A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1746.] A LAST EFFORT. 165the result seems to have been adverse to any furtherattempt. The journalist reports that only a thousandmen were left in fighting condition, and that even ofthese some were dying every day.La Jonquiere, however, would not yet despair.The troops were re-embarked; five hospital shipswere devoted to the sick; the "Parfait," a fifty-gunship no longer serviceable, was burned, as wereseveral smaller vessels, and on the fourth of Octoberwhat was left of the fleet sailed out of ChibuctoHarbor and steered for Annapolis,piloted by Acadians.The flag of truce from Louisbourg was compelledfor a time tobear them company, and JosephFoster of Beverly, an exchanged prisoner on boardof her, deposed that as the fleetheld its way, he saw"a great number of dead persons" dropped into thesea every day. Ill-luck still pursued the French.A storm off Cape Sable dispersed the ships, two ofwhich some days later made their way to AnnapolisBasin in expectation of finding some of their companionsthere. They found instead the British fiftygunship "Chester" and the Massachusetts frigate" Shirley " anchored before the fort, on wliich thetwo Frenchmen retired as they had come; and soended the last aggressive movement on the part ofthe great armament.The journalist reports that on the night of thetwenty-seventh there was a council of officers onboard the "Northumberland," at which it was resolvedthat no choice was left but to return to France