of the Royal Regiment, the Royal Montreal Rifles, and Globinsky's Volunteers) advanced to the attack, with Major Jackson, and the Royal Artillery under his orders.

Girod, who had the chief command, opened his fire from the houses of the town, which was soon silenced, and he fled; and Major Jackson, taking up a position in front of the fortified church and houses, and the advanced parties of the 32nd, 83rd, and Rifle Corps having cleared the houses and walls, he battered the church and adjoining buildings. The church, crowded with people, was soon rendered untenable; and a scene of slaughter ensued which may be readily imagined, when it is known that the rebels were completely surrounded from the able and cool measures adopted by the Commander-in-chief. The church and houses, including the presbytere or priest's house, and the nunnery, and those of Scott and Dr. Chenier, the rebel leaders, were on fire, and those who could not escape fell a prey to the flames. After an hour's firing, at 280 yards distance, and continued volleys of musketry from the Royals and Riflemen in the neighbouring houses, and that owing to the determined resistance made there and in the seignior's house, it was necessary to assault and carry the church and presbytery by the bayonet.

In this action,-the most determined of the whole rebellion, the troops lost 1 private killed, 1 corporal, and 7 wounded, whilst Major Gugy, the provincial aide-de-camp, received a severe wound whilst engaged in a storming party; 118 prisoners were made,— but the number of killed and wounded of the enemy

was never ascertained, but must have been enormous. Amongst the killed was Dr. J. O. Chenier, who was found dead in the yard of the church. F. Peltier fled with Girod.

Lieutenant-colonel Eden, Deputy Adjutant-general, Colonel Gore, Deputy Quartermaster-general, the personal staff, Majors Jackson and Macbean of the Royal Artillery, and Captain Foster of the Royal Engineers, received the honour of a most favourable mention of their services in the despatch to the Horseguards; and the Volunteers of Montreal having taken the garrison duty of that city, and thus enabled Sir John Colborne to quell this rebellious district, were most honourably noticed.

The remainder of the rebel army, and the village of St. Benoit, surrendered. All the leaders fled; Sir John Colborne, after taking up his head-quarters at the house of Girouard (where papers, containing lists of the leaders, &c., were found,) returned to Montreal: and thus ended the melancholy drama of the Grand Brulé.

Lieutenant-colonel Wetherall of the Royal, Major Reid of the 32nd, Lieutenant-colonel the Honourable H. Dundas of the 83rd, Major Warde of the Royal, Captain Howell of the Royal Artillery, Lieutenant Ormsby of the Royal, were all distinguished and prominent actors in these scenes; and nothing could exceed the steadiness and good conduct of the Montreal Cavalry, the Montreal Rifles, and Globinsky's Volunteers, or of the Militia aide-de-camp Major Gugy.*

Afterwards Colonel and Adjutant-general of Militia, a Member of Parliament, &c.-EDITOR.

The rebel leader Scott had hid himself in a farmhouse, five miles from the scene of action, and was taken by five gallant fellows of the Montreal Cavalry who went after him.

Sir John Colborne, finding that his vigorous measures had completely unhinged all Papineau's deeplaid measures, and that the peasantry were desirous to "unthread the rude web of rebellion " after his return to Montreal, immediately detached a portion of the 24th Regiment, under Major Townsend, to open the communication with Sir Francis Head in Upper Canada; which was now the seat of the demonstration in favour of Papineau.

The memorable year 1837 saw, amidst the snows of a Canadian winter, a population in arms for and against Monarchical Government;-Christmas-day beheld the Republican leaders almost everywhere fugitive, and the sympathizing American borderers at a loss whether they should or should not assist such a deplorable

cause.

Thus ended the year in Lower Canada. I must now speak of subjects relating to Upper Canada, with the details of which I am better acquainted, and shall therefore devote a chapter to the outbreak in that province, which although embracing only the events of three or four days in 1837, were to us, who were the army of four or five officers and twenty men,

of the most intense interest.

NOTE.

IN concluding this chapter, I must in justice say that loyal meetings of many French Canadians were held at Quebec, Montreal, &c. The Roman Catholic clergy strenuously denounced the Rebellion, whilst all the influential Seigneurs supported the Government.

The Citizens of American origin, resident in Montreal, also held a meeting expressive of their utter abhorrence of the rebellion: and in fact, as before stated, the worst portion of the disaffected were to be found in the districts between the Yamaska and Richelieu Rivers ;* where something of a similar spirit had long displayed itself, and where, during the last American war, it is said the enemy had found means to seduce several persons from their allegiance, who had been consequently obliged, at its termination, to expatriate themselves.

* As bad a portion of the disaffected was found at St. Eustache, Grand Brulé, &c.-EDITOR.

CHAPTER X.

Rebellion in Upper Canada, in November and December, 1837.

"YE gentlemen of England who live at home at ease,” how little can you feel the situation in which your countrymen were placed in the winter of 1837, in Canada.

I am writing this, full of the recollections of that year, in a house, which all my endeavours to keep the keen tooth of the wintry winds out of, fail in accomplishing; here, on the 29th of March, we have the snow two feet deep, and the thermometer in the middle of the day, down to 25 degrees. Truly, therefore, shall I fancy myself, in 1837, again passing night after night in the depth of a northern arctic winter without rest, and in continual excitement, from the uncertain nature of the coming events, obliged to face the rigours of the sky at all hours, with 25 degrees below instead of above zero, often indicated by the heat-measurer.

If I speak, therefore, gentle reader, con amore, and a little too much in the first person singular, pray set it