wn　as　the　Quebec　Act；　there　was　violent　clamor。　The　measure　was　assumed　to　be　a　calculated　threat　against　colonial　liberty。　The　Quebec　Act　continued　in　Canada　the　French　civil　law　and　the　ancient　privileges　of　the　Roman　Catholic　Church。　It　guaranteed　order　in　the　wild　western　region　north　of　the　Ohio；　taken　recently　from　France；　by　placing　it　under　the　authority　long　exercised　there　of　the　Governor　of　Quebec。　Only　a　vivid　imagination　would　conceive　that　to　allow　to　the　French　in　Canada　their　old　loved　customs　and　laws　involved　designs　against　the　freedom　under　English　law　in　the　other　colonies；　or　that　to　let　the　Canadians　retain　in　respect　to　religion　what　they　had　always　possessed　meant　a　sinister　plot　against　the　Protestantism　of　the　English　colonies。　Yet　Alexander　Hamilton；　perhaps　the　greatest　mind　in　the　American　Revolution；　had　frantic　suspicions。　French　laws　in　Canada　involved；　he　said；　the　extension　of　French　despotism　in　the　English　colonies。　The　privileges　continued　to　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　in　Canada　would　be　followed　in　due　course　by　the　Inquisition；　the　burning　of　heretics　at　the　stake　in　Boston　and　New　York；　and　the　bringing　from　Europe　of　Roman　Catholic　settlers　who　would　prove　tools　for　the　destruction　of　religious　liberty。　Military　rule　at　Quebec　meant；　sooner　or　later；　despotism　everywhere　in　America。　We　may　smile　now　at　the　youthful　Hamilton's　picture　of　〃dark　designs〃　and　〃deceitful　wiles〃　on　the　part　of　that　fierce　Protestant　George　III　to　establish　Roman　Catholic　despotism；　but　the　colonies　regarded　the　danger　as　serious。　The　quick　remedy　would　be　simply　to　take　Canada；　as　Washington　now　planned。
  To　this　end　something　had　been　done　before　Washington　assumed　the　command。　The　British　Fort　Ticonderoga；　on　the　neck　of　land　separating　Lake　Champlain　from　Lake　George；　commanded　the　route　from　New　York　to　Canada。　The　fight　at　Lexington　in　April　had　been　quickly　followed　by　aggressive　action　against　this　British　stronghold。　No　news　of　Lexington　had　reached　the　fort　when　early　in　May　Colonel　Ethan　Allen；　with　Benedict　Arnold　serving　as　a　volunteer　in　his　force　of　eighty…three　men；　arrived　in　friendly　guise。　The　fort　was　held　by　only　forty…eight　British；　with　the　menace　from　France　at　last　ended　they　felt　secure；　discipline　was　slack；　for　there　was　nothing　to　do。　The　incompetent　commander　testified　that　he　lent　Allen　twenty　men　for　some　rough　work　on　the　lake。　By　evening　Allen　had　them　all　drunk　and　then　it　was　easy；　without　firing　a　shot；　to　capture　the　fort　with　a　rush。　The　door　to　Canada　was　open。　Great　stores　of　ammunition　and　a　hundred　and　twenty　guns；　which　in　due　course　were　used　against　the　British　at　Boston；　fell　into　American　hands。
  About　Canada　Washington　was　ill…informed。　He　thought　of　the　Canadians　as　if　they　were　Virginians　or　New　Yorkers。　They　had　been　recently　conquered　by　Britain；　their　new　king　was　a　tyrant；　they　would　desire　liberty　and　would　welcome　an　American　army。　So　reasoned　Washington；　but　without　knowledge。　The　Canadians　were　a　conquered　people；　but　they　had　found　the　British　king　no　tyrant　and　they　had　experienced　the　paradox　of　being　freer　under　the　conqueror　than　they　had　been　under　their　own　sovereign。　The　last　days　of　French　rule　in　Canada　were　disgraced　by　corruption　and　tyranny　almost　unbelievable。　The　Canadian　peasant　had　been　cruelly　robbed　and　he　had　conceived　for　his　French　rulers　a　dislike　which　appears　still　in　his　attitude　towards　the　motherland　of　France。　For　his　new　British　master　he　had　assuredly　no　love；　but　he　was　no　longer　dragged　off　to　war　and　his　property　was　not　plundered。　He　was　free；　too；　to　speak　his　mind。　During　the　first　twenty　years　after　the　British　conquest　of　Canada　the　Canadian　French　matured　indeed　an　assertive　liberty　not　even　dreamed　of　during　the　previous　century　and　a　half　of　French　rule。
  The　British　tyranny　which　Washington　pictured　in　Canada　was　thus　not　very　real。　He　underestimated；　too；　the　antagonism　between　the　Roman　Catholics　of　Canada　and　the　Protestants　of　the　English　colonies。　The　Congress　at　Philadelphia　in　denouncing　the　Quebec　Act　had　accused　the　Catholic　Church　of　bigotry；　persecution；　murder；　and　rebellion。　This　was　no　very　tactful　appeal　for　sympathy　to　the　sons　of　that　France　which　was　still　the　eldest　daughter　of　the　Church　and　it　was　hardly　helped　by　a　maladroit　turn　suggesting　that　〃low…minded　infirmities〃　should　not　permit　such　differences　to　block　union　in　the　sacred　cause　of　liberty。　Washington　believed　that　two　battalions　of　Canadians　might　be　recruited　to　fight　the　British；　and　that　the　French　Acadians　of　Nova　Scotia；　a　people　so　remote　that　most　of　them　hardly　knew　what　the　war　was　about；　were　tingling　with　sympathy　for　the　American　cause。　In　truth　the　Canadian　was　not　prepared　to　fight　on　either　side。　What　the　priest　and　the　landowner　could　do　to　make　him　fight　for　Britain　was　done；　but；　for　all　that；　Sir　Guy　Carleton；　the　Governor　of　Canada；　found　recruiting　impossible。
  Washington　believed　that　the　war　would　be　won　by　the　side　which　held　Canada。　He　saw　that　from　Canada　would　be　determined　the　attitude　of　the　savages　dwelling　in　the　wild　spaces　of　the　interior；　he　saw；　too；　that　Quebec　as　a　military　base　in　British　hands　would　be　a　source　of　grave　danger。　The　easy　capture　of　Fort　Ticonderoga　led　him　to　underrate　difficulties。　If　Ticonderoga　why　not　Quebec？　Nova　Scotia　might　be　occupied　later；　the　Acadians　helping。　Thus　it　happened　that；　soon　after　taking　over　the　command；　Washington　was　busy　with　a　plan　for　the　conquest　of　Canada。　Two　forces　were　to　advance　into　that　country；　one　by　way　of　Lake　Champlain　under　General　Schuyler　and　the　other　through　the　forests　of　Maine　under　Benedict　Arnold。
  Schuyler　was　obliged　through　illness　to　give　up　his　command；　and　it　was　an　odd　fortune　of　war　that　put　General　Richard　Montgomery　at　the　head　of　the　expedition　going　by　way　of　Lake　Champlain。　Montgomery　had　served　with　Wolfe　at　the　taking　of　Louisbourg　and　had　been　an　officer　in　the　proud　British　army　which　had　received　the　surrender　of　Canada　in　1760。　Not　without　searching　of　heart　had　Montgomery　turned　against　his　former　sovereign。　He　was　living　in　America　when　war　broke　out；　he　had　married　into　an　American　family　of　position；　and　he　had　come　to　the　view　that　vital　liberty　was　challenged　by　the　King。　Now　he　did　his　work　well；　in　spite　of　very　bad　material　in　his　army。　His　New　Englanders　were；　he　said；　〃every　man　a　general　and　not　one　of　them　a　soldier。〃　They　feigned　sickness；　though；　as　far　as　he　had　learned；　there　was　〃not　a　man　dead　of　any　distemper。〃　No　better　were　the　men　from　New　York；　〃the　sweepings　of　the　streets〃　with　morals　〃infamous。〃　Of　the　officers；　too；　Montgomery　had　a　poor　opinion。　Like　Washington　he　declared　that　it　was　necessary　to　get　gentlemen；　men　of　education　and　integrity；　as　officers；　or　disaster　would　follow。　Nevertheless　St。　Johns；　a　British　post　on　the　Richelieu；　about　thirty　miles　across　country　from　Montreal；　fell　to　Montgomery　on　the　3d　of　November；　after　a　siege　of　six　weeks；　and　British　regulars　under　Major　Preston；　a　brave　and　competent　officer；　yielded　to　a　crude　volunteer　army　with　whole　regiments　lacking　uniforms。　Montreal　could　make　no　defense。　On　the　12th　of　November　Montgomery　entered　Montreal　and　was　in　control　of　the　St。　Lawrence　almost　to　the　cliffs　of　Quebec。　Canada　seemed　indeed　an　easy　conquest。
  The　adventurous　Benedict　Arnold　went　on　an　expedition　more　hazardous。　He　had　persuaded　Washington　of　the　impossible；　that　he　could　advance　through　the　wilderness　from　the　seacoast　of　Maine　and　take　Quebec　by　surprise。　News　travels　even　by　forest　pathways。　Arnold　made　a　wonderful　effort。　Chill　autumn　was　upon　him　when；　on　the　25th　of　September；　with　about　a　thousand　picked　men；　he　began　to　advance　up　the　Kennebec　River　and　over　the　height　of　land　to　the　upper　waters　of　the　Chaudiere；　which　discharges　into　the　St。　Lawrence　opposite　Quebec。　There　were　heavy　rains。　Sometimes　the　men　had　to　wade　breast　high　in　dragging　heavy　and　leaking　boats　over　the　difficult　places。　A　good　many　men　died　of　starvation。　Others　deserted　and　turned　back。　The　indomitable　Arnold　pressed　on；　however；　and　on　the　9th　of　November；　a　few　days　before　Montgomery　occupied　Montreal；　he　stood　with　some　six　hundred　worn　and　shivering　men　on　the　strand　of　the　St。　Lawrence　opposite　Quebec。　He　had　not　surprised　the　city　and　it　looked　grim　and　inaccessible　as　he　surveyed　it　across　the　great　river。　In　the　autumn　gales　it　was　not　easy　to　carry　over　his　little　army　in　small　boats。　But　this　he　accomplished　and　then　waited　for　Montgomery　to　join　him。
  By　the　3d　of　December　Montgomery　was　with　Arnold　before　Quebec。　They　had　hardly　more　than　a　thousand　effective　troops；　together　with　a　few　hundred　Canadians；　upon　whom　no　reliance　could　be　placed。　Carleton；　commanding　at　Quebec；　sat　tight　and　would　hold　no　communication　with　despised　〃rebels。〃　〃They　all　pretend　to　be　gentlemen；〃　said　an　astonished　British　officer　in　Quebec；　when　he　heard　that　among　the　American　officers　now　captured　by　the　British　there　were　a　former　blacksmith；　a　butcher；　a　shoemaker；　and　an　innkeeper。　Montgomery　was　stung　to　violent　threats　by　Carleton's　contempt；　but　never　could　he　draw　from　Carleton　a　reply。　At　last　Montgomery　tried；　in　the　dark　of　early　morning　of