he
was greatly outnumbered, had offered battle in the open. He had at first
chosen a strong position, but hearing from spies that the French were
busy cleaning their arms after being caught in a heavy storm the night
before, he advanced upon them, and owing to the sudden attack and the
superiority of his artillery, at first gained a considerable advantage,
but afterwards the weight of numbers told, and the British were forced to
retire to the town with sadly reduced numbers, and Quebec was again
besieged. On receipt of this news Colville pushed on with his squadron,
and the arrival of the Vanguard and Diamond on the 17th, followed by the
Northumberland and the remainder on the next day, caused the French to
retire.

During the next four months the fleet passed an uneventful time in the
Canadian waters, the flagship being moored in the Basin, and then on the
12th September they received the acceptable news that Montreal and the
rest of the province of New France had surrendered to General Amherst,
and on 10th October the squadron again returned to Halifax to winter
quarters.

On 19th January 1761, Lord Colville records in his Journal that he had
"directed the storekeeper to pay the Master of the Northumberland, fifty
pounds in consideration of his indefatigable industry in making himself
master of the pilotage of the River St. Lawrence." This is the first
official recognition that has been found of the fact that Cook had gone
beyond the ordinary duties incumbent on every Master in His Majesty's
Service, namely: "To observe all coasts, shoals, and rocks, taking
careful notes of the same." There is no record in any of the official
documents that Cook was specially engaged in surveying the river, but it
is very evident from this entry that he must have done the work during
the four months that his ship was moored in the Basin of Quebec. That is
to say, his promotion to the Northumberland was previous to, and not a
consequence of his survey of the river, and that it was on account of his
fitness for the work, and not because it had been done, as is constantly
asserted, that he had been selected.

THE NORTH AMERICAN PILOT.

Admiral Saunders had issued orders the previous year, that the general
instructions of the Admiralty as to taking observations, soundings, and
bearings were to be carefully carried out, and the information obtained
was, as opportunity offered, to be forwarded to him "so that all existing
charts may be