way between the landing and town. Upon their ap- 1776, proaching it, the garrifon fired upon them; then spiked up the cannon, and retired to the fort within the town. Mar. The Americans took poffeffion of that which had been 3, abandoned, and stayed there the whole night to refresh themselves. The next morning they marched forward to the town, and entered it without meeting any interruption. The officer went to the governor, and demanded the keys of the fort, which were immediately given. Upon taking poffeffion of it, he.found 40 cannon mounted and well loaded, befide a great quantity of fhot and fhells, with 15 brafs mortars, but miffed of the grand article, 150 casks of powder, which the governor carefully fent off the night before. They remained on the island, till they had gotten all the stores on board the fleet, and then the whole took their depar ture on the 17th. They brought away with them go- 17. vernor Montford Brown, the lieut. governor, and a counfellor.

The fleet fell in with a British schooner, on the east April end of Long Island, and took her. The next day they 4 took a bomb brig of eight guns and two howitzers, ten fwivels and forty-eight men, well found with all forts of ftores, arms, powder, &c. On the 6th, about one in 6. the morning, they fell in with his majefty's fhip the Glasgow (of twenty nine. pounders and 150 men) and her tender. At half paft two, the Cabot brigantine, capt. Hopkins, jun. came up with the Glasgow, and upon finding who fhe was, immediately fired her broadfide; when the Glasgow made her a return of two-fold, and with the weight of her metal damaged her fo much in her hull and rigging, as obliged her to retire for a P 4 while

1776.

while to refit. On her retiring, the Alfred of twenty nine pounders on the lower, and fix ten pounders on the upper deck, commanded by the commodore, capt. Hopkins, fen. came up and engaged the Glafgow for three glaffes, as hot as poffible on both fides. While thus engaged, the Columbus, capt. Whipple, of eighteen nine pounders on the lower, and ten fix pounders on the upper deck, ran under the Glasgow's ftern, raked her as fhe paffed, and then luft on her lee-beam, while the Annadona brig of fixteen fix pounders, took her ftation on the larboard quarter of the Glafgow; the Providence floop of twelve fix pounders altered her station occafionally. By day light the ftation of the American veffels was changed, as the two fhips had dropt on each quarter of the Glasgow, while one of the brigs kept aftern, giving a continual fire. Capt. Tyringham Howe, of the Glafgow, perceiving the force of the American fleet, feemingly increased by a large fhip and a fnow, which kept to windward as foon as the action began, and difcerning none of capt. Wallace's fleet to afford him the profpect of fupport, very prudently made all the fail he could crowd, and stood in for Newport. The bravery of capt. Howe's behaviour is to be commended. That he should have escaped from a force, fo much fuperior when united, does not give fatisfaction to the Americans, and is imputed to fome failure in conduct or courage on the fide of their commanders. Commodore Hopkins, in his account of the action, has written, "We received a confiderable damage in our fhip, but the greateft was in having our wheel rope and blocks fhot away, which gave the Glasgow time to make fail; and I did not think proper to follow, as it would

have brought on an action with the whole of their fleet, 1776and I had upward of thirty of our best seamen on board the prizes: I therefore thought it most prudent to give over the chace, and fecure our prizes; and having taken the Glasgow's tender, arrived the seventh with all the fleet" at New London. The congrefs have given April orders," that the cannon and fuch other ftores as are not neceffary for the fleet, be landed and left at New London; and that fuch of the cannon and wheels as gov. Trumbull, fhall direct, may be employed for the defence of that harbour."

Commodore Hopkins is thought not to have followed his inftructions; and to have difpleafed by departing from them. The Alfred had fix men killed and as many wounded. The Cabot had four men killed and seven wounded, the captain among the latter. The Columbus had one man who loft his arm. The Glasgow had one man killed, and three wounded by the musketry from the Americans. The main damage on each fide lay in the hulls and rigging.

Many of your papers, it is observed, are very liberal in bestowing upon the colonifts the appellation of rebels, traitors, cowards, &c. while thofe printed on this fide the Atlantic are calling the parties employed against the Americans by fea and land, pirates, banditti, minifterial butchers, butchering affaffins, cut-throats, thieves, &c. These abufive names take with the unthinking multitude, whether in high or low life, and set a keener

edge upon the spirit of party; but are productive of much cruelty, and tend to beget a rooted antipathy. You will not object to any expence, that may attend the conveyance of this letter by way of France,

16.

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1776, no other fafe one offering at prefent. My correfpondent there will cheerfully undertake the care of any you may want to forward to America.

LETTER IV.

London, May 25, 1776.

Friend G.

HE choice of George Washington efq; by con

grefs, to be commander in chief of the American army, is adjudged highly prudent by the firft military characters that have ferved in America, and who conjecture from his acceptance, that the reduction of the colonies by an armed force will be more difficult than is generally expected. The ministers of state however, are bent upon making the attempt. They have not profited by the Lexington fkirmishes, nor the Breeds-hill battle. It would be happier for the nation, would they copy the conduct of the Spanish court, toward the inhabitants of Biscay, near upon a hundred and fifty years back. In 1632, the court laid a duty upon falt, contrary to the privileges of the people. Upon this the inhabitants of Bilboa rofe, and maffacred all the officers appointed to collect it, and all the officers of the grand admiral. Three thousand troops were sent to punish

them

them for rebellion: these they fought, and totally de- 1775* feated, driving moft of them into the fea, which difcouraged the court from pursuing their plan of taxation, and induced them to leave thofe, whom they had confidered in a state of rebellion, to the full enjoyment of their ancient privileges. It is thought, that a treaty with the court of Peterburgh for 20,000 Ruffians, was at one time the last year, in confiderable forwardness ; but that the extreme diftance of the fervice, the difficulty of recall, the little probability of the return of many, and the critical ftate of public affairs through Europe, rendered it abortive, after the most fanguine hopes of fuccefs,

In all the European countries, where public affairs are a fubject of writing or converfation, the general voice is rather favorable to the Americans. In this particularly, the lower clafs of people are adverse to the war. They have boldly and without restraint condemned the conduct of their rulers in terras of the utmoft acrimony. But this has not been regarded, other than as it has obstructed the recruiting fervice, which never proceeded so heavily before. The reluctance of individuals has been striking and peculiar: they have not only refused the ufual proffers of encouragement, but reprobated, with indignation, the cause in which they were folicited to engage, and exerted themfelves to hinder others engaging. Neither proteftants, nor catholics in any number, have been prevailed upon either in England or Ireland, to inlift for the American fervice, though the bounties have been raised, and the ufual ftandard lowered, to facilitate the levies. The recruiting officers have deMr. Adams's Defence of the American Conftitutions, p. 18.

3

clared,