of mankind, was now determined to practife according to his own plan of manoeuvres. He perceived by á kind of intuition all the woods and fwamps in America, and had fo formed his plan of operation, that the General was not at liberty to deviate, one inch from his appointment. In this refpect, the General was altogether crampel in his commiffion, and was urder the neceflity either to run headlong to his own deftruction, or to difobey the orders of his fuperiors.Perhaps the commander in chief in this expedition over-rated his own abilities, and rafhly engaged to perform a task which he had not perfectly examined, nor thoroughly understood; and he is greatly to be blamed for perfifting to execute a plan which he found concerted by folly, ignorance, and ambition. No General who knew the duties of his office would have engaged to purfue the plan of any minifter of ftate, without having a discretionary power of directing the fubordinate measures according to the best of his own judgment. It was fully perceived by all difcerning perfons, that the minifter had no fettled plan of the American war, though he obftinately perfifted in carrying it on, and would not deviate from the feveral schemes of his own folly and ignorance, which he had begun. Whether he was the dupe of falfe information, or wilfully contrived inconfiftencies, is not altogether evident; but his own account of the state of America was glaringly prepofterous. At one time he gave out that they were only a trifling mob, and that ninetenths of the people were zealous for government; →→ and yet what is exceedingly ftrange, this large and vast majority fuffered themselves to be fleeced and driven like fheep by that ragged handful of their own rabble. rabble. The next day, when all the feudal dungeons of Germany were to be fcoured for military flaves to cut the throats of thefe rebels, and the fubftance of Britain exhausted to maintain them, the Americans were become numerous, and powerful. The delufion was become highly contagious, and they were to be brought to their fenfes by nothing fhort of the exertion of the whole ftrength of the mother country.-We were again told that the colonifts were all cowards; that the fight of an English grenadier, was fufficient to throw a whole province into a panic; but what feemed ftrangely inconfiftent, was, that near 60,000 men, with an immenfe naval force, fhould be fent to reduce thefe cowards and poltroons. This fort of inconfiftency plainly fhewed, that the ministry had no true intelligence of matters of fact, but were ready to believe those flavish wretches their governors in America, who only told them ftories agreeable to their depraved inclinations, and fuited their lies to their own intereft, and the ambition of the court. > The affair of Saratoga, was a difmal commentary upon the ignorance and inconfiftency of the Minden Hero and his brethren; he could not now deny that one of the best appointed armies that ever had been fent from Europe to America had been obliged to deliver up their arms, and furrender to thofe that he had reprefented as a contemptible rabble, without dif cipline. of It was now that the minifters began to talk peace, and to affirm what all the world know to be falfe, that they were inclined to peace from the beginning; but the truth of the matter was, they could not tell what to fay: they were catched in their own fnare, and entangled in toils of their own making.They now began to feel that the American war was a very ferious affair, and produced events totally beyond the reach of their apprehenfion. But what methods to purfue were not eafily to be determined; they had no wisdom to devife proper plans; they had no defire for peace, and they knew not how to carry on the war. Their enemies began now to collect all their mifcarriages, and point out their caufes. Among many others, the hiring and employing favages was fully difcuffed, and it must be allowed that this measure will, as long as the history thereof is handed down to pofterity, difgrace the prefent reign, and thofe minifters that promoted it. The fums spent in hiring favages were enormous, and their fervice rather hurtful than ufeful to those who employed them, and a difgrace to any government. Their method of making war is horrible, and fhocking to the manners of all ci: vilized nations: it far exceeds the ferocity of any other barbarions that have been recorded by either ancient or modern hiftory. Thefe favages have but two principal objects in all their wars; the one is the indulgence of their native cruelty, by the deftruction, or if poffible, the extermination of their enemies. } and the other, which depends upon the former, is the glo ry of acquiring the greatest number of fcalps, which are hung up and preferved with the greatest care in their huts, as perpetual trophies of victory, conqueft, and perfonal prowess. As they have neither pecuniary emoluments, nor thofe honorary titles or diftinctions which are fo flattering in civilized nations, to beftow, the rewards of danger and warfare confifts in human scalps, in human fl.h, and the gratifications arifing from torturing, mangling, roafting alive by flow fires, and frequently even devouring their captives. Thefe are the re wards |