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dropped anchor which held; for happily the storm abated。 Fog guns

and lights as signals of distress availed little to the ships in

difficulty。 Eight British transports laden with troops and two

ships carrying supplies were dashed to pieces on the rocks。 The

shrieks of drowning men could be heard in the darkness。 The scene

was the rocky Isle aux Oeufs and adjacent reefs off the north

shore。 About seven hundred soldiers; including twenty…nine

officers; and in addition perhaps two hundred sailors; were lost

on that awful night。



The disaster was not overwhelming and Walker might have gone on

and captured Quebec。 He had not lost a single war…ship and he had

still some eleven thousand men。 General Hill might have stiffened

the back of the forlorn Admiral; but Hill himself was no better。

Vetch spoke for going on。 He knew the St。 Lawrence waters for he

had been at Quebec and had actually charted a part of the river

and was more familiar with it; he believed; than were the

Canadians themselves。 What pilots there were declared; however;

that to go on was impossible and the helpless captains of the

ships were of opinion that; with the warning of such a disaster;

they could not disregard this counsel。 Though the character of

the English is such that usually a reverse serves to stiffen

their backs; in this case it was not so。 A council of war yielded

to the panic of the hour and the great fleet turned homeward。

Soon it was gathered in what is now Sydney harbor in Cape Breton。

》From here the New England ships went home and Walker sailed for

England。 At Spithead the Edgar; the flag…ship; blew up and all on

board perished。 Walker was on shore at the time。 So far was he

from being disgraced that he was given a new command。 Later; when

the Whigs came in; he was dismissed from the service; less; it

seems; in blame for the disaster than for his Tory opinions。 It

is not an unusual irony of life that Vetch; the one wholly

efficient leader in the expedition; ended his days in a debtor's

prison。



Quebec had shivered before a menace; the greatest in its history。

Through the long months of the summer of 1711 there had been

prayer and fasting to avert the danger。 Apparently trading ships

had deserted the lower St。 Lawrence in alarm; for no word had

arrived at Quebec of the approach of Walker's fleet。 Nor had the

great disaster been witnessed by any onlookers。 The island where

it occurred was then and still remains desert。 Up to the middle

of October; nearly two months after the disaster; the watchers at

Quebec feared that they might see any day a British fleet

rounding the head of the Island of Orleans。 On the 19th of

October the first news of the disaster arrived and then it was

easy for Quebec to believe that God had struck the English

wretches with a terrible vengeance。 Three thousand men; it was

said; had reached land and then perished miserably。 Many bodies

had been found naked and in attitudes of despair。 Other thousands

had perished in the water。 Vessel…loads of spoil had been

gathered; rich plate; beautiful swords; magnificent clothing;

gold; silver; jewels。 The truth seems to be that some weeks after

the disaster the evidences of the wrecks were discovered。 Even to

this day ships are battered to pieces in those rock…strewn waters

and no one survives to tell the story。 Some fishermen landing on

the island had found human bodies; dead horses and other animals;

and the hulls of seven ships。 They had gathered some

wreckageand that was the whole story。 Quebec sang Te Deum。 From

attacks by sea there had now been two escapes which showed God's

love for Canada。 In the little church of Notre Dame des

Victoires; consecrated at that time to the memory of the

deliverance from Phips and Walker; daily prayers are still poured

out for the well…being of Canada。 God had been a present help on

land as well as on the sea。 Nicholson; with more than two

thousand men; had been waiting at his camp near Lake Champlain to

descend on Montreal as soon as Walker reached Quebec。 When he

received the news of the disaster he broke up his force and

retired。 For the moment Canada was safe from the threatened

invasion。



In spite of this apparent deliverance; the long war; now near its

end; brought a destructive blow to French power in America。

Though France still possessed vigor and resources which her

enemies were apt to underrate; the war had gone against her in

Europe。 Her finest armies had been destroyed by Marlborough; her

taxation was crushing; her credit was ruined; her people were

suffering for lack of food。 The allies had begun to think that

there was no humiliation which they might not put upon France。

Louis XIV; they said; must give up Alsace; which; with Lorraine;

he had taken some years earlier; and he must help to drive his

own grandson from the Spanish throne。 This exorbitant demand

stirred the pride not only of Louis but of the French nation; and

the allies found that they could not trample France under their

feet。 The Treaty of Utrecht; concluded in 1718; shows that each

side was too strong as yet to be crushed。 In dismissing

Marlborough; Great Britain had lost one of her chief assets。 His

name had become a terror to France。 To this day; both in France

and in French Canada; is sung the popular ditty 〃Monsieur

Malbrouck est mort;〃 a song of delight at a report that

Marlborough was dead。 When in place of Marlborough leaders of the

type of General Hill were appointed to high command; France could

not be finally beaten。 The Treaty of Utrecht was the outcome of

war…weariness。 It marks; however; a double check to Louis XIV。 He

could not master Europe and he could not master America。 France

now ceded to Britain her claim to Acadia; Newfoundland; and

Hudson Bay。 She regarded this; however; as only a temporary

setback and was soon planning and plotting great designs far

surpassing the narrower vision of the English colonies。



It was with a wry face; however; that France yielded Acadia。 To

retain it she offered to give up all rights in the Newfoundland

fisheries; the nursery of her marine。 Britain would not yield

Acadia; dreading chiefly perhaps the wrath of New England which

had conquered Port Royal。 Britain; however; compromised on the

question of boundaries in a way so dangerous that the long war

settled finally no great issues in America。 She took Acadia

〃according to its ancient limits;〃but no one knew these limits。

They were to be defined by a joint commission of the two nations

which; after forty years; reached no agreement。 The Island of

Cape Breton and the adjoining Ile St。 Jean; now Prince Edward

Island; remained to France。 Though Britain secured sovereignty

over Newfoundland; France retained extensive rights in the

Newfoundland fisheries。 The treaty left unsettled the boundary

between Canada and the English colonies。 While it yielded Hudson

Bay to Britain; it settled nothing as to frontiers in the

wilderness which stretched beyond the Great Lakes into the Far

West and which had vast wealth in furs。







CHAPTER IV。 Louisbourg And Boston



For thirty years England and France now remained at peace; and

England had many reasons for desiring peace to continue。 Anne;

the last of the Stuart rulers; died in 1714。 The new King; George

I; Elector of Hanover; was a German and a German unchangeable;

for he was already fifty four; with little knowledge of England

and none of the English; and with an undying love for the dear

despotic ways easily followed in a small German principality。 He

and his successor George II were thinking eternally of German

rather than of English problems; and with German interests

chiefly regarded it was well that England should make a friend of

France。 It was well; too; that under a new dynasty; with its

title disputed; England should not encourage France to continue

the friendly policy of Louis XIV towards James; the deposed

Stuart Pretender。 England 

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