returned inglorious to their homes, with the tidings, that they had lost through the neglect of their general, the strong fortress of Oswego, had suffered a greater loss by disease and sickness, than was felt in the active campaign of 1755, and that their general, with his regulars, were snug in their quarters at Albany, ready for another campaign equally glorious. Dark and gloomy was the winter that followed.

CAMPAIGN OF 1757, IN AMERICA.

The spring of 1757, opened with new efforts on the part of Britain, for the defence of her American colonies. armament of eleven ships of the line, a fire-ship, bombketch, and transports, with 6 or 7000 regular troops, sailed from Cork, in the month of May, under the command of Admiral Holbourn and Commodore Holmes, and Gen. Hopson, and arrived at Halifax on the 9th of July. To support this armament, and carry into effect the plans of the last campaign, the colonies had been equally active as before, in raising and equiping their quotas of men for the field.

The views of the colonies were directed against CrownPoint, and the reduction of Canada, to root out that nest of marauders who had so long, harassed their frontiers, butchered their sons and daughters, and spared neither the aged, the infant, nor the mother, and consumed their dwellings; but the views of the minister were directed against that Louisburg, which the colonies had once taken at their own expence, in the former war, and which had been restored to France at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle Upon this division of sentiment, objects, and interest, the colonies made a stand, and refused to co-operate with their troops; their reasons were good. Oswego had fallen, and with it, the whole northern frontier was laid open to the renewed ravages of the enemy, and they feared to withdraw their troops, lest their sufferings, so fresh in their feel

ings, should be increased with the increased power of the enemy; but the commander in chief was Lord Loudon, and his commands were obeyed; and the expedition to Louisburg became the first object of the campaign.

On the 9th of July, his lordship sailed from New-York, with six thousand men, and formed a junction with General Hopson at Halifax, which gave him the command of a land force of more than twelve thousand men, with a powerful fleet, destined against Louisburg; but all this, like the relief of Oswego, was too late; France had dispatched her Brest fleet of seventeen sail of the line, with frigates and transports, and a land force of nine thousand men, which had arrived at Louisburg; thus the fortress was reinforced and deemed impregnable, and another expedition failed.

Lord Loudon returned to New-York with his accustomed moderation, and repaired to Albany. Not so with Montcalm; he was not an idle spectator of the farce that the Peer of England was acting in America; but like an able general, faithful to his king, his country, and his honor, he cut off Col. Parker, with a force detached against Fort Ticonderoga, and then advanced with a strong force to the borders of Lake George, crossed over the lake, and invested Fort William Henry, with a stronger force of Canadians, French, and Indians, than had ever taken the field before, (say 8000 men.) In six days the fort was taken by an honourable capitulation, and the garrison marched out with the honours of war; but the savages under Montcalm, regardless of the capitulation, broke into the ranks of the defenceless garrison, stripped, plundered, and butchered them, with a degree of savage cruelty and wanton barbarity, too shocking to relate; and what is more impressive, unregarded by Gen. Montcalm.

With the fall of Fort William Henry, fell all that naval. preparation, which had cost the colonies so much labour and expence, the last campaign, to cross over the lake, in

their contemplated expedition against Crown-Point and Ticonderoga. The fall of Oswego had excited great mortification and apprehension in the colonies; but the fall of fort William Henry filled the country with distress, and alarm; they already saw the enemy in Albany, the country ravaged and laid waste; the inhabitants given up to indiscriminate savage butchery; and the city in flames.

In the midst of all this loss and distress, great was their chagrin, when they learnt that Gen. Webb, who held the command of fort Edward, (at the distance of fourteen miles,) of 4000 troops, had not moved a man to the relief of Fort William Henry, nor alarmed the militia of the country for its relief; but had actually written to Colonel Monroe, the commander of Fort William Henry, with advice to capitulate, and give up the fort.

In the midst of this alarm and distress, the colonies were true to themselves; they put forth a manly and dignified effort, to reinforce their northern army; Connecticut raised, equipped, and sent on to Albany, about 5000 men, with great dispatch, and the other northern colonies were not less active; but the enemy were elated with their successes; ravaged the frontier, and laid waste with fire and sword, the fine settlements on the German Flats, on the Mohawk. At this time there were more than twenty thousand regular troops on the American station, besides the numerous troops of the colonies, and yet the strong holds of America were falling into the hands of the French, in regular succession, and the whole frontier, from Novascotia to the river Ohio, laid open to, and laid waste by the cruelties of savage war; and the enemy rioted in their ravages, conquests, and spoils, without so much as a fieldday opposition; but I forbear; the defence of America. was devoted to the honourable service of British troops, and a Peer of England had the honour to command.

Early in the season the provincials were disbanded, the regulars went into winter quarters, and, their gallant commanders were once more safe, and snug in their quarters at Albany.

This campaign, again, is above all comment; no commander could possibly have been more ably supported with a force, in all respects, adequate to all the purposes of defence, and conquest; and no commander could have been guilty of a greater waste of time, means, and expense and no commander could have possibly, under all circumstances, have done less.

We have noticed how the French and Indian wars, became the military school of the colonies, to train up their sons for the defence of their country-here let it be noticed that the dastardly conduct of a Loudon, had repeatedly taught the sons of America, to despise that British intrepidity and valour, they had formerly been accustomed to respect and revere; and the contempt which these two inglorious campaigns had taught them to feel, inspired, them with that confidence in themselves, which they were called upon to display at a future day, when Britain stretched forth the rod of tyranny over America, drew the sword upon her colonies, and armed the nation against herself, In these two campaigns New-England felt her superiority,s and when pressed by the tyrant, in 1775, she dared to display it.

Dark and mysterious are the ways of Povidence to men, during their operations; but in their effects, the wisdom of the All-wise Governor of the Universe is always displayed

CHAPTER XXXIV.

SUCCESSES OF THE LAST CAMPAIGN IN INDIA.-CHANGE IN

THE ADMINISTRATION IN ENGLAND. CAMPAIGN OF 1758,

IN AMERICA.

The affairs of Britain in India had been as unsuccessful," and sunk as low in the campaign of 1757, as the affairs of America; until God in his providence raised up a captain, now Colonel Clive, to save British India from ruin, and lay the foundation of that empire in the east, which has proved the palladium of British power to this day. After triumphing over the enemies of the British in India, in a most successful campaign, he established his conquests upon the basis of the following treaty, with the then reigning Nabob.

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"I engage that as soon as I shall be established in the government of Bengal, Behar, and Orixa, I will maintain the treaty of peace concluded with the English by Surajah Dowlah; that the enemies of the English shall be my enemies, whether they be Indians, or Europeans; that all the effects and factories of the French in Bengal, the paradise of nations, or in Behar, and Orixa, shall belong to, and remain in the possession of the English; and I will never allow them to settle in either of these provinces : that in consideration of the losses the English have sustained in the capture and plunder of Calcutta, by the Nabob,* and the charges occasioned by maintaining forces to recover their factories, I will give one crore of rupees, (equal to twelve hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling ;) and that for the effects plundered from the English inhabitants of Calcutta, I will give fifty lacks of rupees;

* Surajah Dowlah, who had ravaged the English settlements in India, and whom Colonel Clive had deposed; and set up the contracting Nabob Meer Jaffier on his throne.