union from the parent country. He commences with obferving

that the love of liberty is fo natural, and that fuch is the averfion of mankind to reftraint, that it seems to be in the very nature of colonies, and of all fubordinate governments, to feize every favourable opportunity of afferting their independance; and that the external afpect of nature confpires with that noble paffion to check the progrefs of empire, and to maintain an interefting diverfity among tribes and nations.

When the United States of North America (he proceeds to remark,) took up arms, and declared themselves independant, they were not encouraged by any conjuncture that could justify that meature in point of policy, nor by any circumftance that could yield a reafonable hope of fuccefs in the arduous struggle which was to enfue. On the contrary, from taking a view of the trength and refources of Great Britain at the commencement of hoftilities, and contrafting it with the weakness and almoft total inability of the colonies, we fhall have reafon to conclude that the termination of the war in favour of the latter, with their final feparation from the British empire, was one of thofe extraordinary and unexpected events which bids defiance to all human forefight and calculation.

The North American provinces lie between the thirtieth and fiftieth degrees of northern latitude; and within these bounds they experience higher degrees of heat and cold than are known in European climates that are fimilarly fituated. The philofopher will find amufement in contemplating the effect which is produced on the human frame and conftitution, by the influence of climate and employment. In the provinces of New England, where nature has been lefs bountiful in the productions of the earth, he will find a race of men, healthy, vigorous, penetrating, and active. In the middle colonies, he will fee farmers who are robuft, frugal, perfevering, and industrious; plain and honeft in their dealings, but of rude and unpliant manners; with little penetration and lefs knowlege. In most of the fouthern colonies, he will meet with a people of pallid complexion and fwarthy hue, of form rather tall and lender, unfit and unaccustomed to labour, with an averfion to bufinefs, and a fondness for pleafure; luxurious, fhewy, and expenfive, yet fenfible, fhrewd, and intelligent; of open and friendly difpofitions, and extremely hofpitable.

The colonies in America were chiefly formed by those whom perfecution forced into a voluntary exile:-men who had either fuffered, or expected to fuffer, during the intolerant administration of Archbishop Laud. Surely it is not perfectly candid in Mr. Stedman to characterize them as puritans in religion, republicans in their notions of government, and of the fame

party and principles with thofe who afterwards overturned the government of England in both church and ftate, and brought their fovereign to the block.' These restless fpirits,' he concludes, were encouraged to emigrate' because their 'refractory conduct, machinations, and plots, had begun to give fo much difturbance to government:'-we always thought that they were driven to expatriate themselves on account of the hardships and fufferings which their religious fentiments excited. Reprobating as we do the idea of perfecuting men merely on account of their opinions, either on civil or religious fubjects, we should have been pleased with the warmth of the author when (peaking of the perfecuted Catholics by whom Virginia was colonized, had his liberality equally extended to the equally injured Protestants. To the everlafting difgrace (he fays) of that narrow-minded and intolerant age, it is recorded that two hundred popish families, and many of them of diftinction, chose to encounter the dangers of the fea, the fury of favages, and all the multiplied inconveniences, evils, and hardships of a new, unexplored, and unsheltered country, rather than longer remain expofed to the cruel oppreffion of their unrelenting perfecutors.' Would the justice or the beauty of the foregoing paragraph be lefs evident if applied to the cafe of the puritans?

Tracing the steps by which the breach between the colonies and the mother-country was widened, Mr. Stedman feverely condemns the conduct of minifters in reviving an obsolete statute of Henry the 8th for the trial of treafons committed beyond the seas. This attempt gave the most serious concern to those inhabitants of the colonies whofe attachment to Great Britain was yet unfhaken.

< To be torn from a man's family and friends, (Mr. S. remarks,) tranfported across an extenfive ocean, landed in a firange country as a prifoner and criminal, and tried by a jury not of his vicinage but of ftrangers, unacquainted with him or his character, and whom even the important formality of bringing the prifoner from fuch a distance to England for trial would be apt to imprefs with an idea of extraordinary guilt-all thefe, with others which might be mentioned, were circumstances of fuch hardship as could not fail to arrest the attention of even the most careless and unthinking colonist, and incline him to question the foundation of an authority liable to be exercised in a way fu oppreffive. In fact, the threatened revival of this arbitrary statute alienated the affection of the loyal and well-difpofed amongst the inhabitants of the colonies, more than any thing which the British parliament had yet attempted. Even thofe who were most friendly to government, and who on other occafions were accustomed to justify to their neighbours the proceedings of parliament, shrunk from the defence of it. It was univerfally reprobated as an unjuftifiable meafure, from the practical exercife of which every feeling mind must revolt with horror,'

We

We do not, with Mr. Stedman, think it at all probable that, the difmiffion of Dr. Franklin from his office of joint deputy poftmafter-general for America influenced his fubfequent conduct in the American conteft.' That great man, we are well convinced, was attached from principle to the cause of liberty; and fo far are we from confidering his difmiffion as the cause, that we are rather inclined to view it as the effect, of his zeal for the intereft of America.

The firft blood which was fhed in the conteft between Great Britain and the colonies was at Lexington in the neighbourhood of Bofton. As the British troops advanced on their march, (fays Mr. S.) they faw a body of men affembled under arms on a green adjoining the road. Upon the near approach of the British troops, who queftioned them as to the cause of their being fo affembled, and ordered them to difperfe, they retired in fome confufion. But, as they went off, feveral guns were fired upon the king's troops from behind a ftone-wall, and from fome adjoining houfes, which wounded one man, and shot Major Pitcairne's horfe in two places. The British troops now returned the fire.' This account materially differs from that of Dr. Ramfay, who reprefents the British as the aggreffors at Lexington. "The Lexington militia," fays he," collected a fecond time, to the number of 70, between four and five o'clock in the morning, and the Britifh regulars foon after made their appearance. Major Pitcairne, who led the advanced corps, rode up to them and called out, " Disperse, you rebels, throw down your arms and difperfe." They ftill continued in a body, on which he advanced nearer-discharged his piftol-and ordered his foldiers to fire. A difperfion of the militia was the confequence, but the firing of the regulars was nevertheless continued. Individuals, finding they were fired upon though difperfing, returned the fire." Which of these accounts is the moft accurate, we cannot pretend to determine.

The retreat of the Americans from Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776, was effected in 13 hours, though 9000 men had to pass the river, befides field artillery, ammunition, provifions, horses, carts, &c.

The circumstances of this retreat were particularly glorious to the Americans. They had been driven to the corner of an ifland, where they were hemmed in within the narrow space of two fquare miles. In their front was an encampment of near twenty thousand men; in their rear an arm of the sea, a mile wide, which they could not cross, but in feveral embarkations. Notwithstanding these difficulties, they fecured a retreat without the lofs of a man. The pickets of the English army arrived only in time to fire upon their rear-guard, al

ready too far removed from the shore to receive any damage. Sir William Howe had early intelligence fent him of the retreat of the Americans; but a confiderable time had elapfed before a pursuit was ordered. Sir William Howe at length, however, defired lord Percy to order a purfuit; but it was too late. The enemy had effected their retreat, which was rendered lefs hazardous from the want of frigates in the Eaft River between Long Island and New York. Had any armed ships been ftationed there, it would have been impoffible for them to have made their efcape. The Eaft River is deep enough for a feventy-four gun fhip to ride at anchor. Washington thought himself happy in getting fafe with his papers from Long Island, having croffed to New York in a small boat. Had two or even one frigate moored as high up as Red-Hook, as the Phoenix and Rofe men of war had done before, the one carrying forty-four guns, and the other twenty-eight, the retreat of the Americans would have been cut off moft completely; and indeed fo decided were the Americans themselves in this opinion, that, had only a ingle frigate been ftationed in the Eaft River, they muft have furrendered at difcretion. It is to be observed, that in the very fame boats in which the Americans croffed from New York to Long lfland, they re-croffed after their defeat from Long Island to New York, the boats having lain for three days on the Long Island fhore in readiness to carry them off. Now it is evident that this fmall craft, by the above precaution, might have been effectually deftroyed.

In reviewing the actions of men, the hiftorian is often at a loss to conjecture the fecret causes that gave them birth. It cannot be denied but that the American army lay almost entirely at the will of the English. That they were therefore fuffered to retire in fafety, has by fome been attributed to the reluctance of the commander in chief to fhed the blood of a people fo nearly allied to that fource from, whence he derived all his authority and power. We are rather inclined to adopt this idea, and to fuppofe motives of miftaken policy, than to leave ground for an imagination that the escape of the Americans refulted from any want of exertion on the part of Sir William Howe, or deficiency in the military science.'

Mr. Stedman's account of General Washington's fituation at Valley Forge forms an interefting contraft with the luxury and diffipation of the British troops during the fame period at Philadelphia. The conduct of Sir William Howe is feverely cenfured in fuffering the American General to remain in an infirm and dangerous ftate, unmolefted, from December to May; for, had he led his troops to action, victory was in his power, and conqueft in his train.'

Paffing over a long feries of events which are well known, we come to the defeat of the British troops at the Cowpens; and, as this event, in the opinion of Mr. S. formed a principal link in the chain of circumftances which led to the independance of America, we fhall give his account of it: (vol. ii. p. 321, &c.)

• Lieutenant

Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton refolved, without lofs of time, to make an attack upon the Americans. Advancing within two hundred and fifty yards of their first line, he made a hafty difpofition of his force. The light and legion infantry, and the feventh regiment, were ordered to form in line, a captain, with fifty dragoons, being attached to each of their flanks; and the first battalion of the feventy-first regiment, and the reft of the cavalry, were directed to form as a referve, and wait for orders. This difpofition being fettled, Tarleton, relying on the valour of his troops, impatient of delay, and too confident of fuccefs, led on in perfon the first line to the attack, even before it was fully formed, and whilt Major Newmarth, who commanded the feventh regiment, was pofting his officers: neither had the referve yet reached the ground which it was to occupy. The first line of the Americans being composed of militia, did not long withstand the charge of the British regulars: it gave way in all quarters, and was purfued to the continentals. The latter, undifmayed by the retreat of the militia, maintained their ground with great bravery; and the conflict between them and the British troops was oblinate and bloody. Captain Ogilvie, with his troop of dragoons on the right of the British line, was directed to charge the left flank of the enemy. He cut his way through their line, but being expofed to a heavy fire, and, at the fame time, charged by the whole of Washington's cavalry, was compelled to retreat in confufion. The British referve now received orders to move forward; and as foon as the line felt the advance of the feventyfirst regiment, the whole again moved on. The continentals, no longer able to ftand the shock, were forced to give way. This was the critical moment of the action, which might have been improved fo as to fecure to the British troops a complete victory. An order, it is faid, was difpatched to the cavalry to charge the enemy when in confufion; but if fuch an order was delivered, it was not obeyed; and the infantry, enfeebled by their fatiguing march in the morning, through fwamps and broken grounds, and by their fubfequent exertions in the action, were unable to come up with the flying enemy. The critical moment loft on the one fide was eagerly feized on the other. The American commander, finding that the British cavalry did not purfue, gave orders to Lieutenant-col. Washington to cover with his dragoons the rear of the broken provincials, whilft he exerted himself to the utmost to rally them. His endeavours fucceeded: the continentals were rallied and formed, and now in their turn charged the affailants. In diforder from the purfuit, and unfupported by the cavalry, fuch of the British infantry as were farthest advanced, receiving this unexpected charge, fell back in confufion, and communicated a panic to others, which foon became general. Washington charged with his cavalry; and a total rout enfued. The militia who had fled, feeing the fortune of the day changed, returned and joined in the purfuit. The British infantry were foon overtaken, as the fame caufes which retarded them in the purfuit, now impeded their flight; and almoft the whole were

This was a divifion of the American army, under the command of General Morgan.