the
St. Lawrence: attempt on General Wolfe's part to penetrate through upon
the French, under Marquis de Montcalm, French Commander-in-chief, and to
get a stroke at Quebec and him. From the south side of the St. Lawrence,
nothing can be done upon Quebec, such the distance over. From Isle
d'Orleans and the north side, it is also impossible hitherto. Easy
enough to batter the Lower Town, from your ships and redoubts: but the
High Town towers aloft on its sheer pinnacles, inaccessible even to
cannon; looks down on the skilfulest British Admiral and Fleet as if
with an air of indifference,--trying him on dark nights with fire-ships,
fire-rafts, the cunningest kinds of pyrotechny, which he skilfully tows
aside.

"A strenuous thing, this of Wolfe's; though an unsuccessful. Towards
evening, the end of it; all Quebec assembled on the southern ramparts,
witnessing with intense interest; the sublime Falls of Montmorenci
gushing on, totally indifferent. For about a month past, General Wolfe,
with the proper equipments, and about 10,000 men, naval and military,
who was expressly selected by Pitt to besiege Quebec, and is dying to
succeed, has been trying every scheme to get into contact with it:--to
no purpose, so lofty, chasmy, rocky is the ground, cut by mountainous
precipices and torrent streams, branches of the grand St. Lawrence
River; so skilfully taken advantage of by Montcalm and his people, who
are at home here, and in regulars nearly equal Wolfe, not to speak of
Savages and Canadians, Wolfe's plan of the 31st was not ill laid; and
the execution has been zealous, seamen and landsmen alike of willing
mind;--but it met with accidents. Accidents in boating; then a still
worse accident on landing; the regiment of grenadiers, which crossed
below the Falls, having, so soon as landed, rushed off on the redoubt
there on their own score, without waiting for the two brigades that were
to cross and co-operate ABOVE the Falls! Which cut Wolfe to the heart;
and induced him, especially as the tide was making again, to give up
the enterprise altogether, and recall everybody, while it was yet time.
[_Gentleman's Magazine_ for 1759, pp. 470-473; Thackeray, i. 488.] Wolfe
is strict in discipline; loves the willing mind, none more, and can
kindle it among those about him; but he loves discipline withal, and
knows how fatal the too willing may be. For six weeks more there is toil
on the back of toil everywhere for poor Wolfe. He falls into fe