n their own ports. When, at
last, on November 20, 1759, Conflans came out of Brest and fought Hawke
at Quiberon Bay, the French fleet was nearly destroyed, and the dream of
taking London ended in complete disaster.

CHAPTER XI. The Fall Of Canada

Though Quebec was in their hands, the position of the British during the
winter of 1759-60 was dangerous. In October General Murray, who was
left in command, saw with misgiving the great fleet sail away which had
brought to Canada the conquering force of Wolfe and Saunders. Murray was
left with some seven thousand men in the heart of a hostile country, and
with a resourceful enemy, still unconquered, preparing to attack him.
He was separated from other British forces by vast wastes of forest
and river, and until spring should come no fleet could aid him. Three
enemies of the English, the French said exultingly, would aid to retake
Quebec: the ruthless savages who haunted the outskirts of the fortress
and massacred many an incautious straggler; the French army which could
be recruited from the Canadian population; and, above all, the bitter
cold of the Canadian winter. To Murray, as to Napoleon long afterward
in his rash invasion of Russia, General February was indeed the enemy.
About the two or three British ships left at Quebec the ice froze in
places a dozen feet thick, and snowdrifts were piled so high against the
walls of Quebec that it looked sometimes as if the enemy might walk over
them into the fortress. So solidly frozen was the surface of the river
that Murray sent cannon to the south shore across the ice to repel
a menace from that quarter. There was scarcity of firewood and of
provisions. Scurvy broke out in the garrison. Many hundreds died so that
by the spring Murray had barely three thousand men fit for active duty.

Throughout the winter Levis, now in command of the French forces,
made increasing preparations to destroy Murray in the spring. The
headquarters of Uvis were at Montreal. Here Vaudreuil, the Governor,
kept his little court. He and Levis worked harmoniously, for Uvis was
conciliatory and tactful. For a time Vaudreuil treasured the thought
of taking command in person to attack Quebec. In the end, however, he
showed that he had learned something from the disasters of the previous
year and did not interfere with the plans made by Levis. So throughout
the winter Montreal had its gayeties and vanities as of old. There were
feasts and dances--but ove