1777.teers, and there difpofed of, as alfo of the countenance and protection given to the said privateers, fhe granted lord Stormont an order for all of them to depart immediately. The news of gen. Burgoyne's fuccefs at Tyconde-. roga and advance toward Albany, excited the greatest triumph on the fide of administration. The promifing profpect of the northern expedition's answering fully the wishes of ministry, enabled them to prefs France harder than ever; and dictated to the latter greater pliablenefs and complaifance. Exprefs orders were fent to Nantz, and all the other parts of the kingdom, forbidding the admittance of any American privateers, unless they entered in order to refit, or were driven in by stress of weather or want of provifions, and in either of these cafes they were to be gone as foon as poffible. "Notwithstanding all this parade, privateers come in, tarry and take military ftores; and their prizes are publicly fold, but as formerly practised after fimilar complaints, at the mouth of the harbour to people who go off in boats to buy them; and are then brought in and unloaded. Lord Stormont hears of it, flies to court, complains and threatens afresh: the court ftorms at and threatens its officers; the officers make their excufes; and the affair is foon hushed up, or terminates in a tedious controversy, by which the wished-for time is gained.” Before the subject of shipping is dropped, let it be noted that the king's cruisers have taken feveral American veffels and privateers, and retaken fome of their prizes; and will be likely foon to check the progrefs of American fuccefs in naval operations on the European coafts. 20. By the beginning of November, advices were received 1777. of the Bennington action, the failure of St. Leger's expedition against Fort Stanwix, and Burgoyne's firft engagement. Thefe advices overthrew, in a great meafure, the fanguine expectations that had been formed of fpeedily reducing the colonies; and were a bad prelude to the meeting of parliament, which took place the 20th Nov. of November. The royal fpeech was in the ufual tone, but mentioned an augmentation of the naval force, confidering that the armaments in the ports of France and Spain continued. It concluded with a refolution of purfuing the measures in which administration was engaged. When the addrefs of the commons was before the house, the marquis of Granby proposed an amendment, and that his majefty fhould be requested to adopt meafures for accommodating the differences with America, and that a ceffation of hoftilities fhould be recommended. It was ftrenuously fupported by the oppofition on the following grounds, that three years war, at an immenfe expence, with 55,000 land forces, and 100 fhips of war, had only left the nation in nearly the fame fituation as when it began. They had loft Boston, and had gained New York: and every hope of obtaining a re-. venue from America had been long over. The country gentlemen were unusually blank: they faw not only an end to all their expectations of an American revenue; but found themfelves faddled, with the burden of a war, infinitely more ruinous than any other in which the nation had ever been involved. Some of the ministerial party however, threw out hints for their confolation, that America when fubdued would be taxed. Mr. Hartley mentioned in the debate, that there was one ray of hope, i 1777. left to the British, if they had wifdom to feize the opportunity of opening a treaty with the Americans, while these were discontented with the cool and dilatory proceedings of the court of France. After all that could be advanced by oppofition, the amendment was rejected by a majority of 243 against 86. The earl of Chatham moved for an amendment in the house of lords. He was for bringing about an accommodation with the Americans by a treaty, and rested the stress of his argument upon this point, that the house of Bourbon was upon the eve of breaking with us. His motion was rejected by 97 to 28. When the news of the Saratoga convention reached France, and was communicated to the court of Versailles by the American commiffioners, the latter were almost inftantly received and publicly treated in that character. The capture of Burgoyne's army convinced the French, that the American oppofition to Great Britain, was not owing to a faction, a few leading men that had gotten into power, but that the body of the people must be engaged, and that they were numerous, or that they could not have made fuch an effort as not only to have stopped a conquering army, but to have captivated it. It was therefore determined by a majority of the French court, to take the Americans by the hand, and to acknowledge their independence. They knew that Great Britain could not fubdue, though they might diftrefs France; and that if the United States would perfevere, these must at length establish their independence in connection with France, though they might be reduced to greater difficulties than they had already felt. The marquis de la Fayette's correfpondence with his family and friends, un doubtedly proved influential in procuring the determina- 1777. tion. His letters were eagerly fought after; and counteracted those prejudices that were raised by several Frenchmen, who returned from America in difguft. His sentiments were imbibed from their being frequently confirmed by events. The American cause being now popular in his native country, and the French court having adopted it, they cannot longer refent the early part he took in it, notwithstanding the offence given at the moment by his disobedience and departure. Such is the present state of the conteft between Great Britain and the Americans, that it will more than ever fuffice to give you a few occafional hints upon the parliamentary debates refpecting it. In one that took place on the 2d of December, a federal commercial union was talked of by fome, as the only hope left with regard to America; but reprobated by miniftry. Mr. Fox moved for laying certain papers before the commons: while the matter was debating, intelligence was received, that a fimilar motion had been complied with in the houfe of lords, by the lords in administration agreeing to it; and yet fuch was the influence of the miniftry in the house of commons, that Mr. Fox's motion was, in a manner which in other seasons would have been deemed incredible, rejected upon a division of 178 to 89. The fucceeding day was marked by the disclosure of Dec. the melancholy catastrophe of Burgoyne's expeditiona disclosure, which excited no less grief and astonishment in both houses, than difmay on the fide of the minifters, who were bitterly reproached upon the occafion. The business relating to the pecuniary supplies being finished, and little fhort of nine millions voted for the service of 3. Dec. 1777. the enfuing year, by the 10th of December, an adjournment to the 20th of January, was that day moved for on the fide of ministry, and after confiderable debates carried in both houses. 30. 12. 16. Two days after, the American commiffioners at Paris, finding all attempts to establish a cartel with lord Stormont ineffectual, tranfmitted a letter to lord North, couched in ftrong terms of complaint, on the fubject of the rigorous treatment exercised toward the American prifoners. It contained a particular charge, which has not been publicly refuted, that a number of them were in a state of bondage, on the coafts of Africa and in the East Indies, being compelled to fubmit to that condition, under the menaces of an immediate and ignominious death. On the 16th, Mr. Gerard delivered to the American commiffioners the preliminaries of a treaty between France and America. The fame conveyance that brought an account of the Saratoga convention to the commiffioners, and the letter to Dr. Fothergill, brought also a letter from the Rev. Dr. Cooper of Boston to Dr. Franklin, in which was mentioned the opinion given in the one to Dr. Fothergill: before this laft was fent to England, care was taken to open and procure a copy of it for the commiffioners. Dr. Cooper's letter was long and full, contained much information, and urged that France should step forward at once in the cause of America, or that her opportunity of gaining a connection with the United States might be loft. Dr. Franklin communicated it to the French minifter, on whom it had a good effect. A number of circumftances, not publicly known, came at the fame time to the know |