lion will not always bear testimony to his sufferings in the struggle. The ligaments that were rent asunder by the revolution may never unite-ought never to unite: but their sensibility will be deadened, and the remembrance of the agony pass away. Mutual justice will then be done. America will bear testimony to the home of her fathers; and Great Britain will look with admiration upon the heroick aspect of her youngest born. America will be the first to oppose all who would disturb the venerable majesty of her parent; while that parent will see her age renewed, her chivalry awakened, her genius rekindled, and the stupendous resurrection of British greatness in the western world. It will no longer be pretended on the one hand that the country of mountains and waters could exhibit only the degeneracy of creation; that she has produced no great captains; no legislators; no philosophers; nor, on the other hand, will it be maintained, that all her generals were soldiers ; all her legislators statesmen; all her writers Bacons or Newtonsbut the few that she had will be plucked from oblivion, and distinguished from the multitude. Less will be asked by America, and more will be granted by Great Britain, till both unite in admiration for the truly great of both countries. May that hour speedily arrive! But it must be the work of another and a nobler age, when men shall no longer be ashamed to feel, nor afraid to speak.

CHAPTER XVI.

Interesting remarks on the State of the Army-Defeat of Arnold on the Lakes-State of preparations at Ticonderoga-Advantages gained by the British in the Campaign-Heroick determination of Washington-His retreat through the Jerseys. Desperate situation of American affairs-Capture of General Lee-Issue of the Campaign-Measures of Congress-Brilliant affair at Trenton: at Princeton-Their effects on the Publick mind-Skirmishing-Treatment of Prisoners.

HAVING in the preceeding chapter followed Washington through a succession of retreats, evacuations, and disasters, from the defeat at Long Island, when at the head of nearly twenty-five thousand men -to his arrival at Newark, after the loss of Forts Washington and Lee, when his army was reduced to about three thousand five hundred, and constantly diminishing, it may be proper to show how the spirits of the people were affected by the operations of their army in other quarters; whether they were supported by counteracting triumphs, or disheartened by further and accumulated defeats and disgraces.

In the course of the preceding detail, innumerable eircumstances, shewing the disorder and weakness prevailing in the American army, have been arranged and exhibited. The laxity of discipline, the trivial punishments inflicted for the most alarming and destructive crimes, such as disobedience, fraud, sleeping on the watch, collectively establish the fact, that the soldiery, so far from being in a state of subjection, was nearly independent of all order and laws. Their

officers could not, and dared not punish them. These dreadful irregularities were at last reduced to some degree of order. On the 10th of September, the Board of War produced a series of articles, defining and regulating the duties and prescribing punishment for offences in the army.

Had this been properly done at the commencement of the war, the revolution would have been completed at furthest, in two campaigns, then every man who enlisted, would enter under a supposed obligation to do his duty, and his punishment for not doing it, would have been considered as an act of justice; now it had been delayed so long, that the troops had a law of their own-it was published by all those who returned from the army, from one end of the country to the other, and new punishment, or greater severity would be regarded not as justice, but as cruelty. Yet, late as it came, it was a vast effort towards perfection. Soldiers began to take a pride in the profession when they found those who were a disgrace to it, no longer screened from punishment and infamy, no longer participating in the glory of the high minded and virtuous.

Something of the unsettled and arbitrary notions which had hitherto prevailed respecting the duties of a military officer, will be seen in the progress of the following relation. The commanding General exercised a power little less than absolute and the subordinate officers were proportionably despotick.

On the 15th of July, General Arnold had left Montreal and crossed from the island of Longuiel to the continent, on the route to Chamblee. A great part of the British fleet and army had just sailed for the same place, and would have arrived but for a

failure of wind, about the same time with General Arnold.

The General when he left Montreal, brought off a large quantity of merchandize, which he directed Colonel Hazen to take charge of: He had previously directed Captain, afterwards General Wilkinson, to seize his goods, but with the spirit of a soldier, he ventured to remonstrate, and was excused. They were afterwards sold, and Arnold pocketted the proceeds. A circumstance which induced Capt. Wilkinson to leave his family. The Colonel disapproving of the whole measure, absolutely refused obedience. This refusal exceedingly exasperated the irritable Arnold. When they reached Crown Point, a part of the goods was missing, the owners had followed them with their invoices and claimed a restoration, and a court martial was assembled for the trial of Colonel Hazen on charges, preferred by General Arnold. The Colonel was honourably acquitted; but, such was the intemperate conduct of Arnold towards the court, that they were about punishing him for contempt, but first demanded his arrest of General Gates, a demand to obviate which in the plenitude of military authority he only replied by immediately dissolving the court and appointing Arnold the next day to the command on the lake. General Arnold was a remarkably active daring man, and at that time the want of his services might not have been easily supplied; much therefore should be allowed in palliation of the contempt here shown by General Gates to the court when they had deliberately complained of Arnold. The court continued sitting notwithstanding their dissolution by General Gates, till they had finished the examination, given

judgment, and prepared their proceedings to be laid before Congress.

At the same time other charges were preferred against General Arnold by Colonel Brown who complained that the general charged him with having plundered the baggage of officers contrary to the articles of capitulation; but General Gates had already determined upon him to command the fleet on Lake Champlain, and no attention was paid to the complaints of Colonel Brown.

There could not have been a better choice for the command of the little navy, which was to dispute with that of great Britain for the possession of the Lake; for, with all the evil qualities of his nature, which may be traced to one weakness-profligacy; he had a resolute fearlessness, which qualified him, better than any other man in common, for desperate enterprises.

The successful operations of the British in Canada, and the failures on the part of the Americans, having put an end to all prospects of its annexation to the states, much of the great interest which had been excited for the northern department, by the heroick Montgomery, and the successive disasters of the American forces, had entirely disappeared; yet there were some questions of great magnitude, remaining to be decided in that quarter. The command of the Lakes had long been a subject of the deepest interest. A war of conquest was no longer a theme of speculation with the Americans; but their whole energies were now to be directed for the defence of the northern frontier against the encroachments of Britons, and the devastion of savages. The successes of the British were of a nature to excite the