able to come down from near Sorel, where they had
been laid up all the winter. Towards the last of April, Murray marched
out of the fortress and gave battle at St. Foy to the French army,
which largely outnumbered his force. His object was to attack the
French before they were able to place themselves thoroughly in position
before Quebec, but he suffered a considerable loss, and was obliged to
retire hurriedly within the walls of the town, which was then regularly
invested by Levis and the French ships. The opportune arrival of the
English fleet dashed the rising hopes of the French to the ground,
{264} and Levis was obliged to retreat to Montreal. In the month of
September of the same year General Amherst descended the St. Lawrence,
after having captured the fort at Ile Galops--afterwards Fort William
Augustus. Brigadier Haviland left Lake Champlain, captured
Ile-aux-Noix, and then marched on Montreal; Brigadier Murray came up
from Quebec. All these forces concentrated on the same day on the
island of Montreal, and Vaudreuil had no alternative except to
capitulate. By the terms of capitulation, which were drawn up, like
those of Quebec, in French, Great Britain bound herself to allow the
French Canadians the free exercise of their religion, and certain
specified fraternities, and all communities of _religieuses_ were
guaranteed the possession of their goods, constitutions, and
privileges, but a similar favour was denied to the Jesuits, the
Franciscans, or Recollets, and the Sulpicians, until the King should be
consulted on the subject. The same reservation was made with respect
to the parochial clergy's tithes. On the 10th of February, 1763, by
the Treaty of Paris, France ceded to Great Britain Canada, with all its
dependencies, the island of Cape Breton, and the Laurentian Isles. By
this treaty the King pledged himself "to give the most effectual
orders, that his new Roman Catholic subjects may profess the worship of
their religion, according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, as
far as the laws of Great Britain permit." All the pretensions of
France to Acadia were at last formally renounced. England also
received all the country east of the River Mississippi, except the city
of New {266} Orleans and the neighbouring district, as well as Florida
from Spain in return for Havana. Subsequently France gave up New
Orleans to Spain, as well as the great region of Louisiana westward of
the Mississippi. F