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The Chevalier Chambon answered when I proposed to him this plan: “That the governour orders where to deffend the ship and that he knew no othor way of deffending it than by being aboardofit with the detachment,” as ignorance and obstinacy are ever inseparable it was in vain that I insisted with him to follow my advise as the only means of saving the ship ; that otherwise we must be taken by the English man of war, and I could not even obtain of him to draw the ships within the two casses, though there was a sufficient depth of water for it,

So we all embarked to wait on board of it a most unequal combat.

What a cursed jade is Fortune ! Officer of the greatest merit, knowledge, capacity and talents often pass all their life without ever meeting with a favorable opportunity of distinguishing themselves particularly ; whilst she is continually throwing happy occasions to the ignorant who cannot profit by then: ; sometimes indeed as a stumbling block to break their necks.

Next morning the two English Tenders came up the bay of Menadou to attack us ; but luckily the first of them struck upon a sandy bank before they had got within a cannon shot of us; which saved us from being taken prisoners in the most stupid and senseless manner.

They immediatley returned to their former station at the entry of the bay to watch our ships. After having been several days at Menadou, always aboard the vessel and continually in the apprehensions of a second attempt of the tenders to snatch their prey, all of a sudden the two sixty guns ships passed by the mouth of the Bay steering south, the tenders following them; so that in an instant we lost sight of our guardians that had given me the most lively pain and uneasiness from the appearance of being prisoner at the beginning of the war, through the want of common sense and capacity in the most ignorant commander of the detachment.

We could not imagine the reason of their quitting so abruptly the blockade untill about an hour after, when we had the joyfull sight of two french sixty guns ships, the Hero commanded by Monsieur Bossier and the Illustre by Monsieur Montally, with two french tenders, one of them commanded by Monsieur Brugnon attached to the Hero, and the other by Mon-

sieur de Rigaudière, attached to the Jlustre, steering their course to Louisbourg which was five leagues from Menadou.

The English men of war coatinuing their course to the south passed by the town, leaving the entry ofthe harbour free to the French men of war, who immediately went in and cast anchor.

Monsieur Bossier who commanded the Squadron employed, the night in landing every thing that could incumber the ships and in making all

the necessary preparations to fight immediateley the English men of war : The match was equal.

Having asked for volunteers all the Garrison offered themselves to embark with him ; but he took only about two hundred seamen, and next morning went out of the harbour with his Squadron in guest ofthe English

ships who where as yet in sight of Louisbourg about five leagues south from it.

When he had got to the distance of only half a league from them he hailed the {lustre and told Montally that he was going to begin the dance, and asked him if he could count upon him.

Montally answered him that the Jlustre would follow him closely and be as soon engaged as the Hero ; upon which Bossier in the Hero and Brugnon in the Tender, crowed sails and in and instant begun the fight ; whilst the Z/lustre remained always at the same distance without ever advancing in order to sacrifice Bossier out of jalousy and make him his victim.

Such a conduct is happily unknown in the British service where the prompt chastisement are proportioned to the crimes, without any regard to the quality of the culpables.

But in the French service, where there is neither rewards nor punishment, these adventures are common. |

Bossier was a man of no family : a very brave, honest, expert and knowing seaman ; he had pushed himself in the service by his sup:rior merit, talents and capacity ; and such a man is always an eye sore to the french sea officers who are of great families, but greatly ignorant in the service of navigation.

In short, Bossier sustained the fight during five or six hours (Montally always looking at him in the Ilustre without coming up to his assistance) against the two English men of war, each of them of sixty guns as the Hero, untill his ship was quite shattered and not a passibility of working it.

He then retired and passing by the lustre, Monsieur Montally perceiving the two english ships as the Hero, proposed to him to renew the combat. He answered Montally that it was now in his power to do it, since they had the gratest difficulty to keep the Hero from sinking.

Montally ; infamous behavior was knowen publickly all over the town so soon as the squadron was anchored in the Harbour: Nevertheless the Governor of l'Isle Royale, Captain of a man of war ant Moncalm'’s

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friend, patched up immediately a certificate : “That the ZUlustre was seized in a calm and could not advance to attack the English for want of

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wind” The worthy good natured Bossier had the indulgence to sign it.

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Monsieur Ourry, of one of the English men of war, came next day to

Louisbourg with a flag of truce ; the instant he came out of the boat he asked as with vehemence and impatience: Who is de Lyon that fought

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our to ships in such an unusual and incredible manner that they were disabled, ready to sink and must have struck and surrendered themselves

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if the other man of war had come up to attack us.”

When Monsieur Bossier was presented to the king at his return to Le) France the King told him : Bossier they say that you would have taken Le)

the two english men of war, if you had been assisted by Montally ?” Such vas his mildness and modesty at the moment when asingle word from him was capable of drawing a terrible vengeance upon his adversery in his answer to the King :

“ Sire, the wind failed him and he suffered all what a gallant man of honour is capable of feeling !” It has always appeared to me that the bravest and greatest heros are always of a soft and most gentle character.

Note C.

The miserable bad, ill chused position of the local of Louisbourg, commanded by eminences, and irremediable by art, joint to the horrible state

of its ruinous fortifications, made every body confide alone for their surety [and] in opposing the ennemy's landing, which was always in my opinion a very feeble ressource.

To this effect all the garrison wrought hard, early in the year 1757 in retrenching all the bays and creeks of the cost, susceptible of a descent to the distance of about two leagues from the town.

They established at the same time signals by smoak in the day time upon the different Capes to the distance of port Toulouse twenty leagues to the south of Louisbourg, which was to be done in day light by throwing wet hay into the fires that servent as night signal whenever they perceived there the English fleet. By this means we had the news in a very few minutes or what passed at twenty leagues distance from the town.

Monsieur le Chevalier Beaufremont, now Prince de Lestenay arrived to Louisbourg from St Domingo with fire ships of the line ; four others from Toulon came there soon after him, and at last arrived nine ships of the line from Brest with Monsieur Bois de la Motte, commander in chief which formed a powerfull and beautifull fleet, well equiped of eighteen men of war of the lines, besides several fregates from twenty four to forty guns.

We looked upon it as a very strange politick of the Court of France in sending them thus separately by divisions, risking them to be taken by the english in detail.

Soon after their arrival, the signal of smoak upon the South point of the entry into the Gabarus announced to us the approach of the english fleet, upon which they beat the general, the garrison took arms and immediatelly marched out to take their different posts in the retrenchments where they passed the night, and next day encampted, leaving very few troops for the service of the town.

We saw the signal at noon and before sunset all the english fleet appeared near to our branches, so we expected their landing would be immediatly and all the troops were in high spirits and well prepared to receive them. Note D.

The french troops remained in campted in the bays, whilst the French and British fleet lay always looking at each other, one of them within the

harbour and the other at the entry of it, until the month of September that the Esquinox brought that was ever knowen in the memory of man.

The sea at the same time swelled to such a prodigious height that Ferdinand de Chambon, the officer on guard at the grave was oblige to quit his post with his detachment to avoid being drowned, after having remained obstinately untill they had water up to the knees.

It begun about twelve at night and continued with the same face untill twelve next day at noon. The evening before being fair, clear and calm, the English fleet was in its usual station near the entry of the harbour, and every body imagined it impossible for them to get clear of the land and avoid being dashed against the rocks ; so that we expected to see next morning all the cost covered with wracks.

The inhabitants from the country brought us each moment news of the sad and dismal state of the english fleet, all their ships were scattered, dispersed and shattered ; five of them were seen together without masts, during before the wind toward Newfoundland. Several others separately were observed to be in the same condition ; a fifty gun ship was lost at a distance of four leagues from Louisbourg, but the crew being saved, a detachment was immediately sent to them to prevent there being butchered by the Indians.

In short it was evidently manifest that only five French men of war, if they had gone out of the harbour in quest of the English ships, would have been sufficient to pick out and take all the English fleet.

Monsieur Bois de la Motte held a concil of war aboard his ships, but almost all of them were against the fleet’s going out to the harbour. Prince Listenay insisted for it without success, some alleged that the season was to far advanced to be able to come back into it ; others, that an other storm might happen and reduce them to the same condition as the English, Monsieur Bois de la Motte told them that he had executed his orders which were “ to save Louisbourg ” and that it was now in surety for this year.

Thus they left slip the most favorable opportunity that fortune had presented to them of destroying the English fleet to the dishonour of the French marine. All the officers of the troops were enraged at their pusillanimity. And english admiral would have seized rapidly this favour from

fortune, nor indeed would he have kept loitering all summer in the Harbour insulted by an inferior fleet continually in his sight. In war it is a vast advantage to know particularly the ennemy they have to do with. The English act in a contemptable manner, as if they had a through knowledge of the french marine! Times may change !

Âs the English fleet intercepted all the vessels from France with provisions, the Dearth beginning to appear at Louisbourg, the French fleet before they set sail for Europe, towards the end of October, left in the King's magazins all the provisions they could spare, reserving for themselves only What was bavely necessary to carry them to France.

However, this supply was far from being suficient to remove the horrible prospect of a famine and of passing the winter miserably. But we were most agreably surprized by the arrival of a man of war the six of Jänuary 1758 commanded by Monsieur Dolobaratz, loaded with wine, flower, salt meat and other provisions, having her cannon in the Hold as ballast.

Hiterto it was thought impossible to navigate in these seas at that season. Dobobaratz brought us positive news that the English were making great preparations for the seige of Louisbourg and that we would certainly have a visit from them very early in the spring. Thus we often dread what is the most distant from us : the unlooked for arrival of that man of var produced in a moment Plenty and abundance. His report in effect veryfied. The English fleet appeared before Louisbourg the beginning of June.

The English made their descent the 8th of June, favoured by a very hot fire from their fleet upon the retrenchments which were deffended with the greatest bravery by the French troops. Their attack with their barges was at the two large bays of easy access, of about a hundred geometrical paces in circumference each of them and where above thirty boats in front might enter and land their troops.

Monsieur de St Julien with his regiment Artois was posted in the bay upon the right ; and Monsieur Marin with his regiment of Bourgogne and the troops of the colony had the deffence of the other bay and creeks b:tewixt the two bays. The whole extent to be deffended wvas about half a league of the cost.

The English maintained their attack a long time without being further advanced than the losing a great many men, and in all probability without ever being able to force the retrenchments, when a straggling barge, that in appearance had been repulsed from the bays discovered a small creek where only two Boats in front could enter into it, which was upon the left of the regiment of Artois, and thror.gh negligence without a gard, although it was so surely comprehended in the general plan of deffence the year before, that in the summer 1757 I was posted there with a detachment.

Within the creek the land was at least twenty feet high, steep, and which the English soldiers were oblidged in disorder at their landing to climb it, and it was currently reported that two or three Indians, who by chance where there, knocked down with their hatchets five and twenty or thirty of the first of the English soldiers who attempted to mount it.

Bat it was Indian news the veracity of it may be doubted ; though it is certain that with fifty men I would have hindered any number whatsoever from landing there.

This barge gave a signal to the others who followed it, and slipped away from their attack at the bays without being remarked by the French in their retrenchment untill several thousand English soldiers were landed and drawn up in battle, having out off the communication of the regiment of Artois with the rest of the troops.

So soon as Monsieur de St Julien perceived them, he drew his regiment out of the trenches, formed them in a column, told them that they must pierce through the English to rejoin their troops, the bayonet upon their muskets or perish in the attempt ; and advancing resolutely, the english suffered them to pass umolested and without hostillities.

The french troops made their retreat to the town slowley and in the greatest order possible.

The regiment of the volontaires Etrangers arrived from France in time to be present at the descent, and the regiment of Cambyse arrived likewise.

Bellistat and Langdale, capitans of the grenadiers of Artois and

Bourgogne w : >unded and taken prisoners by the English their two second lieutenuuus Savary and Romainville were Killed ; Masquet aid

maior of Artois and also his brother wounded ; Brouzede, capitaine of Bourgogne, wounded, a Lieutenant and five en twenty men of the Volontaires étrangers taken prisoners. Two officers of the colony troops wounded.

It was now that the turpitude in the conduct of Prevost and Franquet, who had drawn Monsieur Drucourt, governor of l'Isle Royale, in their cabal, a brave but very weak and ignorant man in the art of war, appeared gloring and drew upon them the maladiction of all the garrison.

They could now make very superficial works that might prolong for a short time the seige, but wich could not hinder Louisbourg the key of Canada from being taken. Note E,.

As all the mason work of the fortification was crumbled down he livied the walls with fascines which was a very poor ressource. He made a trench all along the key from Porte Dauphine to the gate, with traverses to shetter them from the Ennemy’s fire from the Height of the Potence.

The ends of all the streets were retrenched : and Franquet, after having refused for some years to listen to a project of making upon Cape Noir a redoubt which he might have rendered inexpugnable, by cutting and shaping that rock in the most advantageous manner, was at least oblidged to have recourse to it and place there a battery of five pieces of canon upon the stump that remained of it, to enfilade the English trenches ; making a retrenchment of communication to it from the half moon that covered the porte de la Reine, which was only at the distance of about flfty paces from Cape Noir.

They sunk five ships at the entry of the Harbour, l’Appollon of 50 guns, la Fidelle and la Chevre each of 22 œuns, /a ville de Saint Malo and an english

prize.

There remained five men of war of the line, commanded by the Marquis de Goutte, le Prudent et l'Entreprenant of T4 guns each ; and le Célèbre, le Bienfaisant, la Capririeuse of 64 œuns each ; with the fregate l'Aretuse of 36 guns commanded by Monsieur Vauclin, Monsieur de Goutte established himself, in the town with the officers and crews of these five men of warofthe line, leaving only a small guard on board each of them.

They landed at the same time their gunpowder, which they lapeed in two small buildings near the battery Salvere, and made them bomb proof,

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by covering them with tuns of tobacco, that was in great plenty at Louisbourg from the English prizes brought there by the French privateers. Vauclin alone in the Are/huse, which remained armed in the harbour was usefull in the siege and behaved himself like a lyon.

The English opened their trenches about two hundred geometrical paces from the Porte Dauphine, covered from the fire of the town of a small curtain or hillock at the foot of the eminence of the Potence.

Vauclin in the Arethuse approached their works, enfiladed their trenches, vexed and galled them in such a manner that they were oblidged to cease the continuation of the trenches and begin by making epaulements to cover themselves from the Frigate.

Wenever they opened a new boyau, Vauclin was upon them, and he drew of their attention for some time from the siege in order to put themselves in surety from the fire of the Arethuse by raising epaulements and batteries against it.

In short, Vauclin having chagrined the English during a month, and retard very considerally their approaches against the town, when he saw that his frigate could no more incommode their workmen by their traverses and epaulements along the shore, he proposed to the Governor to charge himself with dispatches, pass trough the english fleet, and carry them to France.

The marquis de Goutte who was present at the proposal told the Governor that Vauclin might still be usefull at Louisbourg.

“Yes by God ” replied Vauclin, il you will give me one of your men of war of the line that are laid up doing nothing, and you will see that I will do much more yet than I'have done hitherto with Fregate.” The governor give Vauclin his letters and the Arethr:e set sail for France the 15th of July where they arrived safely. Note F.

So soon as the English were landed at the Point Plate, they had a battery there of ten pieces of cannon of 32 pounds french ; two mortars of 13 inches ; and eighteen mortars from 7 to 8 inches: All this battery was transported to the following places, viz :

À battery of seven pieces of cannon and the two great mortars between

the battery Royal and the road to miry.

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À battery of five pieces of cannon upon the left of Marquichange with a retranchement between these two batteries.

The sixteen mortars between this last battery and the brook the St Esprit, with a blockhouse on each side of the wad leading to Miry or Rouillé.

À retranchment upon the left of the brook St Esprit below the retranchment having a fosse two retranchments leading towards Gabarus a battery of six pieces of cannons, and at its side a battery of mortars between Gabarus and the Point Plat. Their camp with four redoubts pallissaded. An other pallissaded redoubt with a boyau extending to the Point Blanche. ÀAt twenty five geometrical steps from it another retranchment with a boyau and a battery of ten pieces of connon and mortars at this retranchment, where they opened at first the trenches and afterwords at two hundred fathoms from the Bastion Dauphine. They had likewise other small batteries and retranchments.

Monsieur Marin, Lieutenant collonel ef the regiment of Bourgogne, commanded a sally from the town with 650 men (his detachment composed of Volonteers) in the night between the 8 and 9" of July, to dislodge a post of 900 english who sustained their workmen. He took an engineer, a Lieutenant of Grenadiers and thirty private men, aud killed, according to the French account, four hundred men.

The french lost in that affair, Chauvelin, capitaine in the regiment of Bourgogne, killed, and des Maille, captain of the same regiment, wounded, Jarnache, lieutenant of Grenadiers in Artois, wounded, Garseman, captain in the collony troops, killed, and several private men killed and wounded.

It was said that the french killed one another, which often happens in night expeditions when they are not combined with great justness. Next day there was a suspension of hostilities to bury the dead.

The English in their barges burnt four of the French ships cf the line in the Harbour ; but what was still more surprising, that they could find out the means to suffer the Bienfuisant of 64 guns to be taken and carryed

Of by these barges, whos deck are so prodigiously high above then.

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This was a subject of great speculation to thiscover the fact, and it became a problem that they never could resolve. The land officers looked upon it with admiration as inconcevable and surpassing all imagination. The barracks, the Government and the Church were burnt to the ground by the carcasses and bombs trowen continually from the ennemie’s batteries ; and according to the laudable English Method of destroying the Houses, which in nowise can advance the Siege, the town was soon reduced to a heap of ruins.

When the Marquis Des Herbiers retook possession of l'Isle Royale en 1749, he established there the most exact discipline, and the service was performed at Louisbourg with as much regularity as in any fortified place in Europe. This made that town be looked upon as the Athenes of the French collonies.

Joubert, captain of the colony troops, an officer of the greatest knowledge and one of the most instructed in all the branches ofthe ait of war. that is to be met with, proposed in 1759 in case of a Siege the year following to keep the fields with a detachment of volunteers, Canadians, Acadians and Indians, in order to vex and fatigue the English with alerts ; to be always ‘in ambuscades and fall upon their detachments whenever they approached the woods inquest of fascines, gabions and such other things necessary in Sieges.

His plan was looked upon to be well concerted, usefull and was adopted in the general project of deffence.

But instead of conferring the execution of it to Joubert, as he wished that opportunity to signalize himself and put his theory in Practice. Monsieur Vaudreuil governor general of Canada, gave the commission for that operation to Boishebert, a Canadian officer of favour at Quebec, most ignorant and the least hardy and resolute of any man lever met with, except at pilfering and pillaging the King's Magazins at Miramichy in Acadie where he commanded.

Boishebert came early in the spring to Louisbourg with a detachment of several hundred men, twelve Canadians officers with him, and six others from the garrison of Louisbourg ; and he kept his detachment with such prudence so concealed at Miry during the Siege, five leagues from Louisbourg that neither the English nor the garrison had ever any news ofthem.

It is a most crual situation for brave men to be shut up within bad fortifications ; a thousand times worse than in open field, where a skillful general may ballance the superiority in numbers by chosing a favorable position. They adopted for maxim at Louisbourg, through necessity, that men of courage aud intrepidity where the best fortifications. It is certain, the best fortifications, without such men to deffend them, avail little, and

it may be so in many circomstances, although it never could be the case at Louisbourg.

Each cannon shot from the English batteries shook and brought down immense pieces of its ruinous walls ; so that in a short cannonade the Bastion du Roy, the Bastion Dauphine and the courtier of communication between them, where entirely demolished, all the deffences ruined, all the canons dismounted, all the parapets and banquets razed, and as one continued breach to make assault every were. Such was their position when reduced to the last extremity they beat the Chamandé.

Louisbourg surrendered on the 26th of July, the garrison was made prisonners of war, transported to England, and being soon after exchanged, returned to France. The Inhabitans according to the capitulation were sent to La Rochelle.

I join the English account of what they found at Louisbourg [note Gr] though it is not just with regard to the strength of the garrison. The regiments of Artois and Bourgogne consisted each of them only of five hundred men and forty supernumary when the arrived complete at Louisbourg in the year 1755 and the collony troops where for a long time before the siege without receiving recruits.

The deffence of Louisbourg, which was invested the 8 of June, and resisted untill the 80th of July, that the capitulation was signed, did great honour to the garrison who deffended so long such infamous fortification.

All the troops behaved themselves with the greatest bravery, intrepidity and resolution.

No animosities nor jalousies amongrt the different regiments that composed it, but all of them where unanimously reunited with harmony and brotherly union for the common good.

It is true they all of them had a most sovereign contempt for the sea officers of the french squadron there, such as their dastardly and base nl conduct justly merited. Franquet's head turned upon his arrival in France, and he died a few works after of chagrin.

Nore A.—The Intendants of the french collonies have an equal authority with the Government, after setting the governors at deffiance ; while as they are supported by the protection of the clerks of the Marine office, who are always in society with them and share the pillage, the secretary of Slate par the Marine is constanly deaf to the complaints of the Governors.

Provost the Intendant of l'Isle Royale, was one of the greaest rascals that ever escaped the gibbet, and if he had been poor they would have rendered hirn justice in hanging him. On his arrival in France they elapsed him [Justice] up in the Bastille where he was confined for some time, but as gold there is the favorite idol he was at length liberated withoutstanding his trial and is now again employed as Intendant at Port l'Orient.

Monsieur de la Porte first clerk in the marine office for the Department of the collonies retired a few years ago with à revenue of three hundred thousand livres a year, twelve thousand five hundred Guirees in english.

How incredibly must the King of France have been robbed that La Porte's share of the booty with the Intendants should amount to such a proüigious sum. It is a common saying in France ‘ That they only hand the little thieves and not the great ones” A french author says : “ The Intendants and governors go to the collonies with the vew to enrich themselves and at their embarking they leave their honor and probity in France easily forgetting to be just and honest.”

Note B.—Monsieur Guibert says ‘“ Courage is certainly the true ramparts of Towns ; they dont reflect enough that there is no good deffence butthat which is offensive and that which multiplies the obstacles 10 the Besiegers.” The garrison of Louisbourg may affirm with justice that they had only Guiberts ramparts for the deffense of that town.

Note C.—Monsieur de la Rigaudière, captain of Montally’s tender hanged himself on his return to Rochefort, so much the more foolishly, that not a reproach was made to Montally, who continued to be employed uutill he perished in Couflans sea fight, by tacking without shutting his gunholes ; his ship sunk in an instant, and not a man of the ship’s crew was saved.

Note D.—Jacques Prevost, Intendant of Louisbourg, was son to a man who kept a low eating house for Dreymen and porters in Brest in Bretagne.

Note E.— What an author says of the Roman Proconsuls and questors may be justly applied to the Intendants and governors of the French callonies * Mutuall spys upon each other, of accomplies of the same crimes. They cannot be in a

good intelligence together without ruining the Province, nor disgrace without causing in it disorder and confusion.”

NoTEe F—T berrail with fears the sad fate of that infortunate Hero Vauclin who having commanded a fregate during two years at the island of Bourbon and France, with the usual distinguished and remarkable good conduct, on his return to France by the unjust ill treatment which he received from Monsieur Boynes in 1773, the then minister of the marine, he shot himself, through the head.

I cannot excuse him for his rash dispair as the ingratitude he met with was in common with ali the good officers in the French service.

NoTE G.—By the english returns there was taken at Louisbourg 11 stands of colours, 220 drums, 232 pieces of cannon, 6 iron 13 inch mortars, ? brass 13 inch mortars, 4 royals, 200 spare carriages, 13,000 stands of arms, 4,000 shells, 14,000

shots, 200 boxes of small shots, 5,000 barrels of powder, 10,000 barrels of flower, 50,000 barrels of beef and pork.

RETURN of the fleet and garrison with the strenght of the English army on the 30th July, 1758 :

Regiments taken at Louisbourg.

ATVO I Brseseres ain oabniars ske sait 640 Bourgogne... Peter renr ne ane Er Sa sar bts 640 CMP sssséirnsiisconts Ph teciitensr street 00 Volontaires Etrangers... net 750 24 compagnies marine.........,............ caso é dose de ssete 960

The whole reduced to.........….. ei ENT RS 0 Seamen taken... Hier u UD

Inhabitans, men, women & children........,............4000

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