r a march of 150 leagues across an
almost impracticable country, the French attacked the little fort and
village of Haverhill, garrisoned by thirty New Englandmen, and carried
them after a sharp struggle; many of the defenders were killed or
captured, and the settlement destroyed. The neighboring country was,
however, soon aroused, and the assailants with difficulty effected a
retreat, losing thirty of their men.

Intelligence reached the French in the following year that Colonel
Vetch, who, during a residence of several years at Quebec, had contrived
to sound all the difficult passages of the River St. Lawrence, had
successfully instigated the Queen of England to attempt the conquest of
New France; that a fleet of twenty ships was being prepared for the
expedition, and a force of 6000 regular troops were to sail under its
protection, while 2000 English and as many Indians, under the command of
General Nicholson, were to march upon Montreal by the way of Lake
Champlain. M. de Vaudreuil immediately assembled a council of war to
meet the emergency, where some bold measures were planned, but a
misunderstanding between the governor general and one of his principal
officers paralyzed their execution. Finally, indeed, a considerable
force was marched to anticipate the British attack; but the dissensions
of the leaders, the insubordination of the troops, and the want of
correct intelligence, embarrassed their movements, and drove them to an
inglorious retreat. On the other hand, the English, mistrusting the
faith of their Indian allies, and suffering from a frightful mortality,
burned their canoes and advanced posts, and retreated from the frontier.
The perfidious Iroquois, while professing the closest friendship, had
poisoned the stream hard by the British camp, and thus caused the fatal
malady which decimated their unsuspecting allies. The fleet destined
for the attack of Quebec never crossed the Atlantic: it was sent to
Lisbon instead, to support the falling fortunes of Portugal against the
triumphant arms of Castile.

In the following year, another abortive expedition was undertaken by the
English against Canada. Intelligence was brought to M. de Vaudreuil that
ten ships of war of 50 guns each and upward had arrived from England,
and were assembled at Boston, together with 35 transports capable of
conveying 3000 men, while a force of provincial militia and Indians of
New York, nearly 2000 strong, were collected in that st