ver the post, some battalions,
with the light infantry, marched over the ice, in order to cut off their
communication; but they fled with great confusion, and afterwards
took post at Saint Michael, at a considerable distance farther down
the river. They now resolved to postpone the siege of Quebec, that they
might carry it on in a more regular manner. They began to rig their
ships, repair their small craft, build galleys, cast bombs and bullets,
and prepare fascines and gabions; while brigadier Murray employed
his men in making preparations for a vigorous defence. He sent out a
detachment, who surprised the enemy's posts at Saint Augustin, Maison
Brulee, and Le Calvaire, where they took ninety prisoners. He afterwards
ordered the light infantry to possess and fortify Cape Bouge, to prevent
the enemy's landing at that place, as well as to be nearer at hand to
observe their motions; but when the frost broke up, so that their
ships could fall down the river, they landed at Saint Augustin; and the
English posts were abandoned one after another, the detachments retiring
without loss into the city.]

[Footnote 558: Note 4 N, p. 558. _A translation of the Declaration
delivered by the Austrian minister residing at the Hague, to his serene
highness Prince Louis of Brunswick, in answer to that which his highness
had delivered on the part of his Britannic Majesty and the King
of Prussia, on the 25th of November, 1759, to the ministers of the
belligerent powers._

"Their Britannic and Prussian majesties having thought proper to make
known, by the declaration delivered, on their part, at the Hague, the
25th of November last past, to the ambassadors and ministers of the
courts of Vienna, Petersburgh, and Versailles, residing there:

"'That being sincerely desirous of contributing to the re-establishment
of the public tranquillity, they were ready to send plenipotentiaries
to the place that shall be judged the most convenient, in order to treat
there of this important object with those which the belligerent parties
shall think proper to authorize on their side for attaining so salutary
an end:'

"Her majesty the empress queen of Hungary and Bohemia, her majesty the
empress of all the Russias, and his majesty the most Christian king,
equally animated by the desire of contributing to the re-establishment
of the public tranquillity, on a solid and equitable footing, declare in
return,--

"That his majesty the Catholic king having