drilled' throughout July. His preparations were so
meticulously careful that they even included a vegetable
garden, which, though an excellent precaution in its own
way, ought to have been left to the commandant of the
base. So thought Sir Charles Hay, who was put under arrest
for saying that all the money was being spent in fighting
sham battles and planting out cabbages. However, a
reconnaissance of Louisbourg had been made by Gorham of
the Rangers, whose very imperfect report induced Holbourne
and Loudoun to get ready to sail. But, just as they were
preparing to begin, too late, a Newfoundland vessel came
in with captured French dispatches which showed that
Admiral La Motte had united his three squadrons in
Louisbourg harbour, where he was at anchor with twenty-two
ships of the line and several frigates, the whole carrying
1,360 guns. This was correct. But the garrison was
exaggerated by at least a third in the same dispatch,
which estimated it as numbering over 7000 men.

The lateness of the season, the strength of the French,
and the practical certainty of failing to take Louisbourg
by forcing the attack home at any cost, were very sensibly
held, under existing circumstances, to be sufficient
cause for withdrawing the army. The fleet, however, sailed
north, in the hope of inducing La Motte to come out for
a battle in the open. But, at that particular juncture,
La Motte was right not to risk decisive action. A week
later he was equally wrong to refuse it. Holbourne's
fleet had been dispersed by a September hurricane of
extraordinary violence. One ship became a total wreck.