studies as far as time permitted; and he appears to have faithfully performed his duty in the various offices he held, while his kindly disposition and popular manners naturally gave him great influence. His father died in 1734, and from that time he appears to have entertained strong religious impressions.

The entire management of the affairs of the firm devolved upon the subject of our memoir on his father's death; and yet with this and all his other various duties, he did not forget to see to the defence of his own neighbourhood, which was especially exposed to the inroads of the enemy. He planned with the officers a better organization of the militia under his command, and a more military spirit was diffused among the ranks, while the Yorkshire regiment which he commanded was divided into two regiments.

Of the four children of William Pepperell, two died in infancy, while the son Andrew had to graduate at Harvard College with distinguished honours, and became a partner with his father in 1744. He was much esteemed by the society of Boston; and the daughter Elizabeth, whose winning manners and high accomplishments attracted great attention, was married in 1742 to Nathaniel Sparhawk, a partner in a commercial house in Boston.

In 1744, the name of William Pepperell begins to be connected with scenes different from those of commerce and civil life, and in which he gained a renown for his name in the pages of history.

War had already for some years been waged between England and Spain, in which many of the sons of New England had been engaged, and the reverses encountered by Spain were the cause of France taking up her cause às an ally. In October, 1743, the news that war was declared between England and France arrived at Boston, and all commanders on the coast received orders to hold themselves in readiness for hostilities.

Newfoundland and Cape Breton commanded the mouth of the St. Lawrence, a great channel of trade both for English and French Canadians; the possession of Cape Breton, on which was situated Louisburg, was a great source of contention, and was possessed alternately by either nation according as they were successful in war elsewhere. Cape Breton had been retained by France at the treaty of Utrecht, while Nova Scotia proper was ceded to Great Britain. The French Government at once went to great expense in fortifying its possession, and they built a walled town on a promontory at the south-east part of the Island, naming it in honour of their king, Louisburg. It was two miles and a half in circumference, fortified in every accessible part, with

a rampart of stone from thirty to thirty-six feet high, and a ditch eighty feet wide. On a small island at the entrance of the harbour, and at the end of the harbour were batteries of about thirty cannon each, while on an eminence opposite to the island-battery stood the lighthouse.

The English forts on Causo Island and Port Royal, in the bay of Fundy, were attacked by order of the commander of Louisburg immediately on his hearing that war was declared: the firstnamed garrison was forced to submit, as there was no expectation of the assault; but the latter garrison was reinforced and able to repel the assault. The French were assisted in these expeditions by the Indians of Nova Scotia, and a tribe which was appealed to by Colonel Peppereli for its contingent of warriors refused to fight against their brethren of St. John's and New Brunswick. The colonies became aware of their.danger, and preparations for war were made in the autumn of 1744, when it was thought that safety to trade and navigation, and possibly even the existence. of the colonies, demanded the capture of Louisburg from the French. Governor Shirley hoped the town might be taken by surprise early in the spring before any reinforcement arrived from France.

Warren, the commodore on the West India station, was summoned to proceed to New England in the spring, and aid the governor in the protection of the fisheries. The general Court was at first opposed to the expedition, when it was proposed early in January, 1745, but towards the end of that month it was resolved upon by a majority of only one vote, several members who were opposed to the project being absent. However, the matter was then taken up with great enthusiasm on all sides, and a successful issue was confidently expected. Many fishermen were ready to enlist as soldiers; the preceding harvest had been abundant, the rivers were open on account of the mildness of the winter; and by some happy incident, the English naval force which guarded the shores and islands of America was drawn to Louisburg, while the expected arrival of men and supplies for the French was prevented, and the British squadron was enabled to blockade the port. Fourteen armed vessels were provided by the provinces with over two hundred guns, and about four thousand troops. Colonel William Pepperell was chosen commander of the expedition, and though at first he was naturally inclined to hesitate as to the acceptance of such a post, he was persuaded to do so by the governor and other friends, for though he was a merchant, he had a strong military spirit, an was just the man to command a militia made up of farmers, fishermen and mechanics. It was

no doubt owing to his popularity that the enlistment of men was rapid and large in numbers. He himself was most energetic in forwarding the preparations, and contributed towards the expense five thousand pounds out of his own private fortune. A day of fasting and prayer was observed throughout the province, to implore a blessing on the undertaking, and about the middle of March, some of the armed vessels sailed in order to cruise before Louisburg, and prevent the entrance of the enemy's ships. The general rendezvous of the troops was at Causo, and on the 22nd of April, the squadron of Commodore Warren approached. On the 29th the army embarked and sailed for Cabarees Bay, which they reached on the following morning. The garrison of Louisburg were unaware of their approach, and when the fleet was seen close at hand they seemed to be almost paralyzed with confusion and alarm. Detachinents were speedily landed under cover of two armed vessels at White Point and another part, and the two companies who came out to oppose the landing were soon repulsed; about six men were killed, and some others, who were wounded, including their captain, were captured. By the third morning the whole force had landed with provisions, and the siege was commenced as soon as possible. On the first of May a reconnoitring party, under Colonel Vaughan, set fire to some warehouses. and buildings on the north-east part of the harbour, near Green Hill, and the enemy, supposing that the whole army was approaching in that direction, spiked the cannon in the grand battery, and fled in boats to the town. This battery was occupied by Colonel Vaughan on the following day, and was of great service afterwards in reducing the town. The first battery was erected by General Pepperell at one thousand four hundred and fifty yards from the north-west bastion, on Green Hill, and others were gradually erected nearer the town, but it required fourteen days and nights to drag all the cannon and munitions of war from the landingplace through the morass to the batteries. On the 7th of May a demand for the submission of the fortress to the British army was met with a refusal, and from that time the firing was carried on with great vigour. By the 18th a new battery was opened within two hundred and fifty yards of the west gate, and even conversation was carried on between the two forces. Several French vessels were captured on their approach to the harbour, and the "Vigilant," a sixty-four gun ship, with six hundred men and military stores, was taken by Warren. Towards the end of the month an attack was made by about four hundred men at Warren's request on the island battery, but this was repulsed with a loss on the English side of sixty killed and one hundred and

twelve prisoners, including the wounded; the only serious reverse sustained during the siege.

Councils were held at different periods, and it was at last agreed to make a general attack upon the town with the assistance of the fleet; but before making the final attempt, on the 15th of June, a flag was sent to Pepperell by Governor Duchambon, who saw that surrender was almost inevitable, asking time to consider terms of capitulation. These was settled on the following day, when possession was taken of the town. The news of the capitulation was received with great joy in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and illuminations and other festivities were very general there, and in London, while a day of thanksgiving was kept in most of the New England colonies.

Pepperell was overwhelmed with congratulations from numerous towns, and a patent was sent from Hanover, where the king was at that time, creating him a baronet of Great Britain.

The Commodore was raised to the rank of Admiral, and in the following year he was made Governor of Louisburg. A majorgeneral's commission was given to Pepperell to raise and command a regiment in the British line, while Governor Shirley was rewarded with a colonel's commission. Sir William, who was much worn by the campaign, was detained at Louisburg up to the following spring, together with the provincial army, which was greatly reduced during its stay, by sickness.

Pepperell and Warren arrived in Boston at the beginning of June, 1746, and were received with a salute by the ships of war and town batteries. On landing they were met by the Council and the House of Representatives, and escorted to the council chamber, the population generally joining in the welcome. They were congratulated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Sir William was re-elected president of the council. On the 4th of July, Sir William set out for his seat at Kittery, and his journey there was like one triumphal march. He had well earned his receptions, for this expedition had brought out the noble points of his character, and his patriotism, prudence, selfdevotion, and forbearance were put to the test, while "his reliance on Divine Providence was most evident."

Sir William came to England in the autumn of 1749; he was presented at Court, and received a cordial reception from King George II. The Prince of Wales, Lord Halifax, and other noblemen also showed him great civilities. The Lord Mayor also waited on him, and by his means a service of plate was presented to him. as a token of respect for his distinguished services. He was also a general object of interest to the people at large, who knew him as the captor of Louisburg. He returned home at the close of

the following summer, and for some time his time was passed in the ordinary civil and domestic duties of his position. His only son Andrew died the following March, before the completion of his twenty-sixth year, and the loss was deeply felt by his parents.

It was not long before hostilities again broke out, and from 1755 to 1759, there were several expeditions against Canada. At first, owing to a want of good counsel, the result was unfavourable to the British arms, but the advice or opinion of Sir William, who had the raising of a regiment entrusted to him, were not called for. At the close of 1756 nothing was gained; Oswego was lost, and the country impoverished.

In 1757, on the death of the Governor, Sir William was for some time de facto governor, and he was appointed commander of Castle William, in Boston harbour, and of the military forces of Massachusetts, with the rank of lieutenant-general. In the following year, when William Pitt took the management of the war, a brighter prospect was in store; large bodies of men were raised. in the colonies, and strong reinforcements were sent from England. In July, Louisburg was again captured from the French, to whom it had been previously restored; and, in September, 1759, Quebec was captured under Wolfe; while, in 1760, the French power was broken by the capitulation of Montreal, and the Canadas were ceded by treaty to Great Britain. In February, 1759, Sir William had been created a lieutenant-general in the royal army, an honour never before conferred on a native of America, but his health at this time had failed so much as to prevent his taking the field again, and on the 6th of July in that year he died at his home after much suffering. Every honour was paid to him, and his funeral was attended by an immense assemblage.

His character is to a great extent seen by this short memoir of his life. "It was," it has been observed, "his practical knowledge, stimulated by aspirations for honourable fame and distinction, and sanctioned by an enlightened conscience and Christian principles that crowned his career with unparalleled success, and distinguished him from men of more education and equal purity of intention." His judgment was sound, and he formed his plans with due caution. He was very exact in all his engagements, and was forbearing and forgiving to others. His manners were popular, and he took great pleasure in all the refined enjoyments of society, while he retained his cheerfulness and equanimity in danger, and inspired confidence in all around him. He was very fond of his library, to which he was continually making additions.

So lived and so died the hero of Louisburg,-Sir William Pepperell, the only native of America who down to his day had been raised to an hereditary English title. As he left no son, the