• CAPTURE OF . 379 became the victims of their cruelty; and although the French pretended to consider them an indepen¬ dent people, they even countenanced, during peace, the aggressions of the savages on the English. was restored to France by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, in return for Madras, and re¬ mained in possession of that power until the surren¬ der of , on the 26th July, 1758, to the Bri¬ tish forces under the command of General Amherst and Brigadier -Generals Lawrence and Wolfe , and the fleet commanded by Admiral Boscawen . The French, commanded by M. de Drucourt , defended , from the 8th of July until its capitulation, with extraordinary bravery, against a powerful fleet, consisting of twenty-three ships of the line, eighteen frigates, with sloops of war and tran¬ sports amounting to one hundred and fifty-seven ships, and against 16,000 land forces. On this occa¬ sion, Madame de Drucourt behaved with great hero¬ ism, appearing daily on the ramparts, animating the soldiers in the unceasing duty which the defence of the place required. The merchants, and the greater part of the inha¬ bitants of , were, after its capture, sent to France in English vessels. But the officers of govern¬ ment, the military and naval officers, soldiers,marines, and sailors, in number 5720, were transported as pri¬ soners of war to England . The stores and ammu¬ nition, besides 227 pieces of artillery, found in Louis¬ burg, were of great value. The following description of the then metropolis