the march to its motoponts-destroy all the public and Much of the private property found there, and in its neighborhood-and to leave the

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river, which is half a mile broad, forming cataracts in the manner above described. There are several little islands scattered carelessly about, very rocky and covered with trees, and two or three villages in view at a small distance. Over all these you discover a prodigious extent of wilderness, and the river winding majestically along through the midst of it."

In 1777, the assailable situation of Williamsburg to the aggressions of the enemy, occasioned the Assembly of the state to remove the troops, arms, and ammunition, together with the public records, to Richmond; and, partially from the same cause, and the extension of the population westward, an act was passed, May, 1779, to remove the seat of government here. At this time, Richmond was an insignificant place, scarcely affording sufficient accommodations for the officers of goverument. The legislature bestowed upon it the name of a city; but it was then only a city in embryo, with scarcely any thing of interest except the grandeur of its natural scenery. The analogy of the situation of the place to that of Richmond-on-the-Thames, in England, suggested the name the town bears. The public buildings were temporary. The old capitol, which was private property, stood on the site now occupied by the custom-house, and some of the adjacent buildings. It was a wooden structure, long since destroyed. Richmond was invaded by the traitor Arnold in 1781. joined account is from Tucker's Life of Jefferson:

The sub

On the 3d of January the fleet came to anchor at Jamestown, and on the 4th it reached Westover, where about 900 men, but then supposed to be a much larger force, landed under the command of the notorious Arnold, and proceeded on their march towards Richmond. Until then, it was not known whether that town or Petersburg was the object of attack. The governor, [Jefferson,] on the same day, called out the whole of the militia from the adjacent counties; but having no means of present resistance, he endeavored to secure that part of the public property which could be removed, by having it transported to the south bank of James River. Such of it as had been previously sent to Westham, six miles above Richmond, was also ordered to cross the river. That night the enemy encamped at Four-mile creek, 12 miles below Richmond. At half after seven o'clock at night, the governor set out for Westham, and, having stopped to hasten the transportation of the arms and stores, he proceeded to join his family at Tuckahoe, eight miles further, which place he reached after midnight.

The next morning, having taken his family across the river, and sent them to a place of safety, he rode down to Britton's, opposite to Westham, and gave further orders concerning the public property, the transportation of which had been continued through the whole night, and part of the next day, until the approach of the enemy. He then proceeded to Manchester, from whence he had a full view of the invading force. They had reached Richmond at 1 o'clock in the afternoon of that day, at which time there were only 200 militia, including those of the town, embodied.

The governor wishing to advise with Baron Steuben, then commanding the new levies in the state intended for the south, and which then amounted to 200 recruits, went to Chetwood's, his head-quarters, a few miles from Manchester, but learning he was at Col. Fleming's, the governor proceeded to that place, where he continued that night. While there, some of the citizens of Richmond waited on him, to tender an offer from Arnold not to burn the town, provided British vessels were permitted to come to it unmolested, and take off the tobacco there deposited. The offer was unhesitatingly rejected. As soon as Arnold reached Richmond, he sent a detachment under Col. Simcoe to destroy the cannon foundry above the town-which having done, they advanced to Westham; but finding that all the public property sent thither had been transported over the river, they returned to Richmond the same day. On the 6th, the governor returned to Britton's, and having given orders respecting the public archives, rejoined his family in the evening at Fine creek. The British, after burning some public and some private buildings, as well as a large quantity of tobacco, left Richmond about 24 hours after they entered it, encamped at Four-mile creek, and on the 7th, at Berkley and Westover; having thus penetrated 33 miles into the country from the place of debarkation, and completed their incursion, without loss, in 48 hours from the time of their landing. On the 7th, the governor went to Manchester, where he remained that night, and the next day returned to Richmond.

The bare communication of the fact, that a force of 1,000, or at most 1,500 men, was able to invade a country containing at that time a population of more than half a million, and 50,000 enrolled militia-march to its metropolis-destroy all the public and much of the private property found there, and in its neighborhood-and to leave the

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country with impunity, is, at first, calculated to excite our surprise, and to involve both the people, and those who administered its affairs, in one indiscriminate reproach. But there seems to be little ground for either wonder or censure, when it is recollected that these 50,000 militia were scattered over a surface of more than as many square miles; that the metropolis, which was thus insulted, was but a village, containing scarcely 1,800 inhabitants, half of whom were slaves; and that the country itself, intersected by several navigable rivers, could not be defended against the sudden incursions of an enemy whose naval power gave it the entire command of the water, and enabled it to approach within a day's march of the point of attack.

A. Rebel Infantry.-B. Rebel Cavalry.-C. Queen's Rangers.-D. Queen's Rangers' Cavalry.-E. Yagers.-F. British Army.-W. Warehouses.

We here give a narration of the invasion of Richmond, from Simcoe's Journal. Lieut.-Col. Simcoe was the celebrated commander of a partisan corps called the Queen's Rangers. Late in life he was lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. Although a gentlemanly man, he was noted for his prejudices against the United States. The engraving given is mainly important as delineating Richmond as it then was:

On the arrival at Westover, the troops were immediately disembarked at first, from the reports of the country of the force that was assembling to defend Richmond, Gen. Arnold hesitated whether he should proceed thither or not, his positive injunctions being not to undertake any enterprise that had much risk in it; but Lieut.-Cols. Dundas and Simcoe, concurring that one day's march might be made with perfect security, and that by this means more perfect information might be obtained, the troops were immediately put in motion, and proceeded towards Richmond, where the enemy was understood to have very considerable magazines. It was above 30 miles from Westover; several transports had not arrived, and Gen. Arnold's force did not amount to 800 men. On the second day's march, while a bridge was replacing over a creek, the advanced guard only having passed over, some of the enemy's militia, who had destroyed it the evening before, and were to assemble with others to defend it, were deceived by the dress of the Rangers, and came to Lieut.-Col. Simcoe, who immediately reprimanded them for not coming sooner, held conversation with them, and then sent them prisoners to Gen. Arnold. Within seven miles of Richmond, a patrol of the enemy appeared, who, on being discovered, fled at full speed: the Queen's Rangers, whose horses were in a miserable condition from the voyage, could not pursue them. Soon after, Lieut.-Col. Simcoe halted, having received the clearest information that a road, made passable by wood