The New Hampshire Gazette

The following Extract contains Some Particulars which have not been published here.

Extract of a Letter from Quebec, dated May 20.

Last Year, every discerning Person of this Garrison expected an Assault from the Enemy before Succours could arrive from any Part of the British Dominions. The Enemy were numerous by Land, and the River commanded by seven French Frigates, which reduced us to the Necessity of establishing out Posts to watch the Enemy, and to secure the Garrison from Surprize ; also, to mount very numerous Guards in every weak Part of the Town, ready to act if the General should be disappointed in his Intelligence. -- Their military Preparations, and many different Advices brought, were, that General de Levy would attack us from Time to Time ; but every Disappointment gave less Credit to his ever attempting it. This, together with many shameful Instances of their bad Behaviour in small Attacks upon our out Posts during the Winter, gave an insulting Kind of an Opinion to the Officers and Soldiers in this Army, who soon forgot that WOLFE fell the 13th of September 1759, and still thought the Remains of his little Army every Way equal to the whole Force of Canada. In this Security we remained to the 20th of April following, when a Serjeant of the French Artillery, who past the Garrison not unheard, but unnoticed, driven by the Tide to Orleans and back again, and was taken up, on a small Sheet of Ice, who, tho' expiring with the Cold of the Night, told us, That General de Levy. with an Army of 14000 Men covered by 3 Frigates and some Victuallers, were at Hand to attack us, and that he was in the headmost Boat with some Pieces of Artillery, but was cast away 10 Leagues above Quebec. This Man the Soldiers call the Messenger of GOD. I don't know the Dispensations of Providence, but if the Night of the 20th had not brought on a continued Storm, and the Man they call GOD's Messenger arrived as he did, our out Posts, some of which were far detached, and occupied by 800 of our prime Troops, must have inevitably been cut off. The Posts were directly call'd in and 8 Regiments with some Pieces of Artillery sent out to retard the March of the Enemy. who we knew were Landed, and had established Bridges across at Cape Rouge, but had not yet pass'd. Our Light Troops gall'd them on their March, but the Regiments went only 4 Miles to St. Foy. when they took Possession of the Houses Commanding the Road and drew upon the Ground securing the Pass between them and the Plains of Abraham, but Night came on, and it Rained hard all Day, the Enemy declined to Force the Pass, and the Troops after some Skirmishes retired into Town. The next Morning the Enemy appeared on the Plain about 2 Miles from Quebec, when the whole Garrison amounting to 3700 Men, Officers included, went to meet them, drawing up in Two Lines with the Light Arm'd Troops and Rangers on the Wing. The Enemy retired a Little and we kept Advancing until we came within Musket Shot of the Woods, where we came to an Engagement, which lasted Three Hours and an Half : The Fire on the Flanks and Wings of the Line was exceeding Hot ; the French claim a Victory, they kept the Field, but they lost 2000 Men and near 200 Officers ; we lost 1100 Men and 102 Officers with 20 Pieces of Brass Field Artillery. Twas impossible to retain the Officers and Soldiers of this Little Army from giving Battle, they were used to Victory, had beat them once before under the Command of WOLFE with only 2 Pieces of Artillery ; and I must say, that had not some mistake or other happen'd in the Disposition of the Cannon and Situation of Ground, we should that Day have given an Example to the whole World. At our Retreat the French continued their March in Columns to the High Ground where Gen. WOLFE fell. and a little Advanced, they drew their First Line about 600 Yards from the Walls, at which Time we had not Three Pieces of Cannon bearing on the Enemy ; the last Resource to save the Town was, Striking out Embrasures thro' the Curtains & Mounting all the Guns on the Ramparts, which was done with incredible Swiftness, that in Four Days 130 Pieces of Cannon bore upon them. They open'd 3 Batteries of 13 Guns and 2 Mortars and persisted in a Siege of 19 days, but meeting with great loss and finding the Walls converted into an entire Battery they raised the Siege the 19th Inst The Lowestoft Man of war Was sent up the River to destroy the French Frigates which She did, burnt Two and run One ashore, but she unluckily Struck on some Rocks and immediately Sunk. At the Time of the Siege a Fire broke out by Accident and Consumed a great Number of Houses.