to be made for his recovery. Montcalm mentions this circumstance in his Journal and makes this reflexion: 'People who are uninformed have been very uneasy and disturbed as to what would become of the Colony, in the event of M. de Vaudreuil's death."

On the third of February Montcalm was again in Montreal, where M. de Vaudreuil arrived on the 14th, having now fairly recovered. "1) He at once busied himself with the organisation of an enterprise against William-Henry. The governor thought it possible to surprise the fort in winter and storm it by means of a strong detachment composed principally of Canadians and Indians. Montcalm, who was not informed of the project until the last moment, did not approve of it. His opinion is recorded in his Journal: "This detachment," says he, " seems to have been decided upon in a spirit of prejudice, of intrigue and jealousy against the land troops. Notwithstanding M. de Montcalm's repeated remonstrance, it has not been deemed advisable to employ in it the superior officers or the engineer of the regulars. Its object does not appear definite and safe enough to warrant the great expense and fatigue that will follow, and the consumption of victuals, when they are scarce, may cause the ruin of this colony if Milord Loudon moves early. All this has been told to M. le Marquis de Vaudreuil, but he thinks of nothing else than to give a big detachment to his brother, and he relies for success upon M. Dumas' intelligence, and the luck and

(1) Montcalm writes in his Journal: "Le Marquis de Vaudreuil is arrived well enough and able to work as much as before, that is to say little." Journal de Montcalm, p. 153.

miracles which have heretofore preserved Canada in spite of the endless faults that have been committed. This detachment will cost at the least two hundred thousand écus and according to many people, one million of francs, which would not be surprising owing to bad administration and to the habit of enriching private individuals at the King's expense." (1)

Montcalm asked the governor to place M. de Lévis or M. de Bourlamaque at the head of the detachment; but he refused. He offered to go himself as far as Carillon in order to direct the enterprise, and met the same answer. At last a long explanation took place between the two leaders. "I spoke to the governor, says Montcalm, frankly and firmly, without naming any one of those who very likely busy themselves with destroying his confidence in me, hoping thus to win his trust. I told him how necessary it was that I should communicate to him my reflexions and opinions, adding that, in the mean time, he would always find me disposed to help him and to make his plans succeed, even when his opinion, which is bound to prevail, should differ from mine; that the confidence placed in me

(1) Journal de Montcalm, p. 152.—It should be remarked here that the publication known as Montcalm's Journal contains numerous parts of which Montcalm is not the author. Montcalm's Journal is very often no thing more than the Journal of Bougainville. For example, the narration of the William-Henry Campaign is entirely the work of Bougainville. A close study of Bougainville's own Journal shows, it appears, that it is a duplicate of the Journal of Montcalm, or the latter is a duplicate of his. So it would be very hard to say positively whether in such or such a passage we have Montcalm's words and judgments or Bougainville's. See on that important point, an interesting note of M. de Kérallain in the bibliographical part of the present work, published in the sixth volume.

by the Keeper of the Seals induced me to hope he would impart his plans to me sooner. I told him also that he 'should not be surprised if I had shown some warmth in offering your services and mine; that I approved of his choice, but that I owed it to myself and to you to remove any doubt as to your zeal." " All this is additional evidence that relations were already strained between the governor and the general.

M. de Rigaud's expedition was partly successful. He did not storm William Henry, the garrison being on its guard, but he burnt four brigantines, two long-boats, three hundred and fifty bateaux, a carriage, a saw-mill, sheds and magazines enclosed by a stockaded fort, and an immense supply of firewood. At the end of March he had returned to Montreal.

Notwithstanding the unsettled state of affairs at this time, the winter months were shortened by festivities and pleasant entertainments in military and official circles. Montcalm chronicled them for Bourlamaque and his dear ones at Candiac. To Bourlamaque he wrote: "On Wednesday there was an Assembly at Madame Varin's; on Friday the Chevalier de Lévis gave a ball. He invited sixty-five ladies, and got only thirty, with a great crowd of men. Rooms well lighted, excellent order, excellent service, plenty of refreshments of every sort all through the night; and the company stayed till seven in the morning. As for me, I went to bed early. I had that day

(1) Montcalm à Bourlamaque.-Montréal, le 20 février 1757.-Lettres de Bourlamaque, p. 144.