poffible means in his power, or make the beft diverfion he could in his favor."

Doubtlefs, in this critical fituation, the most unlimited difcretion ought to have been vefted in lord Cornwallis, confidering the extreme uncertainty of affording him timely and effectual fuccor, either to have retreated to Carolina, or to have attacked the enemy previous to the arrival of the combined army. "But being affured," to ufe the words of lord Cornwallis," that every poffible means would be tried by the navy and army for his relief, he did not think himself at liberty to attempt either, though he had fo unfavourable an opinion of the poft he occupied, that nothing but these affurances would have induced him to attempt its defence."

It is evident that the leading ideas of the two British generals did not coincide; and it may be remarked, that from the moment lord Cornwallis began to act in fubordination to orders fent him from New York, he ceased to be fuccefsful-So effential is it that the fupreme command fhould refide in the centre of action. The commander in chief was at this period no more than the governor of a diftant garrifon; but had fir Henry Clinton joined lord Cornwallis in perfon at his entrance into Virginia, or had the fupreme command been then transferred to lord Cornwallis, the campaign, fo far as we are authorised to draw a conclufion from concurring probabilities, would not have terminated fo difaftrously.

On the 5th of September the English fleet, confisting of nineteen fhips of the line, under admiral Graves, appeared off the Capes of Virginia; and count de Grafs, expecting a reinforcement from Rhode Island, ftood out to sea for their protection. A warm engagement enfued, in which the English appear not to have obtained the advantage; and the count de Graffe, being joined by the fquadron of M. Barras, was left undisputed master of the Chesapeak. Relief was from this time wholly impracticable; and lord

Cornwallis

Cornwallis withdrew within his works, making every preparation for a vigorous defence. The military talents of this commander, though of no mean rate, were neverthelefs unequal to fo novel and perilous an exigency.

On the 17th of September the fagacity of general Green pronounced, in writing to his military friend and corref pondent, baron Steuben, "Nothing can fave lord Cornwallis but a rapid retreat through North Carolina to Charleftown." But his lordfhip ftill lingered, and still indulged eager and fruitlefs hopes of fuccor. York-town being fituated nearly at the extremity of a narrow peninfula, inclofed between York-river to the north and James-river to the fouth, it was invefted with great eafe and advantage by an enemy who commanded the navigation of the two rivers.

On the 14th of October the besiegers, notwithstanding the well-directed and inceffant fire of the enemy, had advanced far in their fecond parallel. Being greatly incommoded in their approaches by two redoubts at the distance of two hundred yards from the British lines, it was determined to attack them at the fame time by different detachments of French and Americans. Actuated by the spirit of emulation, both redoubts were carried fword in hand. with refiftlefs impetuofity. On marching to the affault, the general exclamation was, " Remember New London!" a place on the coaft of Connecticut, which the renegade Arnold, in one of his predatory expeditions, had recently taken and destroyed, putting the troops which defended · it to the fword. On the fubmiffion, neverthelefs, of the British ftationed in the two redoubts, their lives were fpared: and when the Americans were afterwards interrogated why they did not carry their previous refolve into execution, they replied, "they could not tell how to put men to death while begging on their knees for quarter." By this time the batteries of the befiegers were covered with one hundred pieces of heavy ordnance; and the Bri

tilh

tifh works, enfiladed in almoft every part, and nearly demolished, could fcarcely mount a fingle gun. In this extremity no other refource remained than to endeavour to tranfport the garrifon acrofs York-river to Glocetter-point, oppofite to York-town, where works had been alfo erected, and were ftill occupied by part of the British army. But this intention being totally fruftrated by a violent ftorm after the embarkation had actually commenced, lord Cornwallis was reduced to the hard and terrible neceffity of propofing terms of capitulation, which were granted only on condition of his lordthip's furrendering himself, and the forces under his command, to the amount of above 7000 men, prifoners of war. The honor of marching out with colors flying, which had been refused to general Lincoln on his giving up Charlestown, was now refuted to lord Cornwallis; and general Lincoln was appointed to receive the fubmiffion of the army of York-town, precifely in the fame way his own had been conducted eighteen months before.

Such was the final iffue of the eager hopes and fanguine expectations excited by the firft brilliant fucceffes of this noble and gallant commander. The joy of the Americans on the capture of a fecond royal army was unbounded. In a circuitous march of 1100 miles, from Charlestown to Williamsburg, every place through which they paffed experienced the effects of their rapacity: and instead of endeavouring to conciliate the minds of the inhabitants by acts of lenity, they alienated even thofe who were most friendly, by their relentless and fyftematic severity. Yet was lord Cornwallis, as an individual, generous, difinterefted, and humane; but the favorite and avowed maxim of the British government at this time, a maxim from which the military commanders feem not to have thought themselves at liberty to depart, was, "that the extreme of rigor, by making the war intolerable, and refiftance hopeless, was in effect the greatest mercy, and the mode of

all

all others to be adopted, therefore, by the parental affection of Britain for reclaiming his majefty's deluded fubjects of America." A marble column, with a fuitable infcription and trophies, was ordered by the congrefs to be erected at York-town, in commemoration of this glorious and decifive event; and a folemn thanksgiving to Almighty God was appointed throughout all the ftates of the union, "for the fignal fucceffes with which he had vouchfafed to blefs the armies of America, combating in defence of their rights and liberties."

The remaining mifcellaneous tranfactions of the year must now be fuccinctly noticed.

Early in the fpring governor Johnstone, late one of the commiflioners to America, was invefted with a naval command, and with a confiderable squadron was detached on an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. The court of Verfailles, knowing the prefent inability of the states general to protect their foreign dominions, fent a fuperior fquadron under M. Suffrein to counteract the defigns of the English; and coming up with them at Port Praya, in the island of St. Jago, the French admiral fcrupled not to violate the neutrality of the Portugueze flag, by attacking the fquadron of commodore Johnstone while it lay difperfed and scattered, unfufpicious of danger, in the harbor. Happily the French, rather by extraordinary efforts of valor on the part of the British seamen, than of skill on that of their commander, were beaten off; but immediately proceeding to the Cape, they effectually secured that important fettlement from any hoftile attempt. Commodore Johnstone, on his fubfequent and tardy arrival, was obliged to content himself with the capture of feveral Dutch Eaft Indiamen in Saldanha bay; and thofe of his ships which were deftined for the East Indies profecuting their voyage thither, the commodore returned home with his prizes, from his inglorious though lucrative expedition.

In

In the courfe of the fummer an engagement took place off the Dogger bank, between an English fquadron commanded by admiral Hyde Parker, and a Dutch squadron of equal force under admiral Zoutman, who had under convoy the Baltic trade bound to the Texel. On perceiving the English fleet bearing down, the Dutch admiral, who was to leeward, lay-to, and the English were suffered to approach within half mufquet fhot without firing a gun, when a dreadful cannonade commenced, which was kept up without interruption for three hours and forty minutes; and the action then ceafed only becaufe the fhips on both fides, from the damages they had respectively sustained, were no longer found manageable. The Dutch, after fome time, bore away with their convoy for the Texel, which they reached with great difficulty, one of their largeft fhips finking before they could make the harbor.

Admiral Parker, who had unavailingly applied to the admiralty for a reinforcement, returned in great difcontent and in a fhattered condition to the Nore, where he received the fignal honor of a vifit from his majesty on board his own fhip, and was offered knighthood as the reward of his valor. But his haughty refufal fhewed how little he was flattered by these petty and puerile diftinctions.

The Dutch on their part bestowed rewards more liberal and folid on the officers and failors of their fleet, and admiral Zoutman was received at Amfterdam with great ap plause and acclamation: and the event of this remarkable action fhewed, that the Dutch feamen were still poffeffed of that determined courage which had diftinguished them in the days of De Ruyter and Van Tromp.

About this time the emperor, now refident in the Netherlands, iffued a placart, by which Oftend was declared to be a free port; and in the month of October he acceded in form to the armed neutrality, as the kings of Pruffia and Portugal had alfo previously done.

Notwithstanding