_July_ 4th, A flag of truce was sent by the general to the town, to acquaint the governor of our design of attacking it on the part of his Britannick majesty; and also to inform him, that he was order’d by his master to carry on the war in this country with the utmost lenity; that he expects the troops under his command will follow his example, and that the inhuman practice of scalping, either by Indians or others, may be put a stop to, as he shall answer the consequence of its being severely revenged: at the same time we set at liberty twenty-five women, that were taken by us in the river. Monsieur Le Marquis de Vandreuil, who commands in the town, return’d a very polite answer, and desir’d the admiral might be acquainted, that as two gentlemen had been taken off the isle Coudre by his people, belonging to Admiral Durell, the greatest care should be taken of them, and that as soon as he thought proper to remove our fleet and army he would return them: they made no scruple of informing our officer, that they were well acquainted with our force, and were surprised we should attempt the conquest of this country with such a handful of men. 5th, The batteries were begun, and the ordnance landed, all the ships sent their boats, to row guard above us, as we are apprehensive of the enemy sending down fire-stages, which we learn are preparing in great numbers above the town. What ships they have are above the town, but how far up, we are not able to discover. 7th, Our barge, sounding between the north-side of Orleans and the main, was chac’d by several cannoes ashore upon the island, and was taken with one of the people, being wounded, the rest escaped to our camp. 8th, The _Porcupine_ sloop, and an arm’d Brig, fell down between the island and the north-shore, a little below the falls; two small batteries fir’d upon them going down, but did no damage. At midnight General Wolf, with two brigades from Orleans, landed below the falls, without opposition, the enemy keeping within their posts, to the west of the small river of Montmorency; of which the narrow part is deep, and very rapid, and falls into the river St. Lawrence from a precipice, of 200 feet high; the banks of the river above the fall are very high and steep, especially on the western side, and are entrench’d and defended by breast-works, in the same manner as the banks of the river St. Lawrence, from the falls to Quebec. Admiral Holmes, with the _Captain_, _Dublin_, _Vanguard_, _Medway_, and _Shrewsbury_, came up, and anchor’d off the west-end of Orleans; and Admiral Durell, and the rest of the three-deck ships, &c. remainder of the fleet, lie off the east-end of the island.