A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose
1843. His father was the late Major Pope, who was for many years
1879 words | Chapter 115
provincial store-keeper at Montreal. His mother was Maria Craig. He
removed with his parents successively to Montreal and Quebec. He was
educated in the latter city, and resided there for several years, in the
employ of the Montreal Telegraph Company. In 1862 he was transferred to
the company’s Toronto office; and in 1863, at the early age of twenty
years, was sent to Watertown, N.Y., as superintendent in charge of the
company’s line in the State of New York. In 1866 he was promoted to the
still more important and responsible position of the company’s
superintendent at Quebec, and was reappointed to the same position in
1881, when the lines were consolidated under the Great North-Western
Telegraph Company. He still holds this office, and enjoys the general
respect of the population of the ancient capital for his courtesy and
blameless life. Mr. Pope is a member of the Church of England, and holds
office in various organizations connected therewith, and in other local
societies. In 1864 he married Mary Margaret, fifth daughter of Robert
McClure, of Toronto, and by her has had issue eight children.
* * * * *
=Amherst, Lord Jeffery.=—Lord Amherst, who commanded the British army
at the surrender of Montreal in September, 1760, one of the bravest
officers that ever the nation had the great good fortune to possess, was
born in Kent, England, on the 29th January, 1717. He was the second son
of Jeffery Amherst, of Riverhead, in Kent, barrister-at-law, and
Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Kerrill, of Hadlow, Co. Kent, who had four
sons and two daughters. Sackville died unmarried, in 1763; Jeffery, the
subject of our sketch; John, an admiral in the Royal Navy; and William,
lieut.-general in the army, A.D.C. to the King, lieut.-governor of
Portsmouth, governor of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and adj.-general of
his Majesty’s forces; Elizabeth and Margaret. A pedigree extant deduces
the family of Amherst from the Saxon era. Hamo de Herst is mentioned by
Phillpot, to be flourishing in the second year of Edward III. In the
next reign, Richard II., the name appears by record to be written,
Amherst of Amherst, they (according to Collins) having dropped the
Norman _de_ and the aspirate H. Jeffery, Lord Amherst, in his childhood
was noted for displaying great fondness for military life, and at that
early period gave all his attention to the performance of martial
evolutions. His father, observing his strong predilections, was induced
to present him to one of his relatives, who was a captain. The sparkling
eyes, speaking countenance, and significant manners of the young
aspirant, recommended him highly to his superior officers, and at the
age of fourteen he received an ensign’s commission in the Guards. Having
distinguished himself on several occasions by his modest, prudent, and
calm conduct, as well as by his valor, and constant attention to duty,
he was, in 1741, appointed General Legonier’s _aide-de-camp_. In this
high capacity he continued to serve in the German fields, and thus was
present at the battles of Düttingen, Fontenoy, and Rocoux. He was at the
side of the Duke of Cumberland, as _aide-de-camp_ in the battle of
Lauffeldt. On that remarkable day, young officer Amherst noticed and
appreciated the celebrated James Wolfe, whose enthusiastic devotion and
spirited bravery on the same field, drew forth the thanks of the Duke of
Cumberland. No sooner had Pitt established himself in office, than he
conceived the plan of an attack against the French colonies in America.
This statesman had discovered in Colonel Amherst sound sense, steady
courage, and an active genius. He therefore recalled him from Germany,
and setting aside military forms, promoted him to the rank of
major-general, and gave him the command of the troops sent against
Louisbourg, Cape Breton. Hon. Edward Boscawen was chosen admiral of the
fleet. Equipments were made with great zeal, and on February 19th, 1758,
the armament sailed from Portsmouth, for Halifax. General Amherst’s
army, which was almost exclusively British regulars, was put in motion,
being divided into three brigades, under the Brigadier-Generals
Whitmore, Lawrence, and Wolfe. On the 2nd of June, the armament arrived
off Cape Breton. The troops were landed near Fresh Water Cove (Comoran
Creek), four miles from the town. In a few days the British triumphed
over every obstacle, and Amherst entered the city, July 26th, and took
possession of the whole island of Cape Breton. Many illustrious persons
were present at this victorious scene. Among whom were James Wolfe, the
noble hero, who so gloriously fell on the Plains of Abraham, and whose
daring skill even then excited great admiration; James Murray, the first
British governor of Quebec; Commodore Durrell, the young Earl of
Dundonald, who commanded the Grenadiers of the 12th Regiment, and the
renowned Captain Cooke, then serving as a petty officer on board a ship
of war. There were also Lord Rollo, Major Darling, etc., and Amherst the
moving spirit, whose wisdom and energy had enshrined his name in the
grateful affections of his countrymen. Amherst wished to follow up his
success by pushing forward with his whole army to Quebec, but the
engagement at Louisbourg, through the protracted defence of the skilful
French governor, Mr. Drucour, delayed the forces of Amherst too long, so
that a descent upon Canada was impracticable that year. Amherst sailed
for Boston the last of August, and from thence pushed on through the
wilderness to Lake George, where he left seasonable supplies with
Abercrombie, and returned to Boston, and then to Halifax, to await
orders from the British government. Abercrombie endeavored to sustain
himself against the French troops to Ticonderoga, but was defeated near
this place, and here fell the gallant and good Lord Howe, and with him
seemed to pass away the energy and spirit of the army. In this year Fort
Duquesne was captured, and the British officers with unanimous consent
changed the name of the Fort to Pittsburg; a well-earned compliment to
the minister who planned the conquest of that large country. With this
expedition concluded the campaign of 1758. Early in 1759 Amherst was
appointed commander-in-chief of the British North American armies in
place of Abercrombie, who sailed for England the 24th of January
following. For the next campaign, Pitt decided upon nearly the same plan
of operations, which had partially succeeded before. The main body of
the British army was assembled upon the shores of Lake George, being
destined to penetrate Canada by the River Richelieu, and occupy
Montreal. When Pitt cast his eyes over the maps of the western world and
traced its net work of lakes and rivers, noted its far stretching
wilderness of forests, so solemn, and almost impenetrable, and
remembered the resources of the brave Montcalm, we should expect his
zeal to have cooled, but he thought only of Wolfe and Amherst, and was
sure of success. According to the plan, Amherst left New York April
28th, 1759, and arrived in Albany, May 3rd, to pursue the great plan of
the campaign. An alarming spirit of desertion broke out among the
militia, but Amherst’s promptness soon quelled it, and a great part of
the army, with artillery and stores, arrived and encamped on the woody
shores of Lake George, 21st June, and on 21st July, notwithstanding the
heat of the weather, all was made ready, and troops and stores were
embarked upon the lakes. Amherst took Fort Ticonderoga[1] from the
French, and repaired it, and gave orders to increase the naval force on
the lake. Then Crown Point was to be overcome. It was formerly called
Point-a-la-Chevelure, situated about eighteen miles north of
Ticonderoga. It was soon abandoned by the enemy, and Amherst took
possession of it on the 4th of August, thus securing two important
forts. On the 16th of August, he learned that the French were so
strongly intrenched in Isle-aux-Noix, as to prevent him from joining
Wolfe’s army before Quebec, and he was forced to remain inactive until
October, although every hour was precious. He succeeded in crossing the
lake on October 18th, when he learned that the fate of Quebec had been
decided, and it was an honorable trait in the character of Amherst that,
in his despatches, he allowed his brigadier the full credit of the
action. From the uncommonly sickly state of his provincials, he was
forced to prepare for the inglorious quiet of winter-quarters at Crown
Point.[2] The next year, Amherst left New York with part of his army and
proceeded to Oswego. He was followed by General Gage, and soon assembled
his army on the shores of Lake Ontario, from whence he descended the St.
Lawrence upon the enemy’s capital, leaving Lake Champlain to Colonel
Haviland, whilst General Murray with the disposable portion of the
garrison of Quebec, was to push up the St. Lawrence. On September 6th,
the splendid army landed at Montreal, and invested it in form. On the
8th, the Marquis of Vaudreuil, who commanded in Montreal, signed the
capitulation, and the whole of Canada became a British province. French
troops were conveyed to France in British ships, and the Canadian
militia allowed to return peaceably to their homes. The French colonists
were guaranteed the same civil privileges as British subjects, and the
free enjoyment of their customs, and laws. In the meantime the Island of
Newfoundland having fallen into the hands of the enemy, General Amherst
dispatched a sufficient force for the recovery of it, under the command
of his brother, Colonel William Amherst, whose expedition was completely
successful. The general now returned to New York, then the English
capital of North America, where he was greeted with the strongest tokens
of gratitude and respect, and whither, also, the thanks of the House of
Commons had been transmitted to him from London. Thus General Amherst
planned and executed an undertaking of the most striking interest. In
1761, he was appointed Knight of the Bath. He continued to command in
America until 1764, when he returned to England. He was in reality the
first British governor-general of Canada, Gage, Murray, Burton and
Haldimand, being sub-governors only.[3] In 1771, he was appointed
governor of Guernsey, where he gave a high idea of his talents as
administrator. His venerable Sovereign George III., created him Baron
Amherst, of Holmsdale, in the county of Kent in 1776, and two years
later his lordship was constituted commander-in-chief of his Majesty’s
land forces in Great Britain. In 1782, he received the gold stick from
the king, but on the change of the administration, the command of the
army and the lieutenant-generalship of the ordnance were put into other
hands. In 1788, he received another patent of peerage as Baron Amherst,
of Montreal, county Kent. In January 1793, he was again appointed to the
command of the army in Great Britain, but in 1795, this veteran and very
deserving officer, was superseded by H.R.H., the Duke of York, the
second son of the king, who was only in the thirty-first year of his
age, and had never seen any actual service. The government on this
occasion, with a view to soothe the feelings of the old general, offered
him an earldom, and the rank of field-marshal, both of which he at that
time rejected. The office of field-marshal, however, he accepted in July
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