the lakes. This officer had the year before carried all things fuccefsfully with the greatest judgment, and humanity alfo; but all on a fudden the management was taken out of his hands, and an officer appointed, who neither knew the country nor the genius of the people; who was indeed brave, but rafh and adven, trous. Though Carleton contributed as much as he could, to the measures of the campaign, yet he could not transfufe his own prudence and fagacity into another, nor direct the execution of such difficult adventures, when he was not prefent. The march was long and difficult, hazardous in every ftep, and a single step was fatal; great caution was required, and it required the abilities of Sir Guy Carleton, to have directed the footsteps of fuch an army through fuch a wilderness, forefts, and thickets. Of this officer General Wolfe gave the moft flattering teftimony, by fetting him on high above all the British officers then known to him. The changing of this officer in a great measure fruftrated thefuccefs of the war upon the lakes. Another thing which greatly tended to ruin the progrefs of General Burgoyne, was the proclamation which he published full of bombaft threatenings of cruelty and flaughter. It was this made all the country arm at once in their own defence, when they heard their fate determined in fuch a peremptory manner. Had this general contrived a scheme for his own ruin, he could not have done it more effectually than by thus warning the people what he intended to do. It was this proclamation that rouzed the colopifts and made them all run to arms to defend their own lives and thofe of their families, from the hands of favage Indians and more favage Europeans. The murder of Mrs M'Rae, though it was not immediate ly ly known, became like a millftone about the neck of the British affairs in that quarter ever fince; it both produced a damp upon the minds of the authors of the murther, and kindled the keeneft fire of refentment in the breafts of all the colonists. They now faw their fate, and endeavoured all that was in their power to prevent it; every man now became a foldier ready to revenge the blood of his friends upon their murderers. General Burgoyne had not merely an army to combat, but a country of armed men, and could not move a foot but where he was fure to meet an enemy, from the boy of fixteen to the grey hairs. of fixty. The detachments which he fent were alfo badly arranged, and proper methods of communication were not observed, nor the way fecured for a retreat, in cafe of a defeat; he trufted to the valour and difcipline of his troops, which though exceedingly good, could not perform impoffibilities, as he found in expe; rience. He foon began to find that even the valour of his men was defpifed, and that they were affaulted and defeated, by men they had mocked, ridiculed, and laughed at. He was truly an object of pity on account of his diflrefs, but on account of his folly an object of laughter. To conclude the hiftory of this year, it may be neceffary to give the Reader an extract of the letters which paffed between General Burgoyne and General Gates, before the convention at Saratoga, as alfo the articles of convention themselves. Lord Howe wrote from on board the Eagle, June 20, 1776 in this manner. I cannot, my worthy friend, permit the letters and parcels which I have fent you, to be carried, without adding a word upon the fubject of the injurious extre mities, mities, in which our unhappy difputes have engaged us. You will learn the nature of my miffion from the official dispatches which I have recommended to be forwarded by the fame conveyance. Retaining all the earneftnefs I ever expreffed to fee our differences accommodated, I fhall conceive if I meet with the dif pofition of the colonies, which I was once taught to expect, the moft flattering hopes of proving ferviceable in the objects of the king's paternal folicitude, by promoting the establishment of lasting peace and union with the colonies. But if the deep rooted prejudices of America, and the neceffity of preventing her trade from paffing into foreign channels, muft keep us ftill a divided people, I fhall from every private as well as public motive most heartily lament, that it is not the moment wherein thofe great objects of my ambition are to be attained; and that I am to be longer deprived of an opportunity to affure you perfonally of the regard with which I am your fincere and faithHOW E. ful fervant, P. S. I was disappointed of the opportunity I expected for fending this letter at the time it was dated, and have ever fince been prevented by calms and contrary winds, from getting here to inform Gen. Howe of the commiffion with which I have the fatisfaction to be charged, and of his being joined in it. Off Sandy Hook, July 12, To Benjamin Franklin, Efq; Philadelphia. Upon the thirteenth of July an anfwer to this letter was fent by Dr. Franklin to Lord Viscount Howe in which there are feveral remarks which had they been attended to, might have prevented the fhedding of much innocent blood. The tenor of the letter follows: I received I received fafe, the letters your lordship so kindly forwarded to me, and beg you to accept my thanks. The official dispatches to which you refer me, contain nothing more, than what we had feen in the act of parliament, viz. offering pardon upon fubmiffion, which I was forry to find, as it muft give your lordship pain, to be fent fo far upon fo hopelefs a bufinefs. Directing pardon to the colonists, who are the very parties injured, expreffes indeed, that opinion of our ignorance, bafeness, and infenfibility, which your uninformed and proud nation has long been pleased to entertain of us; but it can have no other effect than that of encreafing our refentment. It is impoffible that we should think of fubmiffion to a government, that has with the most wanton barbarity and cruelty burnt our defenceless towns in the midst of winter; excited the favages to maffacré peaceful farmers, and our flaves to murder their masters; and is even now bringing foreign mercenaries to deluge our fettlements with blood. These attrocious injuries have extinguished every fpark of affection for that parent countrywe once held fo dear; but were it poffible for us to forget them it is not poffible for you, I mean the British nation, to forgive the people you have fo heavily injured; you can never confide again in thefe as fellow fubjects, and permit them to enjoy equal freedom to whom you know you have given fuch juft caufes of lafting enmity: and this must impel you, if we are again under your government, to endeavour the breaking of our fpirits by the feverest tyranny, and obferving by every means in your power, our growing ftrength and profperity. But your lordship mentions the king's paternal folicitude for promoting the eftablifhment of lafting peace and union with the colo. nies. If by peace is here meant, a peace to be entered into by diftin&t ftates, now at war, and his majefty has given your lordship power to treat with us: of such peace, I may venture to say, though without authority, that I think a treaty for that purpofe not quite impracticable, before we enter into foreign alliances; but I am perfuaded you have no fuch powers. Your nation, though (by punishing those American governors who have fomented the difcord, rebuilding our burnt towns, and repairing as far as poffible the mischiefs done us) fhe might recover a great share of our regard, and the greatest fhare of our growing commerce, with all the advantages of that additional ftrength to be derived from a friend fhip with us; yet I know too well her abounding pride, and deficient wifdom, to believe the will ever take fuch falutary measures. Her fondness for conqueft as a warlike nation, her luft of dominion as an ambitious one, and her thirft for a gainful monopoly as a commercial one ( none of them legitimate caufes of war) will all join to hide from her eyes every view of her true interest, and will continually goad her on in thefe ruinous diftant expeditions, fo deftructive, both of lives and of treasure, that they must prove as deftructive to her in the end, as the Croifades formerly were to most of the nations in Europe. I have not the vanity, my lord, to think of intimidating, by thus predicting the effects of this war; for I know it will in England, have the fate of all former predictions, not to be believed till the event fhall verify it. Long did I endeavour, with unfeigned and unwea ried zeal, to preserve from breaking, that fine and noble china vafe the British empire; for I know, Z z that |