By half-an-hour past eleven, the much greater number of the living were in an outrageous delirium, and the others quite ungovernable; few retaining any calmness, but the ranks next the windows. They all now found that water, instead of relieving, rather heightened their uneasiness; and "Air! air!" was the general cry. Every insult that could be devised against the guard, all the opprobrious names and abuse that the Suba Monickchund could be loaded with, were repeated to provoke the guard to fire upon us, every man that could rushing tumultuously towards the windows, with eager hopes of meeting the first shot. Then a general prayer ascended to Heaven to hasten the approach of the flames to the right and left of us, and put a period to our misery. But these failing, they whose strength and spirits were quite exhausted laid themselves down, and expired quietly upon their fellows; others, who had yet some strength and vigour left, made a last effort for the windows, and several succeeded, by treading and scrambling over the backs and which them. heads of those in the first ranks, and got hold of the bars, from there was no removing Many to the right and left sank with the violent pressure, and were soon suffocated; for now a steam arose from the living and the dead, which affected us in all its circumstances, as if we were forcibly held by our heads over a bowl of strong volatile spirit of hartshorn until suffocated; and frequently, when I was forced by the load upon my head and shoulders to hold my face down, I was obliged, near as I was to the window, instantly to raise it again to escape suffocation. I need not, dear friend, ask your commiseration, when I tell you, that in this plight, from half-anhour after eleven till near two in the morning I sustained the weight of a heavy man, with his knees on my back, and the pressure of his whole body on my head; a Dutch sergeant, who had taken his seat upon my left shoulder, and a topaz, or black Christian soldier, bearing on my right; all which, nothing could have enabled me long to support but the props and pressure equally sustaining me all around. The two latter I frequently dislodged, by shifting my hold on the bars and driving my knuckles into their ribs ; but my friend above stuck fast, and, as he held by two bars, was immovable. When I had endured this conflict above an hour, despairing of relief, my spirit, resolution, and every sentiment of religion gave way. I found I could not long support this trial, and abhorred | from the window, several in the inner ranks appearing to me dead standing, unable to fall by the throng and equal pressure around. He laid himself down to die, and his death, I believe, was very sudden, for he was a short, full, sanguine man; his strength was great, and I imagine that had he not retired with me, I should never have been able to have forced my the dreadful thought of retiring In the rank close behind me was an officer of one of the ships, whose name was Carey, and who behaved with much bravery during the siege (his wife, a fine woman, though country born, would not quit him, but accompanied him into the prison, and was one who survived). This poor wretch had been long raving for water and air; I told him I was determined to give up life, and recommended him gaining my station. On my quitting he made an attempt to get at my place, but was supplanted. Poor Carey expressed his thankfulness, and said he would give up life too; but it was with the utmost labour we forced our way way. I found a stupor coming on apace, and laid myself down by that gallant old man, the Rev. Mr. Jervis Bellamy, who lay dead with his son, the lieutenant, hand in hand, near the southernmost wall of the prison. When I had lain there some little time, I still had reflection enough to suffer some uneasiness in the thought that I should be trampled upon, when dead, as I myself had done to others. With some difficulty I raised myself, and gained the platform a second time, where I presently lost all sensation; the last trace of sensibility that I have been able to recollect after my lying down was my sash being uneasy about my waist, which I untied and threw from me. what passed in this interval to the time of my resurrection from this hole of horrors, I can give you no account; and indeed, the particulars mentioned by some of the gentlemen who survived were so excessively absurd and contradictory, as to convince me that very few of them retained their senses-or, at least, lost them soon after they came into the open air, Of by the fever they carried out with | for our release, it being near six them. In my own escape from death the hand of heaven was manifestly exerted. The manner of it was as follows. When the day broke, and the gentlemen found that no entreaties could prevail to get the | door opened, it occurred to one of them to make a search for me, in hopes I might have influence enough to gain a release from this scene of misery. of misery. Accordingly, Messrs. Lushington and Walcot undertook the search, and by my shirt discovered me under the dead upon the platform. They took me from thence, and imagining I had some signs of life, brought me towards the window I had first possession of. But as life was equally dear to every man, and the stench arising from the dead bodies was grown so intolerable, no one would give up his station in or near the window; so they were obliged to carry me back again. But soon after Captain Mills, who was in possession of a seat in the window, had the humanity to offer to resign it. I was again brought by the same gentlemen and placed in the window. At this juncture the Suba, who had received an account of the havoc death had made among us, sent one of his jemidars to inquire if the chief survived. They showed me to him; told him I had some appearance of life remaining, and believed I might recover if the door was opened very soon. This answer being returned to the Suba, an order came immediately in the morning. The fresh air of the window soon brought me to life, and restored me to my sight and senses; but I will not attempt to describe what my soul suffered on the review of the dreadful destruction around me; and indeed tears, a tribute I shall ever pay to the remembrances of these brave and valuable men, restrain my pen. The little strength remaining among the most robust of the survivors rendered it difficult to remove the dead piled up against the door; so that I believe it was more than twenty minutes before they obtained a passage out for one at a time. I was soon convinced that the particular inquiry made after me did not result from any dictate of favour, humanity, or contrition. When I came out, being in a high putrid fever and unable to stand, I threw myself on the wet grass without the verandah, when a message was brought me, signifying that I must immediately attend the Suba. They were obliged to support me under each arm, and, on the way, one of the jemidars advised me, as a friend, to make a full confession where the treasure was buried in the fort, or that, in half-an-hour, I should be shot off from the mouth of a cannon, a sentence of death common in Hindostan. This intimation gave me no concern at all, for I should now have esteemed death the greatest favour the tyrant could have bestowed upon me. Being brought into his presence, he soon observed the wretched plight I was in, and ordered a large folio volume, which lay on a heap of plunder, to be brought for me to sit on. Twice or thrice I endeavoured to speak, but my tongue was dry and without any motion. He ordered me water, and as soon as I could speak, I began to recount the dismal catastrophe of my miserable companions; but, interrupting me, he acquainted | me that he was well informed of a great treasure being buried or secreted in the fort, that I was privy to it, and must discover it if I expected favour. I said all I could to convince him there was no truth in the information, or that if any such thing had been done it was without my knowledge. I reminded him of his repeated assurances to me the day before; but he resumed the subject of the treasure, and all I could urge seeming to gain no credit with him, he gave orders for my being a prisoner under Mhir Muddon, general of the household troops. THE TAKING OF QUEBEC. (Smollett's History of England.) A.D. 1759. disordered his whole constitution, which was naturally delicate and tender. Among those who shared his confidence, he was often seen to sigh; he was often heard to complain, and even in the transports of his chagrin declare, that he would never return without success, to be exposed, as other unfortunate commanders had been, to the censure and reproach of an THE disaster at the Falls of Mont- | affected his external frame, and morenci made a deep impression on the mind of General Wolfe, whose spirit was too great to brook the most distant prospect of censure or disgrace. He knew the character of the English people rash, impatient, and capricious; elevated to exultation by the least gleam of success, dejected even to despondency by the most inconsiderable frown of adverse fortune; sanguine, even to childish hyper-ignorant and ungrateful populace. bole, in applauding those servants of the public who have prospered in their undertakings; clamorous, to a degree of persecution, against those who have miscarried in their endeavours, without any investigation of merit, without any consideration of circumstances. A keen sense of these vexatious peculiarities, conspiring with the shame of disappointment and eager desire of retrieving the laurel that he might by some be supposed to have lost at the Falls of Montmorenci, and the despair of finding such an occasion, excited an internal agitation, which visibly This tumult of the mind, added to the fatigues of the body he had undergone, produced a fever and dysentery, by which for some time he was totally disabled. Before he recovered any degree of strength, he desired the general officers to consult together for the public utility. It was their opinion that the points of Levi and Orleans being left in a proper state of defence, the rest of the troops should be conveyed up the river, with a view to draw the enemy from their present situation, and bring them if possible to an engagement. This measure, however, was not |