ofited not a little by his instructions; he loved
the society of the ladies, so did I; but he being a married man was more
select in his company and more correct in his conduct than I could
pretend to be.

We were ordered to Quebec, sailed through the beautiful Gut of Canso,
and up the spacious and majestic St. Lawrence, passing in sight of the
Island of Anticosta. Nothing material occurred during the passage, save
that a Scotch surgeon's assistant, having adopted certain aristocratic
notions, required a democratical lecture on heads, which was duly
administered to him. He pretended that he was, by birth and education
(at Edinburgh), entitled to be at the head of our mess. This I
resisted, and soon taught the ambitious son of Esculapius that the
science of defence was as important as the art of healing; and that if
he was skilful in this latter, I would give him an opportunity of
employing it on his own person: whereupon I implanted on his sinciput,
occiput, os frontis, os nasi, and all other vulnerable parts of his
body, certain concussions calculated to stupify and benumb the
sensorium, and to produce under each eye a quantity of black,
extravasated blood; while, at the same time, a copious stream of carmine
fluid issued from either nostril. It was never my habit to bully or
take any unfair advantage; so, having perceived a cessation of arms on
his part, I put the usual interrogatives as to whether the party
contending was satisfied, and being answered in the affirmative, I laid
by my metacarpal until they might be further wanted, either for reproof
or correction.

We anchored off Cape Diamond, which divides the St. Lawrence from the
little river St. Charles. The continuation of this cape, as it recedes,
forms the Heights of Abraham; on which the immortal Wolfe defeated
Montcalm, in the year 1759, when both the generals ended their glorious
career on the field of battle. The city stands on the extremity of the
cape, and has a very romantic appearance. The houses and churches are
generally covered with tin, to prevent conflagration, to which the place
was remarkably subject when the houses were covered with thatch or
shingle. When the rays of the sun lay on the buildings, they had the
appearance of being cased in silver.

One of our objects in going to Quebec was to procure men, of which the
squadron was very deficient. Our seamen and marines were secretly and
suddenly formed into pressgangs. The command o