and more than thirty feet high, pro- tected by a great ditch with earthworks, glacis, bastions and citadel, all united to form an almost impregnable position. The approaches could be swept by gun _ , . fire from nearly 150 cannon. _ , y . _, . It was not long before the m British colonists of New England took alarm at the construction of such for- midable works in a place where they could be used as a basis of operations against them; a plan for attacking the fortress by volunteers frOm Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire was agreed upon, and a strong expedition left Nantasket for Cape Breton waters.

From the very first, success attended the efforts of the Col- onials; and after many spirited attacks, the place, though ably de- fended by the French, fell before the continued assault. This was in 1745. Three years later Cape Breton and its great fortress of Louisbourg were given back to France by the Treaty of Aix-la- Chapelle.

But there were to be other struggles between France and England for supremacy in North American waters, and it was in- evitable that Louisbourg would again be attacked; and so in another ten years a British fleet assembled in Gabarus Bay to the south of Louisbourg, and another great struggle ensued. Boscawen, Amherst and Wolfe took part in this assault; and the place was again ably defended by the French, this time under the gallant de Drucour, who was able to direct the fire of over two hundred cannon against the invaders—so much had the defenses been strengthened. The formerly successful plans of the Colonials were again followed, and, as before, success came to the invaders, and Louisbourg fell with immense stores and munitions of war. A strong naval station being in existence by this time in Halifax, it was decided to totally destroy the fortifications of Louisbourg, and accordingly the whole of the defenses were demolished by an engineer corps from England, sent out for this purpose. Shortly before the opening of the Amer- ican War of Revolution, Britain’s conquest of all Upper Canada was confirmed by treaty, and peaceful development of Cape Breton has since ensued.

Louisbourg, thus interesting historically, is conveniently reached from Sydney by rail. It has a pleasant harbor, free from

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