s that its people had rebelled against their lawful
prince, the ally of France. Other more personal observations were
directed towards the manner in which Phips had behaved at Port Royal.
No word in writing would Frontenac send. The envoy (who was only a
subaltern) received his conge, was blindfolded and led back to his boat.

Compliments having been thus exchanged, it remained for Phips to make
good his {128} challenge. If we compare the four English and American
sieges of Quebec, the attack by Phips will be seen to have little in
common with those of Kirke and Montgomery, but to resemble rather
strikingly the attack by Wolfe. Without fighting, Kirke swooped down
upon a garrison which was exhausted by starvation. Arnold and
Montgomery operated without a fleet. But while Phips's attempt is
unlike Wolfe's in that it ended in failure, the presence of the fleet
and the attempt to effect a landing below the mouth of the St Charles
present features of real similarity. It is clear that Phips received
intelligence from prisoners of a possible landing above the town, at
the spot where Wolfe carried out his daring and desperate _coup de
main_. But, anticipating Wolfe in another quarter, he chose to make
his first attack on the flats rather than on the heights.

The troops ordinarily stationed at Quebec were increased just after
Phips's arrival by a force of seven hundred regulars and militiamen
under Callieres, who had come down from Montreal with all possible
haste. So agile were the French and so proficient in irregular warfare
that Phips found it difficult to land any considerable detachment in
good order. Thirteen hundred of the English did succeed {129} in
forming on the Beauport Flats, after wading through a long stretch of
mud. There followed a preliminary skirmish in which three hundred
French were driven back with no great loss, after inflicting
considerable damage on the invaders. But though the English reached
the east bank of the St Charles they could do no more. Phips wasted
his ammunition on a fruitless and ill-timed bombardment, which was
answered with much spirit from the cliffs. Meanwhile the musketeers on
the bank of the St Charles were unable to advance alone and received no
proper supply of stores from the ships. Harassed by the Canadians,
wet, cold, and starving, they took to the boats, leaving behind them
five cannon. After this nothing happened, save deliberations on the
part of Phips and