of commons, with that energy of etq

F 6

quence,

quence, peculiar to himfelf, when he was in the zenith of his glory, expatiated upon the fucceffes of the campaign, and dwelt on the tranfcendent merit of the deceafed general in fuch a pathetic ftrain, as not only drew tears from himself, but from moft who heard him: nor did he fail in paying due honour to the courage and conduct of the admirals, and the land officers, and to the bravery of the foldiers, and the feamen, who affifted in the conquest of Quebec.

He then made a motion, to present an addrefs, defiring his majesty to order a monument to be erected in Westminster-abbey, to the memory of major-general Wolfe, to which the house agreed unanimously. At the fame time, they paffed another refolution; that the thanks of the house fhould be given to the furviving generals and admirals, employed in the glorious and fuccefsful expedition to Quebec.

Nothing now remained, but to give orders that all military honours fhould be paid to the remains of our illuftrious general, expected to arrive in England, for interment. The corpfe was brought home in his majefty's fhip the Royal William, to Portsmouth, and on Sunday the 17th of November, it was landed in the following folemn order :

At eight o'clock in the morning, two fignal guns were fired, to give notice to the garrifon of the removal: the body was then lowered out of the fhip into a 12 oar barge, which was towed along by two 12 oar barges, and attended to the bottom of the point by 12 others, full manned, with officers, and feamen, who obferved a melancholy filence during this awful proceffion: minute guns were fired from the fhips at Spithead, from the time the body was taken from the fhip to its being landed at the point, which took up an hour. The regi

ment

ment of invalids was ordered under arms before eight, and being joined by a company of the train of artiJery in the garrifon, marched from the parade to the bottom of the point, to receive the body. At a little after nine, it was landed, and put into a travelling hearfe, attended by a mourning coach, both fent from London, and proceeded through the garrifon. The colours on the forts were ftruck half flag staff: the bells were muffled, and tolled in folemn concert with the dead march, which was beat : minute-guns were fired on the platform from the entrance of the corpfe to the whole length of the proceffion: the company of the train led the van, with their arms reverfed, and the regiment of invalids followed the hearfe, their arms reverfed. They conducted the body to the land-port gates, where the train opened to the right and left, and the hearfe proceeded, through the line they formed, on its way to London. Many thousands of people were affembled upon this occafion, who, behaved with the greatest decency and decorum. On the 20th at night, the body was privately depofited in the family vault, in the church at Greenwich.

His private character was not less exalted than his public, and equally exemplary to the British offi→

cers.

With an unusual livelinefs, almoft to impetuofity of temper, he was not fubject to paffion with the greatest independency of spirit, he was free from pride. Generous, almoft to profufion; he contemned every little art for the acquifition of wealth, whilft he fearched after objects for his charity and beneficence: the deferving foldier never went unrewarded, and the needy inferior officer often tafted of his bounty. Conftant and difcerning in his attachments: manly and unreserved, yet gentle, kind, and conciliating in his manners: he enjoyed a large

2

fhare

fhare of the friendship, and almost the univerfal good will of mankind; and, to crown all, fincerity and candour, a true fenfe of honour, juftice and public liberty, feemed the inherent principles of his nature, and were the uniform rules of his conduct.

His untimely fate called forth the exertions of emulative genius amongst our artists: it has been the hiftorical fubject of the fculptor, the painter, and the engraver, by which means the names of Wilton, Weft, and Woollet, will be tranfmitted to posterity, with the affecting ftory of the immortal Wolfe.

The LIFE of

LORD ANSON.

[A. D., to 1762.]

GEORGE ANSON, whofe fignal merit as a

naval officer raised him to the dignity of a peer of Great Britain, was the fecond, and youngest fon of William Anfon, Efq; of Shuckborough (who died in 1720) by Elizabeth, fifter to the countess of Macclesfield, and aunt to the late earl.

We have no account of the exact time of his birth, nor yet of his infant years, we only know that he very early devoted himself to the fea fervice, and was made captain of the Weazle floop in 1722; and, the year following, of the Scarborough man of war. On the breaking out of the Spanish war in 1740, he was recommended to his late majesty

for