When I say this, I mean in North America. I hope it is true what is mentioned in the newspapers, that a strong naval armament is preparing for your assistance. I wish they would increase your regiment with drafts from the troops here. I could send you some very good little soldiers. If our proposal is a good one, I will shorten the work, and lessen the expense. The present schemes of economy (alluding to the ill-considered views of the Duke of Newcastle's administration) are destructive of great undertakings, narrow in the views, and ruinous in the consequence. I was in the House of Commons this winter when great sums of mony were proposed for you, and granted readily enough, but nothing said of any increase of troops. Mr. Pelham (Secretary of State) spoke very faintly upon the subject; wished gentlemen would well weigh the importance of these undertakings before they offered them for public approbation, and seemed to intimate that it might probably produce a quarrel with our everlasting irreconcileable adversary, this I took to be a bad prognostick; a Minister cool in so great an affair, it is enough to freeze up the whole! but perhaps there might be a concealed manœuvre under these appearances, as, in case of accidents, "I am not to blame," "I was forced to carry it on," and so forth; in the mean time I hope they are vigorous in supporting our claims. The country is in all shapes better than we imagined it, and the climate less severe; the extent of our territory perhaps, won't take a vast deal of time to clear; the woods you speak of are, I suppose, to the West of Sheganecto, and within the limits that the French ascribe for themselves, and usurp. Yours is now the dirtiest, as well as the most insignificant and unpleasant branch of military operations; no room for courage and skill to exert itself, no hope of ending it by a decisive blow and a perpetual danger of assassination; these circumstances discourage the firmest mind. Brave men, when they see the least room for conquest, think it easy, and generally make it so; but they grow impatient with perpetual disadvantages. I think Bartloo is a loss; his loggerhead was fit enough for these kind of expeditions, and would save much fatigue to better men. I should imagine that two or three independent Highland companies might be of use; they are hardy, intrepid, accustomed to a rough country, and no great mischief if they fall, here in the midst of Popery and Jacobitism, surrounded on every side as I am with this itchy race. I don't understand what is meant by the wooden forts at Halifax. I have a poor conceit of wooden fortifications, and would wish to have them changed for

a rampart of earth, the rest in time; it is probable that the great attention that must be given at first to building the habitations and clearing the ground about the town left no interval for other work; but I hope to hear, in your next letter, that our principal city (Halifax) is considerably improved in strength. You, gentlemen, too, with your parapet three or four feet thick, that a heavy shower would dissolve, you ought to increase it and put yourselves into a state of security. You appear to be the barrier and bulwark of our settlements on the land, and should be lodged in a sufficient fortress, and with an eye to enterprise. I understand, by your account, that the post you occupy is at a very small distance from the end of the Bay; and should be glad to know how far that is from the nearest part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, or from what (in the map) appears to be a lake, or harbour communicating with that Gulf. I rejoice much that you commanded that detachment with which your Lieutenant-Colonel marched; the Indians might have had courage, in that case you would have overcome them in battle under the eye of your chief; as it was, he saw you well disposed to fight-perhaps I am talking at random, but it is conformable to the idea I have of this Colonel Lawrence, whose name we often see in the papers. I suppose him to be amongst the first officers of the expedition, high-minded himself, and a judge of it in others; his ready march to the enemy marks the first, and his being the head of your undertaking gives one an opinion of his judgment. If 'tis to his advantage, I desire you to let me have his character at full length; perhaps there's a strong mixture, as it generally happens in ardent men-in that case let's have the best fully, and the other slightly touched. I am mighty sorry that you are not so linked in with some of your brethren as to form an intimacy and confidence; without it, the world is a solitude, and what must your part of it be? I pity you very heartily, for I am sure you are very ready to mingle with a good disposition. Tis doubly a misfortune to be banished without the relief of books, or possibility of reading; the only amends that can be made to us that are sequestered in the lonely and melancholy spots, is that we can fill up part of our time with study. When I am in Scotland I look upon myself as an exile-with respect to the inhabitants I am so, for I dislike 'em much; 'tis then I pick up my best store, and try to help an indifferent education, and slow faculties, and I can say that I have really acquired more knowledge that way, than in all my former life. I would, by all means, have you get home before the next winter, but I

dont't approve in the least of the resolution you seem to have taken, rather than continue in that service. Do every thing in your power to change, but don't leave the army, as you must, when you go upon halfpay. If there's any female in the case, any reasonable scheme for marriage, I have nothing to say; that knocks down all my arguments; they have other sorts of passions to support them. In reality, the most I can offer (were you unbiassed) would not amount to weighty matter, for I see no early appearance whereon to mould a bait for your ambition; yet I cannot consent to your leaving us entirely, in the hopes of fairer days. If I did not love you personally, and wish your happiness very heartily, I should advise you to stay where you are, and would say you ought to be kept there; and give, as a reason for saying so, that I do think the infancy of a colony has need of able hands, civil and military, to sustain it, and I should be for sacrificing you and all the men of worth, to the general good. You speak of a Mr Brewse, the engineer; pray, say a word or two of his capacity, and tell me if there are amongst you any connoisseurs in that business.

"Is the Island of St. John in the possession of the French, or do we occupy it? It would be unpardonable in me if I omitted to send you intelligence of what is stirring amonst us; I mean if I kept from you any thing that comes to my knowledge, but in truth we are here almost as much in the dark as to public transactions as can be conceived; however, I picked up some account of the Act for settling the Regency, and as, perhaps, you have not seen it, it will be well worth your perusal, it is a subject of no small importance-as follows:-That the Princess of Wales (mother of the future George the Third, then a minor), is to be guardian of the Prince of Wales (George Third, whose father, Frederick, was dead), or any other of her children who shall be heirs to the Crown, and also sole Regent of the Kingdom, in case of the King's demise, (old George Second) before any of them arrived at the age of 18 (then follows the analysis of the statute). I believe you'll think, as most people seem to do, that the act is judicious and well-timed, and the supreme power properly limited.

"Three large ships of war (Guard ships) are sailed with the Scotch Fusileers and Conway's regiments to relieve the king's and Skelton's, and they, as we hear, are to march directly into Scotland, which, by-theby, is a little out of the way, to carry them from the hottest immediately

to the coldest part of the King's dominions; if they come, our regiment, goes to Inverness, where I shall remain all the winter; if one only comes, or neither, I go to Aberdeen. Loftus and Donnellan are both in England, the former had been dangerously ill, is a little recovered. Donnellan too. has been out of order, and is gone to Bristol for health.

- I am not sure whether I mentioned it or not in my last letter, bat as it is great grief to me, I will hazard the repetition to tell it you. I got powerful people to ask the Duke (Cumberland) no less than three times, for leave to go abroad, and he absolutely refused me that necessary indulgence: this I consider as a very unlucky incident, and very discouraging; moreover, he accompanied his denial with a speech that Jerves no hope-that a Lieutenant-Colonel was an officer of too high a rank to be allowed to leave his regiment for any considerable time-this is a dreadful mistake, and if obstinately pursued, will disgust a number of good intentions, and preserve that prevailing ignorance of military affairs that has been so fatal to us in all our undertakings, and will be joc ever so. zzless other measures are pursued. We fall every day lower and lower from our real characters, and are so totally engaged in everything that is minute and trading, that one would almost imagine the 3dea of war was extinguished amongst us; they will hardly allow us to reculled the little service we have seen; that is to say, the merit of things seem to return into their old channel, and he is the brightest in is profession that is the most impertinent, talks loudest, and knows least. I repeat it again to you that poor Porter left this regiment with the approbation of all his brethren and with the reputation of honesty and varigit behaviour-it will be a charitable thing to do him any good office

- I went to London in November, and came back by the middle of

- My father has ofered money for the prettiest-situated house in England, and I believe be will have it for about £3,000. It is a great sun to be so employed; but as it procures him the pleasure be likes. and a fine at I is well laid out: it looks as if he intended to sell or let is house a few words crumbled away) since the other is upon Blackbeach the new bridge... his way easily to St. James's which

"I will write to Loftus to send you some porter and the books.... ...hear you making excuses for imaginary trouble. I will... hogshead of claret from Ireland to Gibraltar (though I was mys.. You cannot do me a greater pleasure than by pointing....me a way to relieve you, though ever so inconsiderable. Write to me by the first opportunity, and believe me, dear Rickson, ever your affectionate friend, “J. W. "

(Indorsed—“ Answered 6th November, 1751, by the Torrington. ")

Letter Fifth

[An interval of three years. His friend was now stationed at Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire.]

"Dear Rickson,

I was obliged to Governor Trapaud for intelligence of my little friend; and, though I cannot rejoice much in your present situation, yet I think you will make yourself and your acquaintance easy and happy wherever you are. The Governor said you intended to write; let me desire you to put so good a resolve into quick execution, and tell me how it fares with you in that remote quarter. I admire the goodness of Providence in this one thing (amongst thousands that are worthy of admiration), that, in whatever situation a man happens to be placed, the mind is so framed that it works itself out some occupation, and finds something or other to make a pleasure of; supposing that no distant object has taken violently hold of one's affections, or that we are unreasonably bent upon some absent imagined satisfaction. Trapaud thinks he is very happy in having you with him, and I think so too. Pray, how do you think upon the matter? and what sort of life do you lead?

"I shall be here a month or six weeks longer, within which time I hope to learn good tidings of you from yourself. I heartily wish you well. I am, my dear friend,

"Your affectionate and faithful servant,

Exeter, 9th December, 1754."

"JAMES WOLFE."