The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac Brock by Ferdinand Brock Tupper

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FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 118: "But General Sheaffe, like his superior, was a lover of
armistices, and after the action he concluded one of his own with the
American general, for which no reason, civil or military, was ever
assigned."--_Quarterly Review,_ April and July, 1822; article,
"Campaigns in the Canadas."]

[Footnote 119: From an American work,--Major-General James Wilkinson's
"Memoirs of my own Time," published in 1816.--ED.]

[Footnote 120: "But the most fatal and palpable error of the
commander-in-chief was his neglect to preserve that ascendancy on Lakes
Erie and Ontario which was actually enjoyed by the British at the
opening of the contest. The command of these lakes is so evidently an
object of primary consideration in the defence of the Canadas, that it
is perfectly inconceivable how any man in Sir George Prevost's situation
could have been so infatuated as to disregard the importance of
maintaining his superiority!"--_Quarterly Review_.]

[Footnote 121: "General Sheaffe has been much blamed, first for the
injudicious position of the troops, by which the grenadier company of
the 8th regiment, who behaved with great gallantry, were exposed to be
cut to pieces in a wood, and again for not returning to the attack,
after the explosion of a powder magazine had destroyed 250 of the enemy,
and thrown them into confusion."--_Quarterly Review_.]

[Footnote 122: Pictorial History of England.]

[Footnote 123: Extract from the Pictorial History of England.]

[Footnote 124: "Sir George Prevost was beyond all doubt the immediate
commander of this expedition. But he found it convenient not to appear
in that character; and the only detail of operations was in the shape of
a dispatch from his adjutant-general to himself, obligingly
communicating what was already sufficiently known to him. By this
ingenious device, he in some measure averted the exposure of miscarriage
from himself, and generously yielded his laurels, such as they were, to
his grateful and submissive follower."--_Quarterly Review_.]

[Footnote 125: "The reader now sees the fatal consequences; first, of
not having, in the autumn of 1812, destroyed the two or three schooners
which were equipping at Buffaloe by Lieutenant Elliott; secondly, of not
having, in the spring of 1813, secured the possession of Sackett's
Harbour; thirdly, of not having, in the summer of the same year,
captured or destroyed the whole American fleet, as it lay, unmanned, in
Presqu'ile Harbour."--_James' Military Occurrences_.]

[Footnote 126: The present Major-General Sir John Harvey, K.C.B.]

[Footnote 127: While the Americans retained Fort George, the graves of
Sir Isaac Brock and Lieut.-Colonel M'Donell, in the cavalier bastion
there, remained sacred, and were also respected.]

[Footnote 128: It strikes us as singular that Captain Roberts was not
promoted to at least a brevet majority for the capture of this important
post, although he had an overwhelming force, and took it without
resistance. Was this promotion withheld because the capture was effected
contrary to Sir George Prevost's orders?]

[Footnote 129: "The land, in the centre of this island, is high, and its
form somewhat resembles that of a turtle's back. Mackinac, or Mickinac,
signifies a _turtle_, and _michi (mishi)_, or _missi_, signifies
_great_, as it does also, _several_, or _many_. The common
interpretation of the word _Michilimakinac_, is the Great
Turtle."--_Henry's Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian
Territories, between the years_ 1760 _and_ 1776.]

[Footnote 130: James' Military Occurrences.]

[Footnote 131: Pictorial History of England.]

[Footnote 132: John Grahame, of Claverhouse, was mortally wounded at the
pass of Killicrankie, in 1689, and died the next day. With him expired
the cause of James the Second in Scotland, as, although the war
languished in the highlands for two years after, nothing of importance
occurred. When William was urged to send more troops into Scotland, he
replied: "It is unnecessary, the war has ended with Dundee's life."]

[Footnote 133: While these remarks-were in type, we heard accidentally
of a large monument, in the cathedral at Winchester, to the memory of
Sir George Prevost, with a laudatory inscription, for a copy of which we
immediately wrote to a friend, and which we now transcribe without
comment, as we respect the feelings of conjugal affection by which the
epitaph was evidently dictated.
"Sacred to the memory of Lieut.-General Sir George Prevost,
Baronet, of Belmont, in this County, Governor-General and
Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in North America; in
which command, by his wise and energetic measures, and with a
very inferior force, he preserved the Canadas to the British
Crown from the repeated invasions of a powerful enemy. His
constitution at length sank under incessant mental and bodily
exertion, in discharging the duties of that arduous station;
and having returned to England, he died shortly afterwards in
London, on the 5th of January, 1816, aged 48, thirty-four
years of which had been devoted to the service of his Country.
He was intered near the remains of his father, Major-General
Augustus Prevost, at East Barnet, in Hertfordshire. His Royal
Highness the Prince Regent, to evince in an especial manner
the sense he entertained of his distinguished conduct and
services during a long period of constant active employment,
in stations of great trust, both Military and Civil, was
pleased to ordain, as a lasting Memorial of His Majesty's
Royal Favor, that the names of the Countries where his Courage
and Abilities had been most signally displayed--the West
Indies and Canada--should be inscribed on the Banners of the
Supporters, granted to be borne by his Family and Descendants.
In testimony of his Private Worth, his Piety, Integrity and
Benevolence, and all those tender, domestic virtues, which
endeared him to his Family, his Children, his Friends, and his
Dependants, as well as to prove her unfeigned Love, Gratitude,
and Respect, Catherine Anne Prevost, his afflicted Widow,
caused this Monument to be Erected. Anno Domini 1819."
]

[Footnote 134: Including the editor, ten; viz. two died young, of
scarlet fever, and were buried in the same coffin; two drowned at
different times; two slain; two died at sea, while passengers on board
his majesty's packets from Rio de Janeiro to Falmouth, on the same day
of the same month (15th August) in different years, 1833 and 1837! and
only two still survive.]

[Footnote 135: See pages 222, 223, 227, 238, 307, 339, 360, 364 and
366.]

CHAPTER XVI.

Thomas Porter, a faithful servant of Sir Isaac Brock, was sent to
England with his effects, and at the request of the family, was
discharged from the 49th regiment, in which he was borne as a soldier,
and in which he had an only brother, their father having been killed,
while also in the regiment, on board the Monarch, at Copenhagen. The
Commander-in-chief readily sanctioned the discharge of Porter, "as a
small tribute to the memory of a most gallant and valuable officer."

_His Royal Highness the Duke of York to W. Brock, Esq._

HORSE GUARDS, December, 1815.

The prince regent having been graciously pleased to command,
in the name and on the behalf of his majesty, that the
officers present at the capture of Detroit should be permitted
to bear a medal commemorative of that brilliant victory, I
have to transmit to you the medal[136] which would have been
conferred upon the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, and
which the prince regent has been pleased to direct should be
deposited with his family, as a token of the respect which his
royal highness entertains for the memory of that officer.

I am, Sir, yours, FREDERICK,
Commander-in-Chief.

In the year 1817, Mr. Savery Brock visited the United States and Canada,
and, while in the latter country, received the grants of the 12,000
acres of land voted by the legislature of the Upper Province to the four
brothers of Sir Isaac Brock, The letters written by him during his
travels were highly prized at the time, and the following are brief
extracts from them:

YORK, Upper Canada, Aug. 20 to 25, 1817.

I travelled with three gentlemen from New York as far as Fort
George, where they left me on their return by Montreal. We
crossed at Buffalo on the 9th instant, at which place we
arrived half an hour before the President; and although one of
our party (Mr. Gouverneur) was his nephew, we did not delay
our journey to have a view of his countenance, and came over
to Fort Erie, or, properly speaking, its remains. Seven miles
from the Fort, we stopped the next morning to breakfast at a
house where Isaac had lived six months, and the landlord told
me with tears: "He was a friend and a father to me. I was
close to him when he was shot;"--with these words, unable from
his feelings to add more, he walked away quickly up his
orchard.... On paying my respects to Mrs. Powell, the lady of
the present chief justice, and to Mrs. Claus, they were
greatly affected, and shed tears; and Mr. Scott, on whom I
called yesterday, was equally so. Every one here is most
kind--Isaac truly lived in their hearts: from one end of
Canada to the other, he is beloved to a degree you can
scarcely imagine--his memory will long live among them. "To
your brother, Sir, we are indebted for the preservation of
this province," is a sentiment that comes from the heart, and
is in the mouths of too many to be flattery. This is pleasing,
no doubt, to me, but it is a mournful pleasure, and recalls to
me the past. I dine at five with the gentlemen of this town,
and I see a splendid table laid out up stairs--the garrison is
invited. I found no way to avoid these marks of respect to
Isaac's memory. I assure you that it is truly unpleasant to me
to see so many persons putting themselves in some degree out
of their way to gratify me, as I think it, though I am aware
they do it to satisfy their own feelings. I should also
mention, that last Saturday I dined at Fort George, by
invitation of the gentlemen there and its environs; we were
_forty-nine_ in number, and it was the anniversary of the
capture of Detroit. I was invited, without their remembering
the day of the month--it was a curious coincidence. The
clergyman, who was of the party, made allusion during divine
service next morning to Isaac, and to my being in the church.
I mention these particulars, that you may fully judge of the
kindness of all. After the service, three fine young farmers
came up to me and wished to shake hands, having been at
Detroit and Queenstown. Nothing could exceed their marks of
attachment. Every body, they said, connected with Isaac would
always be seen with pleasure: they were, like myself, most
sensibly affected.

I hear of such misconduct on the part of most of the generals,
of such negligence that was occasioned by it on the part of
other officers, that it is only surprising we retained the
country. Every general required so much urging to permit an
attack, that it was really a favor for any enterprising
officer, who grieved that nothing was done, to be allowed a
handful of men to defeat the enemy with. Poor York! how
miserably defended; but I shall not enter into particulars, as
no interest is now entertained for these affairs.

MONTREAL, October 24.

I have had 7,000 acres granted in East and West Flamborough,
at the head of Lake Ontario, about twelve miles from its
margin; this is the best of our land, but not a house within
eight or nine miles of it; 1,200 acres in Brock township, on
Lake Simcoe; 3,000 acres in Monaghan, on the Rice Lake; and
800 acres in Murray, on Lake Ontario.

The principal gentlemen of this place have formed a committee
of eight persons, and waited on me to fix a day to dine with
them. Tuesday is named. So very civil is every one, that I am
quite overcome with their politeness. Colonel M'Bean, of the
99th, and all his officers, have also called. Isaac's memory
is so cherished--all loved him sincerely. At Quebec, I dined
with Sir John Sherbrooke, &c, visited the falls of
Montmorenci, &c, and was much pleased with my trip there.

_Extract from the Montreal Herald of November_ 1, 1817.

On Tuesday, the 28th ultimo, the principal inhabitants of
Montreal gave a public dinner at the Mansion House, to John
Savery Brock, Esq., of the island of Guernsey, as a tribute of
respect justly due to the memory of his late brother, the
deceased Major-General Sir Isaac Brock.

Sir John Johnson, Bart., took the chair at six o'clock,
supported by Messrs. Forsyth and St. Dizier, vice-presidents,
who conducted the arrangements of the table in a manner worthy
of the occasion which the company had assembled to
commemorate.

After the cloth was removed, a series of appropriate toasts
were given from the chair. When "the memory of the late
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock" was pledged and drunk, Mr. B.
availed himself of the universal silence it created to address
the company. In a short speech, he expressed his
acknowledgments for the very flattering and distinguished
manner they were pleased, through him, to testify their
veneration for the memory of his deceased brother, whose
public and private qualities, he was proud to observe, were so
highly appreciated by the inhabitants of Montreal, in whose
society he had for a period been domesticated, and of whose
kindness and hospitality he always retained a grateful
remembrance.

At the commencement of the American war, Mr. B. observed, an
arduous command devolved upon his brother; he had to protect
an extensive frontier with very limited means, and those
means, feeble as they were, shackled by the trammels of
superior authority; the advance of an hostile army, however,
upon our provincial territory, developed the resources of his
military genius, and afforded him a glorious opportunity of
proving to his country what he _might_ have achieved under
different circumstances. Mr. Brock apologized to the company
for detaining them a few minutes longer, in reading some
extracts of letters he had received from the late general, at
different times, previous to the battle of Queenstown. These
extracts corroborated what Mr. B. had previously stated; and
it is remarkable that in one of them, with a spirit almost
prophetic, the hero foretold the issue of that eventful day,
when the hand of victory was destined to mingle the cypress
and the laurel over his grave. Mr. Brock's feelings were a
good deal affected in addressing so numerous an assemblage of
his late brother's personal friends; and we may venture to
add, that never were feelings of the same description more
sacredly participated than those of Mr. B. on this occasion.
Mr. B. concluded his speech by drinking the health of the
company, and "success and prosperity to the city of Montreal."

At eleven o'clock the president retired, and was succeeded in
the chair by the Hon. W. M'Gillivray, who immediately proposed
the health of the worthy baronet, with three times three.

The band of the 99th regiment attended and played a variety of
beautiful airs, which, in addition to a number of excellent
songs given in the coarse of the evening, seduced the party to
remain until the "little hours" stole upon them.

We regret that want of room prevents us from noticing as we
could wish the neat and soldierlike address of thanks from
Lieut.-Colonel M'Bean, on behalf of the garrison of Montreal,
or of recording a translation of the figurative speeches,
delivered in the Indian language by Lieut.-Colonel M'Kay[137]
and A. Shaw, Esq., excited from those gentlemen by a
recurrence to the co-operation of the gallant warrior,
Tecumseh, with the lamented chief whose immortal memory forms
the subject of this article.

_Irving Brock, Esq., to his niece, Miss Caroline Tupper._[138]

LONDON, April 12, 1825.

I went to Windsor on Wednesday last with the four Indians,
accompanied by my friend Mr. W----, to show them the castle,
Frogmore, &c.; but the chief object, which I had secretly in
mind, was to have them introduced to his majesty. Sir John
C----, the late mayor of Windsor, assisted me very
effectually, and the upshot of the matter is, that the king
expressed his desire to see the Indian chiefs, although every
body treated this as a most chimerical idea. They wore, for
the first time, the brilliant clothes which Mr. Butterworth
had had made for them, and you cannot conceive how grand and
imposing they appeared.

The king appointed half-past one on Thursday to receive our
party at the royal lodge, his place of residence. We were
ushered into the library; and now I am going to say somewhat
pleasing to your uncle Savery. As Sir John C---- was in the
act of introducing me, but before he had mentioned my name,
Sir Andrew Barnard[139] interrupted him, and said: "There is
no occasion to introduce me to that gentleman,--I know him to
be General Brock's brother,--he and Colonel Brock, of the
81st, were my most intimate friends,--I was in the 81st with
the colonel. There was another brother whom I knew,--he who
was paymaster of the 49th,--he was a gallant fellow. By the
bye, sir, I beg your pardon; perhaps I am speaking to that
very gentleman."

In the library there was also present Marquess Conyngham, Lord
Mount Charles, Sir Edmund Nagle, &c. &c. We remained chatting
in the house above half an hour, expecting every moment to see
the king enter; and I was greatly amused to observe Mr. W----
and Sir John C---- start and appear convulsed every time there
was a noise outside the door. We were admiring the fine lawn
when the Marquess Conyngham asked the Indians if they would
like to take a turn, at the same time opening the beautiful
door that leads to it. The party was no sooner out than we saw
the king standing quite still, and as erect as a grenadier on
a field day, some forty yards from us. We were all immediately
uncovered, and advanced slowly towards the handsomest, the
most elegant, the most enchanting man in the kingdom; the
Indians conducted by Marquess Conyngham, Sir Edmund Nagle, Sir
Andrew Barnard, Lord Mount Charles, &c. &c. The range of
balconies was filled with ladies. Sir John C----, Mr. W----
and I, allowed the party to approach his majesty, while we
modestly halted at a distance of twenty yards. It was worth
while being there only to see the benign countenance of the
greatest monarch in the world, and to witness his manner of
uncovering his head. The four chiefs fell on their knees. The
king desired them to rise, and entered into a great deal of
preliminary conversation. I saw him turn towards the marquess,
and after a few seconds he said, with his loud and sonorous
voice: "Pray, Mr. Brock, come near me,--I pray you come near
me." I felt a little for my companions who continued
unnoticed, and especially for Sir John C----, to whom I was
principally indebted for the royal interview.

The king addressed the Indians in French, very distinctly,
fluently, and loud: "I observe you have the portrait of my
father; will you permit me to present you with mine?" The
marquess then produced four large and weighty gold coronation
peer medallions of his majesty, suspended by a rich mazareen
blue silk riband. The chiefs, seeing this, dropped again upon
their knees, and the king took the four medallions
successively into his hand, and said: "Will some gentleman
have the goodness to tie this behind?"--upon which Sir Edmund
Nagle, with whom we had been condoling on account of the gout,
while waiting in the library, and who wore a list shoe,
skipped nimbly behind the chiefs, and received the string from
the king, tying the cordon on the necks of the four chiefs. We
were much amused to observe how the royal word can dispel the
gout. The instant the grand chief was within reach of the
medallion, and before the investiture was completed, he seized
the welcome present with the utmost earnestness, and kissed it
with an ardour which must have been witnessed to be conceived.
The king appeared sensibly affected by this strong and
unequivocal mark of grateful emotion. The other chiefs acted
in a similar way, and nothing could have been managed more
naturally, or in better taste. After this ceremony, the king
desired them to rise and to be covered. They put on their
hats, and which appeared extraordinary to me, his majesty
remained uncovered all the time. Here it was that the grand
chief, as if incapable of repressing his feelings, poured out
in a most eloquent manner, by voice and action, the following
unpremeditated speech in his native Indian tongue. I say
unpremeditated, because that fine allusion to the sun could
not have been contemplated while we were waiting in the
library, the room where we expected the interview to take
place. I was pleased to find that the presence of this mighty
sovereign, who governs the most powerful nation upon earth,
did not drive from the thoughts of the pious chief, the King
of kings and the Lord of lords.

The instant he had finished, the chief of the warriors
interpreted in the French language, and I wrote down the
speech as soon as I left the royal lodge. It should be
observed, that the chiefs had been previously informed by me
that, according to etiquette, they should answer any questions
which his majesty might be pleased to ask, but not introduce
any conversation of their own. The sun was shining vividly.

THE SPEECH.

I was instructed not to speak in the royal presence, unless in
answer to your majesty's questions. But my feelings overpower
me. My heart is full. I am amazed at such unexpected grace and
condescension, and cannot doubt that I shall be pardoned for
expressing my gratitude. The sun is shedding his genial rays
upon our heads. He reminds us of the great Creator of the
universe--of Him who can make alive and who can kill. Oh! may
that gracious and beneficent Being, who promises to answer the
fervent prayers of his people, bless abundantly your majesty.
May He grant you much bodily health, and, for the sake of your
happy subjects, may He prolong your valuable life! It is not
alone the four individuals, who now stand before your majesty,
who will retain to the end of their lives a sense of this kind
and touching reception--the whole of the nations, whose
representatives we are, will ever love and be devoted to you,
their good and great father.

His majesty felt deeply every word of the speech, when interpreted by
the chief of the warriors. The king answered, that he derived high
satisfaction from the sentiments they had expressed, and assured them
that he should always be much interested in the happiness of his North
American subjects, and would avail himself of every opportunity to
promote their welfare, and to prove that he was indeed their father.
After acknowledging in gracious terms the pleasure which the speech of
the grand chief had afforded him, he mentioned, in an easy and affable
manner, that he had once before in his life seen some individuals of the
Indian nations, but that was fifty-five or fifty-six years ago. He
inquired of their passage to this country, the name of the ship and of
the master, and was persevering in his questions as to the treatment
they had experienced at his hands, whether they had been made
comfortable in all respects, and if he had been polite and attentive.

While the grand chief was delivering his speech in the Huron language,
it seemed as if it would never end, and, observing the king look a
little surprised, I informed the Marquess Conyngham, in a loud whisper,
that this was the mode in which they expressed their sense of any honor
conferred, and that the chief of the warriors would interpret the speech
in the French language. The king asked me to repeat what I had been
saying, and George and Irving conversed for some time. His majesty, on
another occasion, asked me under what circumstances the Indians had been
introduced to me. I answered that they were recommended to my notice,
because they had been invested with the medallions of his late majesty
by my brother.

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