CHAP. XVII. 1778. Canada. Upon this part of the fubject he exclaimed with great energy, "what officer will venture hereafter to give his opinion upon measures or men when called upon by a Minifter, if his confidence, his reafonings, and his preferences, are to be thus invidioufly expofed, to create jealoufies and differences among his fellow officers, and at laft to put an impofition upon the world, and make him refponfible for the plan as well as the execution of a hazardous campaign."

After ftating and refuting a number of calumnies, which, from interested or malevolent purposes, had been induftriously propagated against him, he faid, that under fuch circumftances of the greatest injury to the reputation of one of their members, together with that of his character having already been brought into queftion before them, and his di rect affertion, that the information which the Houfe had then gone upon was incomplete aud fallacious, he knew not what defcription of men could juftly refufe, to him perfonally, a new and full enquiry.

He put it strongly to the feelings of his auditors, and to make it individually their own cafe, the fituation of an injured and perfecuted man, debarred, by an interdiction from the poffibility of vindicating himfelt to his Sovereign, and put by, if not inevitably precluded from the judgment of a military tribunal, if thus, difgraced at court, and cut off from refource in the line of his profeffion, he fhould also at laft, in his final appeal to the juftice and equity of his country, find himself difappointed in the only poffible means of juftification that remained, by a refufal of a parliamentary investigation of a measure of ftate, with which the rectitude or criminality of his conduct was infeparably blended. After applying this matter particularly and forcibly to his brother officers in parliament, as a common cause of the profeffion, from the difcou

rage

Tagement and injury which the fervice muft fuffer 1778. under the establishment of fuch a precedent, and various other confiderations applied to different parts of the Houfe, he wound up the whole of that part of the fubject, by declaring, that he waved an appeal to private fentiments, and defired the motion to be confidered as a call upon the public duty of the House; and he required, and demanded, in his place as a reprefentative of the nation, a full and impartial enquiry into the caufes of the mifcariage of the northern expedition from Canada.

The American Minifter declared his concern for the exposure of the private letter, which he attributed to accident, or official miftake. As to the General's not having accefs to his Sovereign, he faid there were various precedents for the refufal, until his conduct had undergone a military enquiry, which could not yet be done. And concluded that as military men were the natural and proper judges of the fubject, he could not fee the propriety of any interference by parliament in the bufinefs.

The queftion being at length put on Mr. Fox's amendment, it was rejected on a divifion, by a majority of 144 to 95. And, the main question, after fome unufual warmth of altercation, was fet by at a late hour by the previous question, which was carried without a divifion.

A few days after was brought to a conclufion, this long, tedious, and exceedingly laborious feflion of June 3d. Parliament. A feffion, in which a greater number of the most interesting and important public queftions were agitated, although not generally decided upon, than any other, perhaps, within the fpace of a century paft. And which alfo afforded more frequent room for expectation and hope to the people, with refpect to the conduct of public affairs, than any that we remember.

CHAP.

1778.

State of the hoftile armies in Philadelphia and its neighbourheed during the winter. Hard condition of the brace ariny under the convention of Saratogo. Sufperfion of the treaty by the congrefs, until a ratification is obtained from the court of Great Britain. Predatory expeditions from Philadelphia and Rhode and Draught of the Conciliatory Bills pablished in America. Effeft produced by it on both fides. Conduct, and refolutions of the Congres Simeon Dian arrives with the French treaties. Sir Fry Clinton arrives to take the commond of the army at Philidlphia, in the room of General Sir William Howe, suho 12turns to Englond. Arrival of the Con nifioners for velhorias peace, Sc. Letter to the Congress. Secretary to the Commijaners refufed a paypart. Aufwer returned by the Congress to the Commiffioners. Further par tculors relative to the propofed negociation. Evacuation of Philadelphia. D. ficulties encountered by the British army their march across the Ferfies. Genetal Walkingten cross the Delaware. Batle near Monmouth. Gen. Lee, tried by a court mariid, end fa'pended. British army pofs over to Sandy Hook Land, and ore conceved by the foot to New York. Te din fa cadron arrive on the call of America. Appear before Sandy tices, suhere ther ca ancher. Alarm, and preparations at Sandy Fork and New York. Departure of the French fact. Arrica' of reinforcemen's to Lord Howe. French feet appe i before Kindo Ifland. Defenfice preparations ¡y General Sir Robert Pigst. Imafen of fat illand meditated by the Americans, to feon! the operations of the French. Led Howe fails to the relief of rode land. D'Efaing, quits the harbour and puts to fer, to meet the British squadron. Flects fparated, at Bli polni of engaging, by a violent form. Capt. Raynor, in the is, bravely engages a French man of war of 14

in

D) Ellaing returns to Rhode Mand, and proceeds from thence to Brion. Is purfed by Lord Howe. Gen. Sullivan lands in Rde Ind. Inves the Briti pofts. American army greatly dijconcerted by D'Elaing's departure. Sulli van reire is, and of length totally quits the land. Lord Howe, huling D ring's fquadron fo firongly fecured in Nantabet Road, us to vendor an attack impracticable, returns from Belan

ROM this war of words and opinions in the old world, we are led to a war of deeds and arms in the new. The one notwithilanding the fup

fuppofed fummary decifivenefs of its nature, being little more conciuave than the other, The hoftile armies at Philadelphia and Valley Forge, paffed the feverity of the winter, within a few miles of each other, in great quiet. The affailants, however, contrary to the general courfe and circumstance of war, had the advantage of a capital city, and that a fine one, for their quarters; whilft the native. army was under the neceffity of enduring all the extremity of the feaion, under a hutted camp in the open field. Notwithflanding this great advantage in point of eafe and convenience, the lines and redoubts with which it was found neceffary to cover the city of Philadelphia, did not permit the British or auxiliary forces to ruft in their military habits, or to grow languid in the exercife of their military duties. Upon the whole, the army was well fupplied and healthy.

In the mean time the gallant and unfortunate army, that had been under a neceflity of fubmitting to the terms of the convention at Saratoga, met .with great and unexpected delays and difficulties in relpect to their return to Europe, and underwent many grievous vexations, in that ftation which had been allotted for their reception in the neighbourhood of Bofton. The former of thefe, however, opened the great ground of grievance, as the fucceeding could not otherwife have been of any confiderable duration. Notwithtanding the enmity which unhappily prevails between the now disjoined parts of the British nation, it affords us no fatisfaction in treating this fubject, that truth and juftice compel us, ftrongly to condemn the conduct of the Congrefs; who feem, upon this occafion, to have depaited widely from that lytem of fai nefs, equity, and good faith, fo effential to new States, and which had hitherto appeared, in a confiderable degree, to have been the guide of their actions.

It

1778.

CHAP. XVIII. 1778. It seems to have been rather unlucky, at least in point of time, that a requifition for fome deviation from the terms of the convention, had been made by the British commanders. This was for the embarkation of the convention troops, either at the Sound, near New-York, or at Rhode Island, instead of Boston, which was the place appointed for their departure to Europe. And in confequence of the expectation entertained, that this propofal would have been complied with, the transports for the conveyance of the troops were affembled at Rhode Iland. The Congrefs, however, not only refused to comply with the requifition, but made it a ground of a pretended fufpicion, that the measure was propofed, merely to afford an opportunity to the convention troops to join their fellows, with an intention then of making fome pretence for evading or breaking the terms of capitulation, and continuing to act in America to the great detriment and danger of the common caufe. To ftrengthen this colour of fufpicion, they pretended, that the 26 transports which were provided at Rhode Island, were infufficient for the conveyance of above 5,600 men, in a winter voyage to Europe; and, that in the prefent ftate of things, with respect to provifions, both in the Britih fleet and army, it was fcarcely poffible that they could have been victualled for fo long a voyage, and fo great a number, in fo

tion of

fhort a time.

In the mean time great complaints having been made, by the British officers near Boston, of the Congrefs breaksthe badnefs of the quarters with which they had been conven- provided, and which they reprefented, as being neither conformable to their expectation, rank, or Saratoga. to the terms of the capitulation, the fenfe and conftruction of fome ftrong expoftulation which was made by General Burgoyne, in a letter of complaint upon the fubject, was wrefted by the Congrefs to a dire& declaration, that the convention

had