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men in the heart of a hostile country； and with a resourceful
enemy； still unconquered； preparing to attack him。 He was
separated from other British forces by vast wastes of forest and
river； and until spring should come no fleet could aid him。 Three
enemies of the English； the French said exultingly； would aid to
retake Quebec： the ruthless savages who haunted the outskirts of
the fortress and massacred many an incautious straggler； the
French army which could be recruited from the Canadian
population； and； above all； the bitter cold of the Canadian
winter。 To Murray； as to Napoleon long afterward in his rash
invasion of Russia； General February was indeed the enemy。 About
the two or three British ships left at Quebec the ice froze in
places a dozen feet thick； and snowdrifts were piled so high
against the walls of Quebec that it looked sometimes as if the
enemy might walk over them into the fortress。 So solidly frozen
was the surface of the river that Murray sent cannon to the south
shore across the ice to repel a menace from that quarter。 There
was scarcity of firewood and of provisions。 Scurvy broke out in
the garrison。 Many hundreds died so that by the spring Murray had
barely three thousand men fit for active duty。
Throughout the winter Levis； now in command of the French forces；
made increasing preparations to destroy Murray in the spring。 The
headquarters of Uvis were at Montreal。 Here Vaudreuil； the
Governor； kept his little court。 He and Levis worked
harmoniously； for Uvis was conciliatory and tactful。 For a time
Vaudreuil treasured the thought of taking command in person to
attack Quebec。 In the end； however； he showed that he had learned
something from the disasters of the previous year and did not
interfere with the plans made by Levis。 So throughout the winter
Montreal had its gayeties and vanities as of old。 There were
feasts and dancesbut over all brooded the reality of famine in
the present andthe foreboding of disaster to come。
By April 20； 1760； the St。 Lawrence was open and； though the
shores were cumbered with masses of broken ice； the central
channel was free for the boats which Levis filled with his
soldiers。 It was a bleak experience to descend the turbulent
river between banks clogged with ice。 When Levis was not far from
Quebec； he learned that it was impossible to surprise Murray who
was well on guard between Cap Rouge on the west and Beauport on
the east。 The one thing to do was to reach the Plains of Abraham
in order to attack the feeble walls of Quebec from the landward
side。 Since Murray's alertness made impossible attack by way of
the high cliffs which Wolfe had climbed in the night； Levis had
to reach Quebec by a circuitous route。 He landed his army a
little above Cap Rouge； marched inland over terrible roads in
heavy rain； and climbed to the plateau of Quebec from the rear at
Sainte Foy。 On April 27； 1760； he drew up his army on the heights
almost exactly as Wolfe had done in the previous September。
Murray followed the example of Montcalm。 He had no trust in the
feeble defenses of Quebec and on the 28th marched out to fight on
the open plain。 The battle of Sainte Foy followed exactly the
precedents of the previous year。 The defenders of Quebec were
driven off the field in overwhelming defeat。 The difference was
that Murray took his army back to Quebec and from behind its
walls still defied his French assailant。 Levis had poor
artillery； but he did what he could。 He entrenched and poured his
fire into Quebec。 In the end it was sea power which balked him。
On the 15th of May； when a British fleet appeared round the head
of the Island of Orleans； Levis withdrew in something like panic
and Quebec was safe。
Levis returned to Montreal； and to this point all the forces of
France slowly retreated as they were pressed in by the
overwhelming numbers of the British。 At Oswego； the scene of
Montcalm's first brilliant success four years earlier； Amherst
had gathered during the summer of 1760 an army of about ten
thousand men。 From here he descended the St。 Lawrence in boats to
attack Montreal from the west。 From the south； down Lake
Champlain and the Richelieu River to the St。 Lawrence； came
another British force under Haviland also to attack Montreal。 At
Quebec Murray put his army on transports； left the city almost
destitute of defense； and thus brought a third considerable force
against Montreal。 There was little fighting。 The French withdrew
to the common objective as their enemy advanced。 Early in
September Levis had gathered at Montreal all his available force；
amounting now to scarcely more than two thousand men； for
Canadians and Indians alike had deserted him。 The British pressed
in with the slow and inevitable rigor of a force of nature。 On
the 7th of September their united army was before the town and
Amherst demanded instant surrender。 The only thing for Vaudreuil
to do was to make the best terms possible。 On the next day he
signed a capitulation which protected the liberties in property
and religion of the Canadians but which yielded the whole of
Canada to Great Britain。 The struggle for North America had
ended。
In the moment of triumph Amherst inflicted on the French army a
deep humiliation to punish the outrages committed by their Indian
allies。 In the early days of the war Loudoun； the
Commander…in…Chief in America； had vowed that the British would
make the French 〃sick of such inhuman villainy〃 and teach them to
respect 〃the laws of nature and humanity。〃 Washington speaks of
his 〃deadly sorrow〃 at the dreadful outrages which he saw； the
ravishing of women； the scalping alive even of children。
Philadelphians had seen the grim spectacle of a wagon…load of
corpses brought by mourning friends and relatives of the dead and
laid down at the door of the Assembly to show to pacifist
legislators what was really happening。 The French regular
officers； as we have seen； had hated this kind of warfare
Bougainville says that his soul shuddered at the sights in
Montreal； where the whole town turned out to see an English
prisoner killed； boiled； and eaten by the savages。 Worse still；
captive mothers were obliged to eat the flesh of their own
children。 The French believed that they could not get on without
the savage allies who committed these outrages； and they were not
strong enough to coerce them。 Amherst； on the other hand； held
his Indians in check and rebuked outrage。 Now he was stern to
punish what the French had permitted。 He could write proudly to a
friend that the French were amazed at the order in which he kept
his own Indians。 Not a man； woman； or child； he said； had been
hurt or a single atrocity committed。 It was a vivid contrast with
what had taken place after the British surrender to Montcalm at
Fort William Henry。 The day of retribution had come。 Because of
such outrages； the French army was denied the honors of war
usually conceded to a brave and defeated foe。 The French officers
and men must not； Amherst insisted； serve again during the war。
Levis protested and begged Vaudreuil to be allowed to go on
fighting rather than accept the terms； but in vain。 The
humiliation was rigorously imposed； and it was a sullen host
which the British took captive。
France had lost an Empire。 It was nearly three years still before
peace was signed at Paris in 1763。 To Britain France yielded
everything east of the Mississippi except New Orleans； and to
Spain she ceded New Orleans and everything else to which she had
any claim。 The fleurs…de…lis floated still over only two tiny
fishing islands off the Newfoundland shore。 All the glowing plans
of France's leadersof Richelieu； of Louis XIV； of Colbert； of
Frontenac； of the heroic missionaries of the Jesuit Orderseemed
to have come to nothing。
The fall of France did much to drag down her rival。 Already was
America restless under control from Europe。 There was now no
danger to the English in America from the French peril which had
made insecure the borders of Massachusetts； of New York； of
Pennsylvania； and Virginia； and had brought widespread desolation
and sorrow。 With the removal of the menace went the need of help
and defenses for the colonies from the motherland。 The French
belief that there was a natural antipathy between the English of
the Old World and the English of the New was； in reality； based
on the fact of a likeness so great that neither would accept
control or patronage from the other。 Towards the Englishman who
assumed airs of superiority the antagonism of the colonists was
always certain to be acute。 Open strife came when the assumption
of superiority took the form of levying taxes on the colonies
without asking their leave。 In no remote way the fall of French
Canada； by removing a near menace to the English colonies； led to
this new conflict and to the collapse of that older British
Empire which had sprung f