accommodate matters in fuch a manner, as that no fting fhould remain behind on either fide, a great referve was obferved with refpect to the particulars of the riot, as well as of the circumftances which led to it; and the curfory imperfect sketches that were published, fhewed evidently that they were not to be relied

on.

A proclamation was iffued by the council of ftate on the following day, strictly urging the magiltrates to ufe their utmost endeavours for bringing the offenders to juftice, and offering a reward of 300 dollars, for the difcovery of any of the parties concerned in the riot. And to remove the impreffion of its arifing from any popular animofity to the French, the Bofton prints laboured to fix it upon fome unknown captured British feamen, and deferters from Burgoyne's army, who had enlifted in their privateers. D'Eftaing had the addrefs to give into this idea, and to appear thoroughly fatisfied with the fatisfaction he received. The high reward produced no manner of difcovery.

The fame fpirit operated juft about the fame time, and in the fame manner, but much more violent in degree, and fatal in confequence, between the American and French feamen, in the city and port of Charlestown, South Carolina. The quarrel there began, as at Bofton, afhore, and at night, and ended in the laft extreme of hoftility, an open fight with cannon and fmall arms; the French firing from their fhips, whither they had been hastily driven from the Town,

and the Americans from the adjoining wharfs and shore. Several lives were acknowledged to be loft, and a much greater number were of course wounded.

Mr. Lowndes, the prefident and commander in chief of that colony, in the proclamation which he iffued upon the fubject, fufficiently points out the causes of the quarrel, by charging the magiftrates in the ftrongest terms, that, along with the difcovery and profecution of the rioters, they fhould ufe every poffible means in their power to prevent, for the future, all indecent, illiberal, and national reflections, against the fubjects of their great and good ally, as tending to excite refentment and ill-will among thofe, whom, by interest, treaty, and alliance, they were bound to regard as friends, and who were particularly entitled to their favour and affection. In his message to the affembly, he alfo ftrongly recommends the framing of fuch regulations, as would effectually prevent this licentioufnefs, whether in words or in actions and that body confidered the matter to he of fo ferious a nature, that they appointed a committee to revife the laws relative to feamen in that port, and to confider of ef fectual means for preventing and fuppreffing riots in the town. A reward of a thoufand pounds was offered for the difcovery of the particular perfons, who had fired fome guns, which were fatal in their effect, from one of the wharfs. We have not heard that this great reward produced any difcovery.

As the northern Colonies, particularly the province of Maffa

chufetts

chusetts, do not produce wheat in any proportion at all equal to their own confumption, and that through the continual loffes and dangers which their fupplies from the fouthern experienced in their paffage, together with fome local cautes, provifions of all forts had for fome time been fo unusually icarce and dear in the town and neighbourhood of Boston, as nearly to threaten a famine, it was generally expected, and undoubtedly apprehended by himself, that D'Estaing would have encountered great difficulties, if not actual diftrefs, from the impracticability of victualling, and the doubt even of fubfifting, his fleet at that port. He was, however, relieved from thefe difficulties and apprehenfions by a fingular fortune. The New England cruizers happened at that very period to take fuch a number of provifion veffels on their way from Europe to New York, as not only abundantly fupplied the wants of the French fleet, but furnished fuch an overplus, as was fufficient to reduce the rates of the markets at Bofton, to fomething about their ufual moderate itate. This fortunate fupply was a matter of great triumph to that people. Nov. 3d. Thus was D'Estaing enabled to quit Bofton, and to profecute his defigns in the Weft Indies, with a fleet thoroughly repaired, clean, well victualled, and his forces in full health and vigour. And thus it may be faid, without any extraordinary stretch of licence, that to all appearance, a royal fleet owed its prefervation, at leaft in a very great degree, to the induftry and fortune of a few privateers.

Previous to his departure, D'Ef

taing had publifhed a declaration, which was to be difperfed among the French Canadians, and was addreffed to them in the name of their ancient matter, the French king. The defign of this piece, and an object which was much laboured in it, was to recall the affection to their ancient government, and to`revive all the national attachments of that people, thereby to prepare them for an invafion either from France or America, and to raise their expectation and hope, to no diftant change of mafters. For thefe purpofes they were applied to and called upon, by all the endearing and flattering ties of country, blood, language, common laws, cuftoms, religion, by their former friendships, ancient glory and fellowship in arms, and even by their common participation in the dangers and misfortunes of the laft war. To touch the vanity of a people exceedingly prone to it, they were flattered by reminding them, of those peculiar military honours, diftinctions, and royal declarations, which would have been the glorious rewards of their prowefs in the French service; from which they had been fo long debarred, and which were held fo dear by all their countrymen. They were taught to confider the French and Americans as equally friends, and almoft as one people; whofe invafion of Canada, whether jointly or feparately, inftead of conveying hoftility or defolation to them, would be undertaken only to free them from the yoke of foreigners, dwelling in another hemifphere; a people differing wholly from them, in religion, manners, in language, and every thing; whofe jealous and defpotic

govern

government would fooner or later treat them as a conquered people, and undoubtedly much worse, than they had done their own late Countrymen the Americans, to whom they owed their former victories. Their future condition, in the event of this propofed emancipation from the government of Great Britain, was left almost entirely in the dark; although fome faint and diftant allufion was held out, to a fimilar ftate of freedom with that poffeffed by the British Colonies. This was a tender and jealous fubject, and the French commander thought it prudent to leave it involved in obfcurity. He feemed not altogether authorized to give up the idea, of the reftoration of Canada to the dominion of France: but he was aware, that an avowal of thofe fentiments, might have been yet imprudent with respect to that people, and would have been difgufting and alarming in the highest degree to the Americans. He, however, affured the Canadians, in the name of the French king, that all his former fubjects, who should relinquifh their dependence on Great Britain, might depend on his fupport and protection.

Admiral Byron had arrived at New York from Hallifax in the middle of September; but fo much had his fquadron fuffered in their unfortunate voyage from England, that although the great er part of them had arrived long before him at that port, yet it was a full month before he was enabled to fail again, in order to obferve M. de Etaing's motions. The fame unfortunate difpofition of the weather, which had alrea

dy produced fuch unhappy effects, feemed ftill to perfecute that commander. He had fcarcely ap peared before Boston, when he was driven of the coaft by a violent hurricane, in which the fships again fuffered fo much, that they were glad to get into fhelter at Rhode Island. This afforded the opportunity to D'Estaing, which he immediately embraced, of quitting Bolton; whilft the damage now fuftained, together with the continuance of bad weather, again cramped the operations of the British iquadron in fuch a degree, that it was not until the 14th of December, that Admiral Byron was able to fet out in purfuit of him to the West Indies,

In the mean time, as the ftate of the war, as well as the mode of conducting it, were now greatly altered from what they had been at former periods, and General Sir Henry Clinton being fenfible, that no effential fervice could be undertaken by the army at New York during the winter, and being alfo apprehenfive of the danger to which our West India iflands were expofed, determined upon fending fuch a force to that quarter, as would be at once equal to the protection of our friends, and to the annoyance of the enemy. He accordingly dif patched feveral regiments of thofe veteran, and perhaps unequalled troops, who had fo long braved every variety of climate and danger in America, to encounter along with a new enemy, all the rage of the tropical funs in the Weft Indies. This detachment, confifting of about 5,000 men, was placed under the command of Major General Grant; and the

tranf

were convoyed by Commodore Hotham, with five men of war, a bomb-veffel, and fome frigates.

It was remarkable, that they failed from Sandy Hook, on the very day that D'Estaing departed from Bofton: and that the two fleets were very near each other, both fteering the fame courfe, and in parallel lines, during fome part of the paffage, without any knowledge, on either fide, of their relative fituation. A violent gale of wind, in which both fleets were equally involved, and the French greatly difperfed, probably faved the British convoy from the danger of encountering fo unequal a force. Commodore Hotham had the fortune and ability, to keep his fleet, which was fo much more numerous, whole and together during that ftorm, to get the ftart of D'Eftaing, and to arrive without the fmalleft lofs Dec. 10th. at Barbadoes; where he joined Admiral Barrington, before Mr. Byron had been able to depart from Rhode Ifland.

An expedition, without fuffering the troops to land, was immediately undertaken from Barbadoes, for the reduction of the island of St. Lucia; an adventure attended with great and unforeseen peril; but which, in the iffue, was productive of no lefs glory to the commanders and forces both by fea and land, and of the greatest advantage in all the enfuing operations of war. The referve of the army, confifting of the 5th regiment, with the grenadiers and light infantry of the whole, under the command of Brigadier General Meadows, were landed at the

of St. Lucia, on the 13th, in the evening. That officer, with his detachment, immediately pushed forward to the heights upon the north fide of the bay, which were occupied by the Chevalier de Micoud, the French commandant, with the regular forces and militia of the island. Thefe pofts, although very difficult of accefs, he foon forced: having taken in the conflict, a field-piece with which the enemy fired upon the boats that were conveying the troops to the fhore, and a four gun battery, which greatly annoyed the fhipping at the entrance of the harbour.

While this was doing, Brigadier General Prefcot had landed with five regiments, with which he guarded the environs of the bay, and at the fame time pushed on his advanced pofts, fo as to preferve a communication during the night with the referve. As foon as the morning appeared, the referve, followed and fupported by General Prefcot, advanced to the little capital of Morne Fortune, of which they took poffeffion. The Chevalier de Micoud made the beft defence he was able; but was compelled by the fuperiority of force to retire from one poft to another, as the British troops ftill preffed forward. As the referve advanced, General Prefcot took poffeffion of the batteries and posts in their rear; and with an unexampled degree of caution and induftry, in a conteft with fo weak an enemy, was indefatigable in immediately fupplying them with artillery-officers, and men, eftablishing communications and posts for their fupport, and putting

them

tehm in the beft ftate of immediate defence, which the fhortnefs of the time could poffibly admit.

Whilft thefe meatures of fecurity were carrying into execution, General Meadows pushed forward under the heat of a burning fun, and took poffeffion of the important poft of the Viergie, which commanded the north ide of the Careenage Harbour; and Brigadier General Sir Henry Calder, with the four remaining battalions, guarded the landing place, kept up the communication with the fleet, and fent detachments to occupy feveral pofts upon the mountains, which looked down upon and commanded the fouth fide of the Grand Cul de Sac. A measure which foon after contributed not a little to the prefervation of the fleet and army, from a danger then totally unknown.

Celerity in execution, and prudence in fecuring and immediately turning to account every advantage obtained in war, were never more neceflary, nor ever more eminently displayed, than upon this occafion. It affords an ufeful leffon in a friking inftance, that nothing fhould ever be committed to chance in warfare, which any industry could fecure from fo doubtful a decifion. The force under, the Chevalier de Micoud did not feem to demand much jealoufy or caution; and no other enemy was apprehended; yet every measure of fecurity was practifed, which the prefence of a powerful, and even fuperior foe, could have induced. The event proved the wisdom of the conduct.

The laft French flag, on thofe posts which were in fight among

the neighbouring hills, was fcarcely ftruck, when M. D'Estaing, with a prodigious force, appeared in view of the fleet and army. Befides his original fquadron of twelve fail of the line, and those fhips of great force and weight of metal, he was now accompanied by a numerous fleet of frigates, privateers, and transports, with a land force, eftimated at 9,000 men. Of the latter, he had brought no inconfiderable part on board his fhips from France: the ret were compofed of regulars and volunteers from the different French islands, who, as well as the tranfports and cruizers, had been collected in readiness to join him at Martinico, being intended for the immediate reduction of the Granades, and of the island of St. Vincents; but with the farther view, and no doubtful expectation, of completely fweeping all the British leeward fettlements. In his way, on that expedition, M. D'Estaing received intelligence of the attack on St. Lucia; a circumftance which he confidered as the most fortunate that could have hap. pened, it feeming to afford the means of throwing the whole Brita force by fea and land, an eafy prey, into his hands. must be acknowledged, that if he had arrived 24 hours fooner, it feems, in all human probability, that this must have been the inevitable event. As it was, the day being far advanced, D'Estaing deferred his operations until the enfuing morning.

It

It will be neceffary here to take fome notice of the fcene of action, and of the fituation of the British forces; not confidering the