in iron, and was then quite capable of building large
sea-going craft at Quebec. While it was in truth no more difficult for
England to cover the lakes with cannon than it was for the United
States to do so, England kept sending out, at great expense, timber,
pitch, materials in iron, water casks, and such like to Quebec and
Kingston, with some thirty or forty shipwrights, and less than a
hundred sailors to man the flotillas of three lakes. Neither the
Admiralty nor the Ordnance had time to make enquiries concerning
Canada, or even to think of the American war. All eyes were upon
Wellington in Spain. The attention of the people of England was not
directed towards Canada. A wide sea rolled between the two countries,
and, besides, there was an indistinct notion that Canada was wholly
inhabited by Frenchmen, who might take care of themselves or not, as
they pleased. The two first vessels belonging to the British on Lake
Champlain, were built by the Americans. The British were contented with
their fort at Isle-aux-Noix, and rejoiced in the luxury of two
gun-boats. It was on a lovely morning very early in June, that a sail
was seen stretching over a point of land, formed by a bed in the river
Chambly, and about six miles distant from the fort. Another sail
followed closely, and the shrewd suspicion seized upon Colonel Taylor,
of the 100th foot, commanding the garrison, that the visitants were
vessels of war. He determined to war with the two strangers, _per mare
et terram_. He converted some of his soldiery into marines, manned his
three gun-boats, and placing three artillerymen in each boat, proceeded
towards the enemy. But he took the additional precaution of sending
down both shores of the river a few detachments from the fort. The
sloops of war came up majestically, the star-spangled banner waved
gracefully in the gentle morning air, and the American commanders were
guessing the effect of their first broadside upon Isle-aux-Noix, when
they were met by a heavy and well directed fire of grape from the
gun-boats, and by a steady torrent of bullets from the shore. Still
they tacked shortly from shore to shore, and every time they were in
stays, a shower of bullets swept the decks, while the grape of the
gun-boats whistled through the rigging. From half past four in the
morning until half past eight, the battle raged, but then it was
necessary to run one of the sloops ashore, to prevent her from sinking,
and both surrendered.