A blossom unto which the earth,
As a spring favour, yielded birth.
They looked for his return in vain;
Homeward he never rode again.

What boots it to protract the verse,
In which his story I rehearse ?—
He had won safely through the past,
The growing sickness smote at last :
His vassals found him on the morn,
Senseless beside his lady's urn;
And they beheld with wonderment
His visage-like a bow unbent,
From the distorting mind unstrung,
By painful thought no longer wrung,
It offered once more to their gaze
The cheerful mien of former days,
And on it the fixt smile had place,
Which lights the Memnon's marble face.

LESSON LVIII.

Siege of Yorktown and surrender of Lord Cornwallis, 1781. RAMSAY,

In the latter end of August, the American army began their march to Virginia, from the neighbourhood of New York. Washington had advanced as far as Chester, before he received the news of the arrival of the fleet commanded by M. de Grasse. The French troops marched at the same time, and for the same place. General Washington and Count Rochambeau, with Generals Chastelleux, du Portail, and Knox, proceeded to visit Count de Grasse, on board his ship, the Ville de Paris, and agreed on a plan of operations.

The Count afterwards wrote to Washington, that in case a British fleet appeared, "he conceived that he ought to go out and meet them at sea, instead of risking an engagement in a confined situation." This alarmed the General. He sent the Marquis de la Fayette, with a letter to dissuade him from the dangerous measure. This letter, and the persuasions of the Marquis, had the desired effect.

The combined forces proceeded on their way to Yorktown, partly by land, and partly down the Chesapeake. The whole, together with a body of Virginia militia, under the command of General Nelson, rendezvoused at Williamsburg, on the 25th of September, and in five days after, moved down to the investiture of Yorktown. The French fleet, at the same time, moved to the mouth of York river, and took a position, which was calculated to prevent Lord Cornwallis either from retreating, or receiving succour by water. Previously to the march from Williamsburg to Yorktown, Washington gave out in general orders as follows. "If the enemy should be tempted to meet the army on its march, the General particularly enjoins the troops, to place their principal reliance on the bayonet, that they may prove the vanity of the boast, which the British make of their particular prowess, in deciding battles with that weapon."

The works erected for the security of Yorktown on the right, were redoubts and batteries, with a line of stockade in the rear. A marshy ravine lay in front of the right, over which was placed a large redoubt. The morass extended along the centre, which was defended by a line of stockade, and by batteries. On the left of the centre was a hornwork, with a ditch, a row of fraize, and an abbatis. Two redoubts were advanced before the left. The combined forces advanced, and took possession of the ground, from which the British had retired.

About this time the legion cavalry and mounted infantry passed over the river to Gloucester. General de Choisy invested the British post on that side so fully, as to cut off all communication between it and the country. In the mean time, the royal army was straining every nerve to strengthen their works, and their artillery was constantly employed in impeding the operations of the combined army. On the 9th and 10th of October, the Americans and French opened their batteries. They kept up a brisk and well directed fire from heavy cannon, from mortars, and howitzers. The shells of the besiegers, reached the ships in the harbour; the Charon, of forty-four guns, and a transport ship, were burned.

The besiegers commenced their second parallel two hun dred yards from the works of the besieged. Two redoubts, which were advanced on the left of the British, greatly impeded the progress of the combined armies. It was, therefore, proposed, to carry them by storm. To excite a spirit of emulation, the reduction of the one was committed to the

French, of the other to the Americans. The assailants marched to the assault with unloaded arms; having passed the abbatis and palisades, they attacked on all sides, and carried the redoubt in a few minutes, with the loss of eight men killed, and twenty-eight wounded.

The French were equally successful on their part. They carried the redoubt assigned to them, with rapidity, but lost a considerable number of men. These two redoubts were included in the second parallel, and facilitated the subsequent operations of the besiegers.

By this time, the batteries of the besiegers, were covered with nearly a hundred pieces of heavy ordnance, and the works of the besieged were so damaged, that they could scarcely show a single gun. Lord Cornwallis had now no hope left, but from offering terms of capitulation, or attempting an escape. He determined on the latter.

This, though less practicable than when first proposed, was not altogether hopeless. Boats were prepared to receive the troops in the night, and to transport them to Gloucester point. After one whole embarcation had crossed, a violent storm of wind and rain dispersed the boats, and frustrated the whole scheme. The royal army, thus weakened by division, was exposed to increased danger. Orders were sent to those who had passed, to recross the river to Yorktown.

With the failure of this scheme, the last hope of the British army expired. Longer resistance could answer no good purpose, and might occasion the loss of many valuable lives. Lord Cornwallis, therefore, wrote a letter to General Washington, requesting a cessation of arms for twenty-four hours; and that commissioners might be appointed to digest terms of capitulation.

This was agreed to, and in consequence thereof, the posts of York and Gloucester, were surrendered on certain stipulations; the principal of which were as follows. "The troops to be prisoners of war to Congress, and the naval force to France; the officers to retain their side arms, and private property of every kind, but every thing obviously belonging to the inhabitants of the United States, to be subject to be reclaimed; the soldiers to be kept in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, and to be supplied with the same rations as are allowed to soldiers in the service of Congress: a proportion of the officers to march into the country with the prisoners, the rest to be allowed to proceed on parole to Eu

rope, to New York, or to any other American maritime post in possession of the British."

The honour of marching out, with colours flying, which had been refused to General Lincoln, on his giving up Charleston, was now refused to Earl Cornwallis; and General Lincoln was appointed to receive the submission of the royal army at Yorktown, precisely in the same way his own had been conducted, about eighteen months before.

The regular troops of America and France, employed in this siege, consisted of about five thousand five hundred, of the former, and seven thousand of the latter, and they were assisted by about four thousand militia. On the part of the combined army, about three hundred were killed or wounded. On the part of the British, about five hundred, and seventy were taken in the redoubts, which were carried by assault, on the 14th of October. The troops of every kind, that surrendered prisoners of war, exceeded seven thousand men; but so great was the number of sick and wounded, that there were only three thousand eight hundred, capable of bearing arms.

Congress honoured General Washington, Count de Rochambeau, Count de Grasse, and the officers of the different corps, and the men under them, with thanks for their services in the reduction of Lord Cornwallis. The whole project was conceived with profound wisdom, and the incidents of it had been combined with singular propriety. It is not therefore wonderful, that from the remarkable coincidence in all its parts, it was crowned with unvaried success.

General Washington, on the day after the surrender, ordered, "that those who were under arrest, should be pardoned and set at liberty." His orders closed as follows. "Divine

service shall be performed tomorrow in the different brigades and divisions. The commander-in-chief recommends that all the troops, that are not upon duty, do assist at it with a serious deportment, and that sensibility of heart, which the recollection of the surprizing and particular interposition of Providence in our favour, claims." The interesting event of captivating a second royal army, produced strong emotions, which broke out in all the variety of ways, in which the most rapturous joy usually displays itself.

LESSON LIX.

The New Year.-SALMAGundi.

In this season of festivity, when the gate of time swings open on its hinges, and an honest, rosy-faced New-Year, comes waddling in, like a jolly fat-sided alderman, loaded with good wishes, good humour, and minced pies ;--at this joyous era, it has been the custom, from time immemorial, in this ancient and respectable city,* for periodical writers, from reverend, grave, and potent essayists like ourselves! down to the humble, but industrious editors of magazines, reviews, and newspapers, to tender their subscribers the compliments of the season; and when they have slily thawed their hearts with a little of the sunshine of flattery, to conclude by delicately dunning them for their arrears of subscription money.

In like manner the carriers of newspapers, who undoubtedly belong to the ancient and honourable order of literati, do regularly at the commencement of the year, salute their patrons with abundance of excellent advice, conveyed in exceeding good poetry, for which the aforesaid good natured patrons are well pleased to pay them exactly twenty-five

cents.

In walking the streets, I am every day saluted with good wishes from old grey-headed negroes, whom I never recollect to have seen before; and, it was but a few days ago, that I was called out to receive the compliments of an ugly old woman, who, last spring, was employed by Mrs. Cockloft to whitewash my room and put things in order; a phrase, which, if rightly understood, means little else than huddling every thing into holes and corners, so that if I want to find any particular article, it is, in the language of an humble but expressive saying,-"looking for a needle in a haystack." Not recognizing my visitor, I demanded by what authority she wished me a 66 Happy New-Year?" Her claim was one of the weakest she could have urged, for I have an innate and mortal antipathy to this custom of putting things to rights ;so giving the old witch a pistareen, I desired her forthwith to mount her broomstick and ride off as fast as possible.

Of all the various ranks of society, the bakers alone, to their immortal honour be it recorded, depart from this prac⚫tice of making a market of congratulations; and, in addition

*New York.