commanded by the Duc de Noailles, one of the most distinguished strategists of his age. King George II. was in command of the allied forces consisting of 40,000 British and Hanoverian troops with several Austrian regiments. It is worthy of remark that this was the last occasion upon which an English monarch appeared upon the battle field. His army was in a sad plight. Its reinforcements of 12,000 men at Hanau were intercepted, while the men were fatigued after a long march, and reduced in strength and spirits by starvation. There were but two courses open, surrender or retreat. The King resolved on the latter alternative and attempted to retreat without engagement through a defile near the little village of Dettingen. When the intention of the English was discovered, de Noailles detached a large part of his army under his nephew, the Duc de Grammont, to cross the river and intercept the retiring enemy at the defile, while the French artillery opened a deadly fire. As de Grammont's division crossed the bridge the English King halted, and formed in line of battle. The impetuous and confident Frenchman accepted the challenge at once, and instead of awaiting the retreating army at the defile he marched into the open and met his enemy on equal terms. This fatal error exposed de Grammont's men to the batteries of de Noailles which had to be discontinued while they were still doing great execution against the enemy.

De Noailles advanced the rest of the army to reinforce de Grammont, but the assistance was of no avail. The French retreated, and while recrossing the bridge suffered greatly from the artillery which the now victorious army

played upon them. However, so satisfied was Lord Stair with the sudden change from impending destruction to victory that the French army was allowed to withdraw without the further loss that might easily have been inflicted upon it, while the Confederates retired to Hanau leaving their dead and wounded on the field. The tactics employed, in Duroure's regiment at least, are interesting as furnishing a parallel to those of Wolfe on the 13th of September 1759. He says: "The Major and I (for we had neither Colonel nor Lt. Colonel,) before they came near, were employed in begging and ordering the men not to fire at too great a distance, but to keep it till the enemy should come near us, but to little purpose. The whole fired when they thought they could reach them, which had like to have ruined us."

Wolfe's letter to his father whose indulgence might have encouraged, or overlooked, a little boasting on such an occasion is singularly free from personal references, but if he had no praise for himself we may be sure that he quitted himself like a man, for five days later he was made adjutant of his regiment by royal commission, and in a few days more received his lieutenancy.

The English army reached Hanau where it was joined by reinforcements but no effort was made to follow up the success. The victory had been small, but its results were prodigious. The French army dispirited by a reverse under such circumstances retired from the German territory, and prospects of peace were bright.

However, the war continued. Louis XV. took the field in May with 120,000 men who, under the generalship of

the brilliant Marechale Saxe went from victory to victory, the allies losing successively Courtrai, Menin and Ypres. Wolfe, who took his captaincy at seventeen years of age in the Fourth, or the King's Regiment of Foot, commanded by Lt. General Barrell, was in none of the engagements at these places.

In the month of October the younger brother, weakened by disease and unable to endure longer the hardships of a soldier's life, passed away. James, who could not join him during his illness, wrote to his mother from Ghent a letter which shows his fine literary instinct, his scholarly taste, his tendency to introspection, and a certain dignity of tone which characterizes all his letters. He says: "Poor Ned wanted nothing but the satisfaction of seeing his dearest friends to leave the world with the greatest tranquillity. He often called on us. It gives me many uneasy hours when I reflect on the possibility there was of my being with him before he died. God knows it was being too exact, and not apprehending the danger the poor fellow was in; and even that would not have hindered it had I received the physician's first letter. I know you won't be able to read this paragraph without shedding tears, as I do writing it; but there is a satisfaction in giving way to grief now and then. ""Tis what we owe the memory of a dear friend."..." There was in him the prospect (when ripened with experience) of good understanding and judgment, and an excellent soldier. You'll excuse my dwelling so long on this cruel subject, but in relating this to you, vanity and partiality are banished. A strong desire to do justice to his memory occasions it.

"There was no part of his life that makes him dearer to me than that where you have often mentioned-he pined after me. It often makes me angry that any hour of my life should pass without thinking of him... Nature is ever too good in blotting out the violence of affliction. For all tempers (as mine is) too much given to mirth, it is often necessary to revive grief in one's memory."

Much against his will Wolfe remained during the winter at Ghent where he might naturally have been expected to have little to do. However he was of that tense nature that could not rest, and instead of passing his time in idleness or routine work he gave it up to the study of his chosen profession.

In the spring of 1745 the campaign was again opened in Flanders by the allied forces of England, Austria, Holland and Saxony, under the Austrian General Königsegg. Dettingen was revenged by the battle of Fontenoy, Ghent fell after a five days siege, and Ostend surrendered. England's only success was gained by Pepperel and his New England volunteers who, though only 4000 strong, captured Cape Breton after a seven weeks siege of Louisburg. This success was counted of so little value that it was hardly regarded as a bright spot in the gloom which settled over England when with her troops engaged on the continent, she had practically none left to defend her shores against the last of the Stuarts. Charles Edward, grandson of James the Second, took heart when England became embroiled abroad, and in 1744 had planned a descent upon the shores of Scotland with French troops and French armament. His plan was frustrated by a storm which scattered his fleet,

and by the withdrawal of the French troops to engage in the war in Flanders. He now landed with but seven followers in the north, and after a few weeks of discouragement he raised the Jacobite clan, marched through Blair Athol, took the Scottish capital, was proclaimed James the Eighth, and defeated the Royalists under Cope at Preston Pans by a reckless rush with the claymore. His forces now doubled under the encouragement of victory and with 6,000 men he invaded England and marched as far as Derby. But neither the Lowlanders nor the Catholics of Lancashire added to his forces. Walpole's policy had brought prosperity in the train of peace, and the hateful house of Hanover had become tolerable even to the English Jacobites and Tories. Sentiment which counts for so much in the affairs of life was not strong enough to induce rebellion contrary to self interest. From Carlisle to Derby, Prince Charlie's accessions did not amount to more than two hundred. Learning that superior forces were advancing upon him from different quarters and that an army protected London, he retreated to Glasgow where he was reinforced. With some 9,000 men he attacked the English army that had followed him to the north and at Falkirk repeating his tactics repeated his victory. The victory was claimed, however, by both sides, a fact which shows the indecisive nature of it.

The elder Wolfe was present at the battle of Falkirk as General of Division, and his son, who had received his commission on the continent acted as Brigade Major of Barrell's regiment. In a letter to his uncle, William Lotheron, of Pomfret, he declared that the affair was only