It will be long before we meet a staff like Sir James Craig’s gentlemanly men....  The castle affords no delight but to the Halifax people.  They are all Gods, the Quebecers all Devils.  As for me I have no desire to be deified....  Would you believe it Pierre Bedard [a French Canadian leader whom Sir James Craig had clapped into prison] is now Judge of the Court of King’s Bench at Three Rivers.  Would that poor Sir James[24] could raise his head to take a view of the strange scenes daily occurring here; but it is better he should be spared the Loathsome sight.  What it will end in I dare scarcely express.

In these days there was ceaseless anxiety at Murray Bay.  “We are all here in a complete state of suspense,” wrote Christine Nairne, “...  My brother is now in Upper Canada doing duty as a marine officer on board the Royal George.  We are in the utmost anxiety about him but on the Almighty we rely for preservation in these horrid times.”  Echoes came of stirring events.  Tom wrote of General Brock’s succeeds in capturing Detroit and with it the American General Hull and his whole army.  A little later the Detroit garrison was sent to Montreal and Captain Nairne, doing duty on the Royal George, carried General Hull—­“the extirpating General” he called him in view of dire threats that Hull had made as to what he should do—­with 200 prisoners from Niagara to Kingston and then in batteaux down the River St. Lawrence on the way to Montreal, through whose streets the Canadian militia marched their prisoners to the strains of “Yankee Doodle.”  Elated with the success against General Hull, Tom now expected to hear any day that the American fort at the mouth of the Niagara River had been taken by General Brock.  He heard a much sadder tale.  Instead of awaiting attack the Americans became the aggressors and crossed the river into Canada.  In a successful attempt to dislodge them from Queenston Heights the gallant Brock was slain.  The invaders were driven back; but all Canada mourned for Brock.  Mrs. Bowen wrote to Christine Nairne, “I am sure you will have deeply felt the loss of poor General Brock.  He was always a great favourite of yours as well as mine.  Salter Mountain spoke in the highest terms of him in his sermon last Sunday.”

As the war became more grim in character Captain Nairne formed a fixed resolve to see it through to the end.  On October 5th, 1812, he writes from Kingston that in response to his former request he had just received notice of having been put on half pay.  With this release he might now have retired to the serenity of Murray Bay.  But, even though he had not changed his mind, this would have been to turn his back on fighting when men were most needed.  So when Captain Wall of the 49th Regiment broke his leg, and was thus rendered unfit for service, with him Nairne effected an exchange.  “I could not reconcile myself to the idea of sneaking down to Murray Bay and forsaking my post at the present critical period,” he wrote to Fraser.  That old soldier was delighted at Tom’s spirit and made this note at the foot of the letter which announced this action: