After a very short recess of one month, Congress again assembled at Philadelphia. They immediately took under their consideration the state of the colonies, and letters of the commander in chief. The scarcity of arms and ammunition continued to be an alarming difficulty, which cramped all their military movements, and which their utmost efforts had been unable to remove. They not only applied large sums towards obtaining these articles on continental account, but recommended it to the state conventions, to use all the means in their power to effect the same object. These exertions were not entirely unsuccessful. They had the address to purchase all the powder on the coast of Africa, even within the British forts, without attracting notice; and they seized the magazine in the island of Bermudas, the inhabitants of which were well disposed to favour the attempt, and were restrained only by their inability to act efficiently, and by the insecurity of their situation, from making one common cause with the continental colonics. They also made great exertions towards the internal manufacture of gunpowder, and the obtaining within themselves, saltpetre and sulphur, the principal materials in the composition of that all-important article. All these measures, however, could not afford adequate supplies, and the danger resulting from the want of an article so vitally essential in war, still continued to be very great.

The

The importance of a maritime force to the military operations of a country possessing an immense extent of sea coast, must always be felt very sensibly; and the particular attention of the united colonies was, in a very early period of the contest, directed more immediately to this interesting object, by an event not very unusual in the period of hostilities, but which, at the time, excited no small degree of resentment.

Orders had been issued in his Majesty's name to the commanders of his ships of war, to proceed, as in the case of actual rebellion, against their sea port towns and places, which were accessible to the king's ships, and in which any troops should be raised or military works erected.

The town of Falmouth, a flourishing village on the sea side of Massachussetts, having given some particular offence, its destruction was determined on, and, under colour of these orders, a small naval force commanded by Captain Mowat, was detached for that purpose. On his arrival, about three o'clock in the evening of the 17th, he gave notice that he was directed to burn every sea port town between Boston and Halifax; and that, as a favour to Falmouth, he had obtained permission to suspend the execution of his orders till the next morning, provided they would send him eight of their small arms. This proposition was acceded to, and the next day the committee of the place

waited on him to endeavour to save the town.

He

offered to wait for further orders from his Admiral,

provided they would deliver up all their arms of every sort, with all their ammunition, and four of their citizens, as hostages.

This extraordinary demand not being complied with, a furious cannonade and bombardment was commenced, by which the town was reduced to ashes. An attempt was then made to penetrate into the country, but the militia and minute men, rather irritated than intimidated by this wanton act of unavailing devastation, drove the party which had landed back to their ships, with loss.

This measure was very strongly reprobated throughout America, and was a mean of stimulating the attention of the united colonies to their marine, and hastening their preparations for retaliating injuries sustained at sea, as far as might be in their power. It was one immediate motive with the convention of Massachussetts, for granting letters of marque and reprisal, and was assigned by Congress, in addition to the capture of American merchantmen on the high seas, as an inducement for fitting out some ships of war, to man which they directed two battalions of marines to be recruited, and articles of war were framed for the government of their little navy.

Though general letters of reprisal were not immediately granted by Congress to their conti

nental

nental cruisers, a measure of equal efficacy, but less hostile in appearance, was adopted. Their ships of war were authorized to capture all vessels employed in giving assistance to the enemy in any manner whatever; and no capture could be made which might not be construed to come within the terms used in their resolution. At the repeated and pressing instances of the Commander in Chief, they also established courts to take cognizance of prizes, and adopted for their government the general principles of national law. A few small

cruisers had been already fitted out under the authority, and by the directions of General Washington, and the coast soon swarmed with the privateers of New England. These naval exertions were attended with the most valuable consequences. Many captures were made, and very important supplies of ammunition, without which it would have been scarcely possible to have maintained the blockade of Boston, were thus obtained. The cruisers of Massachussetts were particularly successful; and the enemy, who seem to have been under no apprehension of an attack on what was deemed their peculiar element, smarted very severely under these first essays of the colonists in maritime war.

Captain Manly, of the Lee privateer, was remarkably active and fortunate. He made many very valuable captures of vessels laden with mi

VOL. II.

Y

litary

litary stores; the most important and acceptable of which, was a large ordnance ship, having on board a very considerable cargo of arms and ammunition, with a complete assortment of such working tools, utensils, and machines, as were most needed in the American camp.

In addition to those prizes which contributed to relieve the most urgent wants of the provincial army, several were made which very much increased the distress of the British troops. The extreme difficulty and uncertainty of obtaining adequate supplies of fresh provisions, vegetables, and fuel, in America, had determined the English government to furnish their army in Boston with those necessary articles from Europe. After they had been purchased and shipped at a very enormous price, the vessels containing them were so long tossed about by contrary winds, that a great proportion of the live stock perished, most of the vegetables were destroyed by fermentation, and when the scattered fleet, laden with what remained of this cargo, reached the American coast, very many of the ships were taken by the continental and provincial cruisers. The miscarriages of supplies, which were so much needed in Boston, essentially affected the army in that place *.

The distress produced in the West Indies by the

*Belsham.