=Source.=--_The Letters of Horace Walpole_: edited by Peter
Cunningham. Edinburgh, 1906.
8 Sept., 1757. We had a torrent of bad news yesterday from America.
Lord Loudon has found an army of twenty-one thousand French, gives
over the design on Louisbourg, and retires to Halifax. Admiral
Holbourn writes that they have nineteen ships to his seventeen,
and he cannot attack them. It is time for England to slip her own
cables and float away into some unknown ocean.
24 Aug., 1758. Our next and greatest triumph is the taking of
Cape Breton, the account of which came on Friday. The French have
not improved like their wines by crossing the sea; but lost their
spirit at Louisbourg as much as on their own coast. The success,
especially in the destruction of their fleet, is very great; the
triumphs not at all disproportionate to the conquest, of which you
will see all the particulars in the Gazette. Now for the chapter
of cypresses. The attempt on Crownpoint has failed; Lord Howe was
killed in a skirmish; and two days afterward by blunders, rashness
and bad intelligence we received a great blow at Ticonderoga.... My
hope is that Cape Breton may buy us Minorca and a peace.
9 Feb., 1759. The expedition, called to Quebec, departs on Tuesday
next under Wolfe and George Townshend, who has thrust himself again
into the service, and, as far as wrongheadedness will go, very
proper for a hero. Wolfe, who was no friend of Mr. Conway last year
and for whom I consequently have no affection, has great merit,
spirit and alacrity, and shone extremely at Louisbourg. I am not
such a Juno but I will forgive him after eleven more labours.
16 Oct., 1759. I love to prepare your countenance for every event
that may happen, for an ambassador, who is nothing but an actor,
should be that greatest of actors, a philosopher; and, with the
leave of wise men (that is, hypocrites), philosophy I hold to be
little more than presence of mind; now undoubtedly preparation is
a prodigious help to presence of mind. In short, you must not be
surprised that we have failed at Quebec, as we certainly shall.[2]
You may say, if you please, in the style of modern politics, that
your court never supposed it could be taken; the attempt was only
made to draw off the Russians from the King of Prussia, and leave
him at liberty to attack Daun. Two days ago came letters from
Wolfe, despairing, as much as heroes can despair. The town is
well victualled, Amherst is not arrived, and fifteen thousand men
encamped defend it. We have lost many men by the enemy, and some
by our friends--that is, we now call our nine thousand only seven
thousand.
19 Oct. I had no occasion to be in such a hurry to prepare your
ambassadorial countenance; if I had stayed but one day more,
I might have left its muscles to behave as they pleased. The
notification of a probable disappointment at Quebec came only to
heighten the pleasure of the conquest. You may now give yourself
what airs you please, you are master of East and West Indies. An
ambassador is the only man in the world whom bullying becomes: I
beg your pardon, but you are spies, if you are not bragadochios.
All precedents are on your side: Persians, Greeks, Romans, always
insulted their neighbours when they conquered Quebec....
It was a very singular affair, the generals on both sides slain,
and on both sides the second in command wounded; in short, very
near what battles should be, in which only the principals ought to
suffer. If their army has not ammunition and spirit enough to fall
again upon ours before Amherst comes up, all North America is ours.
21 Oct. Instead of the glorious and ever-memorable year 1759, as
the newspapers call it, I call it this ever-warm and victorious
year: one would think we had plundered East and West Indies
of sunshine. Our bells are worn threadbare with ringing for
victories.... Adieu! I don't know a word of news less than the
conquest of America.
P.S.--You shall hear from me again if we take Mexico or China
before Christmas.
20 June, 1760. Who the deuce was thinking of Quebec? America was
like a book one has read and done with; or at least if one looked
at the book, one just recollected that there was a supplement
promised, to contain a chapter on Montreal, the starving and
surrender of it--but here are we on a sudden reading our book
backwards. An account came two days ago that the French on the
march to besiege Quebec had been attacked by General Murray, who
got into a mistake and a morass, attacked two bodies that were
joined, when he hoped to come up with one of them before the
junction, was enclosed, embogged and defeated. By the list of
officers killed and wounded, I believe there has been a rueful
slaughter,--the place, too, I suppose will be retaken. The year
1760 is not the year 1759.
28 June, 1760. Well, Quebec is come to life again. Last night I
went to see the Holdernesses ... in Sion-lane. As Cibber says
of the Revolution, I met the Raising of the Siege; that is, I
met my Lady in a triumphal car, drawn by a Manx horse thirteen
little fingers high, with Lady Emily ... they were going to see
the bonfire at the alehouse at the corner. The whole procession
returned with me; and from the countess's dressing-room, we saw a
battery fired before the house, the mob crying, "God bless the good
news!"
5 Oct., 1760. I am afraid you will turn me off from being your
gazetteer. Do you know that I came to town to-day by accident,
and was here four hours before I heard that Montreal was taken?
The express came early this morning. I am so posthumous in my
intelligence that you must not expect any intelligence from me....
All I know is, that the bonfires and squibs are drinking General
Amherst's health.