the King's troops arrived, to give them a warm reception. By all that one can learn from the hiftory of this war, it seems to have been raised by the ignorance and pride of the feveral Governors of the provinces, who mifinformed government with regard to the ftate of the colonies. There does not feem to have been any of them on the fide of government," that either knew the number of their friends or the power of their enemies. Martin and his friends were totally mistaken in rating the prowefs of the infurgents, and defpifing the power of the colonifts.And it is a mistake that has prevailed at home fince the beginning, of this deftructive war, that the valour and power of our troops could not be refifted, and that the colonists were mean fpirited, cowardly, and infignificant. It must be confeffed that it is extremely difficult to regulate or refrain the caprice or violence of those leaders, who, affume authority on fuch occafions. They have not always been the wifeft in the Kingdom of Great Britain that have been fent to be Governors of our colonies: they are generally the friends of the minifter, or fome of their friends, and that is accounted a fufficient qualification.

The congrefs were not inattentive to their own interefts in the midst of thefe tumults in the different. colonies, and they turned their view to objects of importance, in all parts of the colonies. The blunders of our miniftry and their late Governors taught them wifdom. They joined execution with defign, and endeavoured to execute their plans as fpeedily as prudence required. Upon the third of March they fitted out a fquadron of five frigates, under the command of Commodore Hopkins, who failed to the Bahama iflands, when they ftripped the island of Providence,

which is the principle one, of a confiderable quantity of artillery and ftores. They were however disappointed in the powder, which they moft wanted, through the prudence of the Governor, who fent an hundred and fifty barrels of it away in a small veffel the night before they landed. They brought off the Governor, and fome other public perfons, as prifoners; and after taking feveral prizes in their return, fell in at laft with the Glafgow frigate of war, accompanied with a tender, the latter of which they took, and the former escaped with difficulty, after a fharp engagement.

All this time, Lord Dunmore, with his fleet of fugitives, continued on the coafts, and in the rivers of Virginia, and remained in a hovering fituation for a great part of the year; but as every place was now ftrictly guarded, thefe unhappy people who had put themselves under his protection, fuffered very great diftreffes. The heat of the weather, and the badness and fcarcity of water and provifions, with the clofe nefs and naftinefs of the fmall veffels, in which they were crouded, by degrees produced that infectious and malignant diftemper which is known by the name of peftilential fever. This dreadful diforder made great havoc among them, but particularly affected the negroes, moft of whom it fwept away. various adventures, in which they were drived from place to place, and from island to island, by the Virginians, feveral of the veffels were driven on fhore in a gale of wind, and the wretched fugitives became captives to their own countrymen. At laft, every place being fhut up against them, and hoftile to the remainder, and neither water nor provisions to be obtained, even at the expence of blood, it was found neceffary

After

towards

towerds the beginning of Augnst to burn the finalleft and least valuable veffels, and to fend the remainder, amounting to 40 or 50 fail, with the exiles, to feek fhelter and retreat in Florida, Bermudas, and the Weft Indies. In this manner ended the hopes entertained by the employment of the negroes, to fupprefs the rebellion in the fouthern colonies. This measure, rather invidious than powerful, tended much to inflame the difcontents in these colonies, without adding any ftrength to the King's arms. The unhappy creatures that engaged in it are faid to have perifhed almoft to a man. This conduct of Lord Dunmore's in employing the negroes, and in burning Norfolk, was extolled by the tories at home as the most righteous and heroic proceeding, and all the venal newfpapers in the nation echoed his Lordfhip's praises, and commended his tranfactions. His loffes and defeats were denied or concealed by government as long as poffible, till Dunmore's difgrace drove the miniftry to ftill more defperate experiments, and every new project to fulfil their designs, exposed more and more their folly and malignity. Every new ftep in their proceedings, demonftrated the darknefs of their understanding, and real want of fyftem and method in all they attempted to perform."

Providence for a feafon feemed alfo to frown upon their schemes and meafures, and what was either purfued without wifdom, or carried on through pride and ambition, was fruftrated by an immediate hand of providence. The fleets, tranfports, and victuallers which had been fent to America, met with exceeding bad weather in their paffage, and fo many delays and untoward circumftances of different forts befel them, that in a great degree fruftrated the end of

t

their destination. Sir Peter Parker's fquadron, which failed from Portsmouth in the end of the year, met with unexpected delays in Ireland, and bad weather afterwards, fo that they did not arrive at Cape Fear till the beginning of May, where they were detained by various caufes till the end of the month. They met there with General Clinton, who had already been from New York, and from thence proceeded to Virginia, where he had feen Lord Dunmore, and finding that no fervice could be effected at either place with his fmall force, came to this place to wait for them. This feafon of the year was very unfortunate for the troops, and much against any operations which they intended to perform. The exceffive heat rendered the troops fickly, even at Cape Fear, notwithstanding the plenty of refreshments, they procured, and the little labour they had upon their hands. They found it neceffary to do fomething, and Charlestown, the capital of South Carolina. being within the line. of Sir Peter Parker and Lord Cornwallis's inftructions, they determined to make an impreffion in that quarter. They had little information of General Howe's fituation, nor did General Clinton know of his evacuating Bofton but through the channel of an American newfpaper. And it happened unfortunately, that a veffel which General Howe had dispatched from Hallifax with orders for their proceeding to the northward met with fuch delays in her paffage that fhe did not arrive at Cape Fear till after their departure.

The fleet anchored off Charleftown bar in the be ginning of June. They were joined before they proceeded to action by the Experiment man of war; and the naval force then confifted of the Commodore

Sir Peter Parker's fhip of 50 guns; the Experiment, of the fame force; the Active, Solebay, Acteon, and Syren, of 2 8 guns each; the Sphynx, of 20, an hired armed fhip of 22, a fmall floop of war, an armed fchooner, and the Thunderer bomb-ketch. The paffage of the bar was a work of time, difficulty and danger, efpecially to the two large fhips, which tho' they had taken out their guns, and ufed every other means to lighten them as much as poffible, both touched the ground, and ftruck feveral times. The land forces were commanded by General Clinton, Lord Cornwallis, and Brigadier-General Vaughan. It is fomewhat furprizing, that at the time General Clinton failed from Boston, General Lee at the head of a strong detachment from the army before that place, immediately fet out to fecure New York, from the fuppofed attempt, the former would have made upon that city, Having fucceeded in that object, General Clinton could not but be furprized at his arrival in Virginia, to find Lee in poffeffion, and in the fame state of preparation in which he had left him at New York. Upon Clinton's departure from Cape Fear, Lee traverfed the continent with the utmost expedition, to fecure North Carolina. And at length upon the further progrefs of the fleet and army to thẹ: fouthward, General Lee again, with equal celerity, proceeded to the defence of Charlestown. It was: fcarcely credible that so much expedition could have been made by any man in fuch a warm climate at that feafon of the year, and perhaps no man ever pofted fo fwiftly amidst fo great difficulties and difadvantages.The animating fpirit of liberty, gives wings to invention, and vigour to the animal fpirits, which flaves and, dupes to power know nothing of. It could not