$778. ber of French. It is faid, though not proved, to have been begun by feamen captured in British veffels, and fome of Burgoyne's army, who had inlisted in privateers juft ready to fail. A body of thefe fellows, we have been told, demanded bread of the French bakers employed for the fupplying of the count d'Eftaing's fleet; and being refufed, fell upon and beat them in a moft outTwo of the count's officers attemptrageous manner.

ing to compofe the fray were wounded, the chevalier Sept. 15. de Saint Sauveur fo badly, that he died on the 15th; and the next day the Maffachusetts houfe of affembly refolved to erect a monumental ftone to his memory. None of the offending perfons having been discovered, notwithstanding the reward that was offered, it may be feared that Americans were concerned in the riot; while political prudence charged it upon others, that less umbrage might be taken at the event. The count was much grieved at what had happened; but had too much calmness and good fenfe to charge it upon the body of the inhabitants, who were no lefs concerned at it than himfelf; fo that it created no diffenfions between them. On the 22d, the general court received the compliments of the count and his officers; all of whom were invited 25. to dine, three days after, at a public dinner. The fleet

had been fo far repaired, and fo well fecured by formidable works on George's ifland, in which the count had mounted near a hundred heavy cannon, that they could with the utmost propriety be abfent upon the occafion. For the greater fecurity, the general court, under an apprehenfion that the British fleet and army might move to the northward with a view of deftroying the count's fleet, and repoffeffing themselves of Boston, had refolved

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on the 19th to raise a third of the militia. Three days 1778. before this refolve, admiral Byron arrived at New York from Hallifax. His fquadron had fuffered fo in their voyage from Britain, that it was a full month before he could fail again, in order to obferve d'Eftaing's motions. The count lay at eafe and in fafety; and on the 26th of October, entertained a large company of gentlemen and ladies, whom he had invited to dine with him on board the Languedoc. The entertainment was highly elegant. A full length picture of gen. Washington, prefented to the count by Mr. Hancock, was placed in the centre of the upper fide of the room, and the frame of it was covered with laurels. The count having made this public return for the perfonal civilities he had received from numbers, fecured himself from all liablenefs to detention by points of honor: from a threatened detention of another nature, he had been happily relieved in feafon. It was generally expected from the scarcenefs of provisions of all forts at Boston and the neighbourhood, that he would have encountered great difficulties, if not actual diftrefs. The impracticability of victualling his fleet at that port was dreaded, even the fubfifting of it was doubted. But he was freed from these apprehenfions by a fingular fortune. The New England cruifers took fuch a number of provifion veffels on their way from Europe to New York, as not only supplied the wants of the French, but furnifhed an overplus fufficient to reduce the rates of the markets at Boston. This seasonable fupply occafioned great triumph among the inhabitants. The count being in hope об of failing within a few days, published a declaration to 28, be fpread among the French Canadians, and addreffed

1778.them in the name of their ancient mafter the French king. The defign of it was to recall their affection to the ancient government, and to revive all the national attachments of that people, thereby to prepare them for an invafion either from France or America, and to raise their expectation of no diftant change of masters. Adm. Byron having repaired his fleet, appeared off Boston bay; but had not cruised there long before he was overtaken by a violent ftorm, in which the fhips again fuffered fo much, that they were glad to get into fhelter at Rhode Island. The Somerset of 64 guns not being able to clear Cape Codd, run afhore and fell into the hands of the Bay-men, who faved her guns, and many valuable articles. When the storm ended, the wind settled in the north-west, and blew fair for carrying the French fleet to the Weft Indies. Count d'Estaing feized the Nov, opportunity, and failed from Boston with his fhips, thoroughly repaired, clean and well victualled, and with his forces in full health and vigor.

3.

The behaviour of the French officers and failors, the whole time that their fleet lay in port, was remarkably good, far beyond any thing of the kind ever before, when feveral men of war were prefent. The count made a point of alway lying on board at night. The officers conducted with the greatest regularity and de corum; but noticed a certain coolness in the gentlemen and ladies toward them, which was imputed to the want of fo cordial an affection for France as what they had once entertained for Great Britain, and had not wholly laid afide; but it was greatly owing to the fuccefslefs expedition against Rhode Island, and to what had been related concerning them refpecting that affair. The

common failors were peaceably inclined; and engaged 1778. in no quarrels, excepting what has been related, and one at night of October the 5th, in no wife material; and in neither of these do they appear to have been the aggreffors. They neither abused, nor injured the townspeople; nor made themselves a nuifance by their exceffes and disorderly conduct. An opportunity at length offers for mentioning fome detached articles.

The Raleigh frigate, capt. John Barry, failed from Boston the 25th of September, and was taken on the 29th, after bravely engaging for fome time, and then being run on an island with a view to escape falling into the hands of two British men of war.

The Pigot British schooner of eight twelve pounders and forty-five men, lying near Howland's ferry on the eastern fide of Rhode Island, a plan was laid for taking her. Major Talbot, with a number of troops, failed on the 25th of October from Providence on board a small veffel. It was not till the 28th at night, that he ran down through Howland's ferry; when drifting after that under bare poles, for fear that the fort on Rhode Island fhould fire upon him and alarm the Pigot, he passed on undiscovered, and at half past one in the morning of the 29th got fight of the schooner. When but at a fmall diftance from her, fhe hailed him; and receiving no fatisfactory answer, her marines fired upon him from her quarter deck. He referved his fire till he had run his jibb boom through her fore shrouds, when he fired fome cannon and threw in fuch a volley of musketry, loaded with bullets and buck fhot, that the men on deck immediately ran below begging for quarters, and they that were below never made their appearance on deck.

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1778. The confequence was, his men ran out upon the jibb boom and boarded her, without the lofs of a man. The captain of the Pigot behaved with the greatest refolution, and defended his veffel in his fhirt and drawers for fome time, without a fingle foul of his crew to affift him. Major Talbot's gunnel was eight feet lower than the nettings of the fchooner. He carried her off with him, and ran to Stonington. Congrefs, as a reward of his merit, and for the encouragement of a spirit of enterprife, have presented him with the commiffion of lieutenant colonel.

The Maffachusetts general court passed an act in their first feffion to prevent the return to this ftate of certain perfons therein named, and others who have left the ftate, or either of the United States, and joined the British. There are above 300 named in it. In cafe they return they are to be taken up and fecured, till they can be transported to fome place within the British dominions, or in the poffeffion of the British forces. Should they return after tranfportation, without liberty first obtained from the general court, they are to fuffer death. Among the perfons thus interdicted, it is to be fuppofed there are many whofe greatest crime is that of having left the country, and preferred Britain for their place of refidence, that fo they might be exempted from the ravages and terrors of war.

The state of Virginia has paffed an act for fequeftering British property, and enabling those indebted to British fubjects to pay off fuch debts by placing the money for the discharge of the fame in the loan office of the commonwealth.