HISTORY

OF THE PRESENT

WAR in AMERICA;

CONTAINING

An ACCOUNT of its RISE and PROGRESS,

The POITILCAL SPRINGS thereof,

WITH THE VARIOUS

SUCCESSES and DISAPPOINTMENTS

ON BOTH SIDE S.

By the Rev. JA MES MURRAY, of NEWCASTLE.

VOL. II.

NEWCASTLE:

Printed by and for T. ROBSON; R. BALDWIN, No. 47, Pater-nofter-Row, London; N. FROBISHER, York; C. ELLIOT, Parliament-fquare, Edinburgh; and DUNLOP and WILSON, Glasgow,

CHA P. X.

Tranfactions in Virginia-The Powder removed from the Magazine at Williamsburgh- The Magazine plundered-Lord Dunmore repulfed in his attempting to destroy the town of Hampton-A Proclamation for Martial Law, and to fet the Negroes at liberty Action near the Great Bridge-Connelly taken· His Scheme for raifing the Indians defeated-Lord Dunmore reduces Norfolk to afhes, rc.

THE

HE colony of Virginia, which had entered heartily into the general affociation from the begining, began now to feel the effects of their oppofition to government. They had not as yet proceeded to any acts of violence, though they were ripe for the moft violent measures. What contributed much to incense and irritate them to the highest pitch, was the haughtiness and fury of the governor : A nobleman of a furious temper, and infufferable pride, who being of an arbitrary difpofition, was more difpofed to rule according to his own will, than according to the laws of the colony, and the fpirit of the English conftitution. The colony having delegates at the general congrefs, fully declared their principles, and fhewed what their opinions of the government were.

The

The governor confidered it as an affront to his power for the colonists to choose commiffioners to reprefent them in an affembly which held the power and authority of Great Britain at defiance. He proceeded therefore to such measures, as plainly hinted his jealoufy of the loyalty of the Virginians, and intimated by palpable fignatures that he mistrusted them, and intended to behave towards them as a people really difaffected to his Majefty's government. The Virgi

nians had very different notions of loyalty from Lord Dunmore; they confidered loyalty to be directed by certain laws which fet bounds to it; whereas he measured his ideas of loyalty by the power of his majefty, and the emoluments that attended it. Refpect to the fovereign muft always keep pace with the laws of the land, otherwife it degenerates into fervile adulation, and iffues in actual flavery. Almost every

viceroy lays claim to dignity and dominion equal to the fovereign himself, and is more difgufted at oppofition to his power and intereft, than at oppofition to his master's authority. An hungry nobleman, educated in all the high notions of his own confequence without patrimony to fupport his dignity, is of all men whatever, the most unfit for a fubftitute of royalty; his vanity would grafp at an empire, and his pride would devour the habitable world. When once he is exalted to preferment, where emoluments are likely to be had to encrease his power, he foon turns op preffor to advance a step higher. The ranks of men beneath him are only confidered as fo many beings made for no other end than to serve the purposes of his avarice, power, and ambition. The Virginians had alway been among the firft in expreffing their refolutions, and the readieft in fhewing their determi

nations

nations to fupport at all risks and events what they judged or termed the rights of America. In other reIpects they preferved the greatest order, quietnefs, and tranquility in the province; and notwithstanding the anxiety excited by the prorogation and diffolu tion of their affemblies, and the expiration of their militia laws in confequence thereof, which in that county where a great part of the people are in a state of flavery, was a circumstance of an alarming nature, yet with thefe caufes of complaint the people feemed to pay a more than ordinary degree of attention and perfonal regard to the Earl of Dunmore, their Gover nor. In this state of affairs however the want of a legal affembly feemed 'to give fome fanction to the holding of a convention: upon which a provincial congrefs was affembled in the month of March, 1775, who under the colour of an old law of the year 1738, which was ftill faid to be in force, took meafures for arraying the militia; but to fupply the defects in that law in fome measure, to remedy which it was pretended all the fubfequent ones had been paffed, they recommended to each county to raise a company of volunteers for the better defence and protection of the province.

This proceeding greatly alarmed the Governor; for it was an interference with the power of the crown, in a matter of very great confequence; and it is fuppofed that the Governor had either neglected his duty, or that they intended no longer to truft the defence of the province in his hands. Such daring proceedings would have probably reufed a man lefs fufceptible of an affront than Lord Dunmore, and have produced fome enquiry into the caufe thereof. His Lordship, instead of making a particular enquiry into

the