11 begging me to bring the Plane Table pieces along. I, with much pleasure, accepted that invita¬ tion, which gave rise to my acquaintance with a truly scientific gentleman, for the which I ever hold myself much indebted to Capt. Cook . I remained that night on board, in the morning landed to continue my survey at White Point, attended by Capt. Cook and two young gentlemen whom your father, ever attentive to the service, wished should be instructed in the business. From that period, I had the honor of a most intimate and friendly acquaintance with your worthy father, and during our stay at Halifax , whenever I could get a moment of time from my duty, I was on board the Pembroke where the great cabin, dedicated to scientific purposes and mostly taken up with a drawing table, furnished no room for idlers. Under Capt. Simcoe 's eye, Mr. Cook and myself compiled materials for a chart of the Gulf and River St. Lawrence , which plan at his decease was dedicated to Sir Charles Saunders ; with no other alterations than what Mr. Cook and I made coming up the River. Another chart of the River, including Chaleur and Gaspe Bays , mostly taken from plans in Admiral Durell 's possession, was compiled and drawn under your father's inspection, and sent by him for immediate publication to Mr. Thos . Jeffrey, predecessor to Mr. Faden . These charts were of much use, as some copies came out prior to our sailing from Halifax for Quebec in 1759. By the drawing of these plans under so able an instructor, Mr. Cook could not fail to improve and thoroughly brought in his hand as well in drawing as protracting, etc., and by your father's finding the latitudes and longitudes along the Coast of America, principally Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence , so erroneously heretofore laid down, he was convinced of the propriety of making accurate surveys of those parts. In consequence, he told Capt. Cook that as he had mentioned to several of his friends in power, the necessity of having surveys of these parts and astronomical observations made as soon as peace was restored, he would recommend him to make himself competent to the business by learning Spherical Trigonometry, with the practical part of Astronomy, at the same time giving him Leadbitter's works, a great authority on astronomy, etc., at that period, of which Mr. Cook assisted by his explanations of difficult passages, made infinite use, and fulfilled the expectations entertained of him by your father, in his survey of Newfoundland : Mr. Cook frequently expressed to me the obligations he was under to Captain Simcoe and on my meeting him in London in the year 1776, after his several discoveries, he confessed most candidly that the several improvements and instructions he had received on board the Pembroke had been the sole foundation of the services he had been enabled to perform. I must now return to Louisbourg where, being General Wolfe 's Engineer during the attack of that place, I was present at a conversation on the subject of sailing for Quebec that fall. The General and Captain Simcoe gave it as their joint opinion it might be reduced the same campaign, but this sage advice was overruled by the contrary opinions of the Admirals, who conceived the season too far advanced, so that only a few ships went with General Wolfe to Gaspe, etc., to make a diversion at the mouth of the River St. Lawrence . Again, early in the spring following, had Captain Simcoe 's proposition to Admiral Durell been put in execution, of proceeding with his own ship, the Pembroke ; the Sutherland, Captain Rous , and some frigates, via Gut of Canso, for the river St. Lawrence , in order to intercept the French supplies, there is not the least doubt but that Monsieur Cannon with his whole convoy must have been taken, as he only made the river six days before Admiral Durell , as we learned from a French brig taken off Gaspe. At this place, being on board the Princess Amelia , I had the mortification of being present whilst the minute guns were firing on the melancholy occasion of Captain Simcoe 's remains being committed to the deep. Had he lived to have got to Quebec , great matter of triumph would have been afforded him on account of his spirited opposition to many captains of the navy, who had given it as their opinion that ships of the line could not proceed up the river, whereas our whole fleet got up perfectly safe. Could I have had recourse to my journals, which have unfortunately been lost, it would have been in my power to have recounted many circumstances with more minuteness than I am at present enabled to do. I have the honour to remain, Sir, With great respect, Your most devoted and most obedient and humble servant, SAMUEL HOLLAND . The Captain of the Pembroke , we see, was a daring and enterprising officer, and had his advice been taken in preference to that of Admiral Durell , Wolfe's capture of Quebec might have occurred some months earlier than it did. There is in the parish church of St . Andrew, at Cotter- stock, in Northamptonshire, a mural tablet sacred to Captain Simcoe 's memory inscribed with the services rendered by him to his "King and Country." On the back of the MS. letter which has been engaging our attention is to be seen a sentence in the handwriting of Lieutenant Governor Simcoe himself, and it was this that in the first instance imparted a special value to the document, containing as it did a curious record of some words used by his father just before his sad decease. The memorandum reads as follows: