XVIII. 1778. The manifesto states, "That the court of Lon- BOOK don objected to recognizing the independency of America during the continuance of the truce; and it forcibly urges, as a thing very extraordinary, and even ridiculous, that the minister, lord North, had, notwithstanding this objection, proposed in the English house of commons that the congress should be treated with as the plenipotentiaries of independent states on the very proviso suggested by Spain, that this concession should not be understood to preclude the subse quent possible relinquishment of that independency. The convention of Saratoga, the cartel settled for the exchange of prisoners, the nomination of commissioners to supplicate the Americans for peace at their own doors, are, it is asserted, real and unequivocal acknowledgments of the independency of America. The English nation itself is appealed to by his catholic majesty: whether these acts are more consonant with the dignity of the British crown, than would be the granting, at the intercession of his catholic majesty, a suspension of hostilities for the adjustment of differences, and the treating them in this interval as independent states.' Nevertheless the English court positively refused, as the manifesto proceeds to affirm, its assent to the propositions contained in this ultimatum; declaring, moreover, that France should not interfere in BOOK the arrangement of the interests of those she XVIII. 1778. affects to call her allies; and, in fine, the English court had the effrontery to say, that the drift of Spain was to form, from the pretensions of the colonies to independence, one common cause with them and with France. On the contrary, his catholic majesty declares, that these last proposals were not even communicated to France before they were transmitted to the court of London; so that the haughty expressions of the English ministry amount merely to this conclusion, that, in spite of the overture made by themselves, they prefer war to peace, or a treaty under the mediation of the catholic king, whom they provokingly insulted, treating him as partial, inconsistent, and leagued with the enemies of Great Britain; notwithstanding which his catholic majesty did not issue orders for reprisals, but in consequence of the actual commencement. of hostilities on the part of Great Britain." Upon the whole it is evident, from the explicit and curious detail of the whole negociation given. in this manifesto, clothed as it is in the stately language of Castilian pride tinctured with absurdity, that Spain acted in this business with generosity, openness, and honor. It was undoubtedly determined by both branches of the house of Bourbon, to establish the permanent independency of America; but this SPAIN at XVIII. least wished to effect without involving herself BOOK in a war with England; and the expedient suggested by his catholic, majesty was certainly the 1779. wisest and best which in present circumstances could be adopted: but the pride of the English court was not yet sufficiently humbled to assent to the emancipation of America, though the idea of subjugation became every day more palpably chimerical and extravagant. During the recess of parliament, the earl of Stormont, late ambassador at Paris, was made secretary of state, in the room of the earl of Suffolk deceased. Viscount Weymouth a second time resigned the seals of the southern department, which were transferred to the earl of Hillsborough; and earl Bathurst, late chancellor of Great Britain, was nominated president of the council, in the room of earl Gower. The great seal had been consigned, in the course of the ceding year, to the attorney-general Thurlow, created baron Thurlow; a man endowed by nature with uncommon talents, which were concealed, and in effect lost to the world, under an almost impervious veil of moroseness, bigotry, and malevolence. pre The state of affairs on the other side of the Atlantic once more demands our attention. The reduction of Georgia by general Prevost and colonel Campbell, though in itself of no great XVIII. 1779. BOOK importance, excited just alarm in the inhabitants of the Carolinas, which were protected only by their own militia, and an inconsiderable body of continental troops under the command of general Lincoln, who lay encamped at Purisburg, on the north side of the river Savannah, about twenty miles above the town of that name. At the end of April 1779, this officer left that advantageous position, which enabled him effectu ally to cover the province, and marched along the banks of the river to Augusta, where he expected to be joined by powerful reinforcements; and he hoped, by passing the river, to cut off the communication of general Prevost with the back country, whence he received his supplies. But general Prevost was no sooner apprised of this movement than he determined to pass the Savannah at Purisburg, and make a rapid march towards Charlestown. This, the small force left by general Lincoln to guard the passage of the Savannah was not able to prevent; and the English army, consisting of about 4000 men, including Indians, arrived in the vicinity of that city on the 11th of May. To the chagrin of the English general, he found the place strongly fortified and well secured by the numerous militia which had now collected for its defence. After summoning the city in vain to surrender, he determined, on hearing that general Lincoln 7 XVIII. was on his march back to Carolina, to decamp BOOK that very night, and took post, after some détours, in the island of Port Royal, to the south of 1779. Charlestown harbour. In the mean time sir Henry Clinton was engaged, in conformity to the policy of the English court, whence he derived his instructions, in various predatory expeditions. Sir George Collier and general Matthew, in a descent upon Virginia, burnt the town of Suffolk, and destroyed the vessels, provisions, and stores, found there, and at Gosport, Jenner's Creek, and various other places in that quarter. Sir H. Clinton in person proceeded up the North River, and carried, by great exertions of gallantry, the two important posts of Stoney Point and Verplanks, which the Americans had diligently fortified to preserve the communication between the eastern and western colonies. Another expedition under sir George Collier, governor Tryon commanding the land forces, was projected nearly at the same time against Newhaven in Connec ticut, which they plundered, and afterwards proceeded to Fairfield and Norwalk, which they laid in ashes; and also the buildings and farmhouses to the compass of two miles round. At the same time a proclamation was issued by them, declaring "the existence of a single house on the coast to be a striking monument of British |