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1759] The capture of Quebec. 141 struggled to keep his feet and, as he staggered into the arms of a lieutenant of grenadiers, gasped out his concern lest his soldiers should see him fall. He was borne to the rear and lived just long enough to give one last order and to yield up his noble spirit with the shouts of victory ringing in his ears. Monkton at almost the same moment was dangerously wounded. Upon this Townshend took command. Bougainville, like Montcalm, had been out-generalled. He arrived with his 1500 men just too late to make any attempt on his part justifiable. Montcalm had received a mortal wound and was dying in Quebec. A panic had seized the whole French force ; and, while Townshend was entrenching himself before the weak western ramparts of the city, the French army passing round his left were pursuing their way towards Montreal. The English in fact had got between them and their sole source of supplies, while their ships held their river. The lines of Beauport, on this account alone, were no longer tenable. The city was left with a mere handful of men in garrison ; and the governor, de Ramezay, surrendered it in four days. The French loss upon the plains of Abraham was about 1200, besides a considerable number of prisoners. The British had 58 killed and over 500 wounded. The precise number of French in the action is not clear. Probably 3600 is a sufficiently accurate estimate, exclusive of several hundred Indians. Wolfe had about the same number with him, for a battalion 500 strong had been left to guard the Anse du Foulon. Brigadier Murray was now placed in command of the captured city. The fall of Quebec was greeted in England with transports of joy. Wolfe's recent despatches had prepared people for the worst, and the public faith in the young general, as was only natural, had begun to waver. Now, as if in rebound from its brief despondency, the whole nation went wild in an ecstasy of triumph, which even the victor's death, seeing how infinitely glorious it was, could not diminish. Amherst, in the meantime, though he had forced the French from Ticonderoga, found the road to Montreal a much more difficult one than had been anticipated. He was deplorably short of money, and had moreover to construct a lake fleet from the output of a single back- woods sawmill. The summer was filled with stirring incidents of partisan warfare. All hope however of supporting Wolfe was early given up ; Amherst, if sure in his movements, was undoubtedly slow. It would have required a great leader to reach Quebec that season ; and to expect a second Wolfe in the same army is unreasonable. Prideaux on the other hand had been successful, after an ably conducted campaign, in seizing Niagara ; but, like Wolfe, he had (by the bursting of one of his own guns) lost his life in the moment of victory. Montreal and the smaller posts on the banks of the St Lawrence were now almost all that was left to the French. De LeVis was in command, and that able soldier, at the head of his brave regiments of regulars, now recovered from their passing panic, and a still considerable number of