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1776] Failure of the invasion. 171 communicating with Montgomery was by Indian runners ; and, either through their faithlessness or their blundering, the messages came into the hands of the British. But few of the British commanders passed through the war without reputations for soldiership more or less impaired. Among these few was General, afterwards Sir Guy, Carleton, who was at this time Governor of Canada. That the American invasion failed was largely due to the promptness and energy with which he used the scanty military resources at his disposal, and perhaps more to the diplomatic tact with which he secured the loyalty of the Canadians. Warned of Arnold's presence by an intercepted message, he at once took vigorous measures; and, when the two American generals met on December 1 before Quebec, the town was in a good state of defence. Death and defections had reduced Arnold's force to 600. One New England regiment had deliberately turned back, if not with the approval of their officers, at least without any attempt at control ; but we should perhaps rather praise the spirit of those who persevered through such hardships than blame those who failed. Montgomery had been com- pelled to distribute the greater part of his own troops as garrisons in the forts that he had taken; and thus the force at his disposal numbered only 900. To have brought up siege artillery would have been impossible : the only chance of success lay in a surprise or an insurrection on the part of sympathetic inhabitants. Carleton had baffled both these hopes. Small-pox broke out among the American troops ; and some of the New England soldiers, whose period of enlist- ment was to be over at the end of the year, declared that they would not stay a day beyond their term. Small though the chances of success seemed, yet an assault was made, in which Montgomery was killed and Arnold severely wounded. The attack failed, but Arnold did not withdraw. He received some small reinforcements; and the garrison were content to remain on the defensive. At length the evacuation of Boston by the British set at liberty a portion of the besieging army ; and Arnold received substantial additions to his force. But it was too late. The ice had melted on the St Lawrence ; a British fleet was able to come to the relief of the town ; and in June, 1776, the invading force withdrew, fighting in its retreat more than one unsuccessful engagement. In another and a more important quarter the Americans fared better. During the autumn and winter of 1775 the English army pent up in Boston suffered great hardships. Not only did the besieging force effectively cut them off from the mainland, but no adequate steps were taken to protect the vessels that should have brought their supplies. Whale-boats, manned by the bold and dexterous seamen trained in the American fisheries, watched the harbour, and were suffered through the supineness of the British government to be masters of the sea. Dispirited and weakened by want of food and by disease, the garrison was unable en. v.