fifteen to about feventy miles farther up the Miffifippi. In all, the

inhabitants feem to have transferred their allegiance with great fa cility; nor were thofe difperfed in the country behind - hand with them; who, without waiting for any operation of force or neceffity, flocked in by hundreds to take the new oath.

The fituation of this fmall party, in the heart of the Indian country, at the back of fome of their most cruel and hoftile tribes, in the track of many others, and more or lefs in the way of all, was converted to peculiar advantage, by the extraordinary activity, and unwearied fpirit of their commander. He directed and timed his attacks with fuch judgment, and executed them with fuch filence and difpatch, that the favages, at length, found their own mode of war effectually turned upon them. Surprized in their inmoft retreats, and moft fequeftered receffes, at those times and feafons, when they were scarcely lefs indifpofed for action, than unprepared for defence, they experienced in their own huts and families, that unexpected flaughter and deftruction, which they had fo frequently carried home to others. Thus feeling, in the most fenfible manner, thofe calamities which they were only wont to adminifter, they grew cautious and timid; and the continual danger to which their families were expofed, damped, for a while, the ardour of the warriors in undertaking expeditions. In the mean time, the Americans in the back fettlements, not only hearing of Clarke's fucceffes, but immediately feeling their benefit, began to shake off their terror, and even feemed by degrees to partake of his fpirit and enterprize.

An expedition, in fome degree of the fame nature, was also undertaken, from the remote and upper parts of Penfylvania in the month of October, under the conduct of a Col. Butler; the prefent being, however, as much directed against feveral confiderable fettle ments belonging to thofe people whom they called Tories (and who, from the violence of their past hoftilities, had become particularly obnoxious), as against the Indians, with whom they feem to have been intermixed as one people. This party, which confifted of a Pensylvania regiment, covered by riflemen and rangers, took its departure from Schoharie; and having gained the head of the Delaware, marched down that river for two days; from whence, turning off to the right, they ftruck across the mountains to the Sufquehanna, which was the fcene of action.

But

Without entering into a detail of particulars, it will be fufficient to obferve, that they totally burnt and deftroyed, both the Indian caftles or villages in that quarter, and the other fettlements. that, notwithstanding the utmoft addrefs and precaution were practifed for the purpose of a complete furprize, the inhabitants, both Tories and Indians, had the fortune to escape; a deliverance of no fmall moment in their fituation; as the vengeance for Wyoming, where they bore a diftinguished part, would undoubtedly have fallen heavy upon them. The deftruc tion was extended for feveral miles on both fides of the Sufquehanna, in the course of which, the fruits of a plentiful harveft, together with the only faw-mill and grift-mill in that whole country, fhared an equal fate with the houfes and every

other

other article useful or neceffary to

ban.

The difficulties, diftreffes, and dangers, which the party encountered in this expedition, were peculiar to that part of the world; and required no fmall fhare of that patient fortitude, and hardinefs of body and mind, which can scarcely be acquired without long habitude, under certain marked circumstances of fituation, by any confiderable number of men. Notwithstanding the occafional affiftance which they derived from their pack-horfes, they were under a neceflity of carrying fix days provifions on their backs; and thus loaded, continually to wade through rivers and creeks of fuch a depth and magnitude, that they would fcarcely appear paffable, without any incumbrance, to men unused to fuch fervice. In thefe circumstances, after the toil of a hard march, and in fome fituations not venturing to make fires for fear of discovery, they were obliged to endure, with out cover, the chilling nights and heavy rains peculiar to that climate and feafon; whilft their arms were

rendered ufelefs, at thofe times when they were most liable to the fudden attack of an enraged and cruel enemy, whofe principal effort lay in that fort of furprize. These were, however, only small matters, when compared with the danger which awaited their return, and which they hardly efcaped. This was the fudden rifing of the great rivers in their way, occafioned by the continual rains, whilft they were fill in the enemies country, (who were very ftrong in that quarter) their provifions nearly expended, and every moment affording fresh room for apprehenfion, that their return would become totally impracticable.

A ftrenuous and bold exertion, to which fortune was, at leaft, negatively favourable, prevented the fatal confequences of that event.

In this manner, the favage part of the war was carried on in America with mutual boldness and perfeverance; and wafte and cruelty inflicted and retorted, with infinite variety of fcenes of horror and difguft.

VOL. XXII.

[B]

С НА Р.

had been in fuch direct oppofition to all those measures, which were deemed hoftile or oppreffive with regard to the Colonies, that it could fcarcely fail of greatly increafing, instead of diminishing, any influence which he might then have acquired. Under thefe circumftances he deemed it reasonable to conclude, that the direct applications of friendship, under the covert and freedom of a private correfpondence, together with the fanction of perfonal efteem and opinion, might operate more happily in fmoothing or removing thofe difficulties which ftood in the way of an accommodation, than the ftiff, tedious, and formal proceedings of public negociation. He was befides well aware, as indeed it was publicly avowed, that the Commiffioners laboured under the capital impediment, of the Americans, with whom they were to treat, placing no manner of confidence in the faith or equity of the authority under which they acted; but that on the contrary, their diftruft of adminiftration had grown fo long, and was become fo rivetted and confirmed, that they fufpected every propofal that was made, as held out only to circumvent; and as the mere offspring of duplicity and treachery. To remove this ill impreffion, would have been evidently an object of the utmost importance towards the opening of a negociation, and the hope of entering into a treaty. But if the accomplishment of this appeared to be an impracticability, it did not seem a very unreasonable expectation, that the character which this gentleman had acquired in his political capacity, of being an avowed friend to the rights and

conftitutional liberties of America, further strengthened and confirmed by the known principles of the opposition in general, with whom he had fo long acted in parliament, might produce that neceffary degree of confidence in a private, which unhappily could not be obtained in a public negociation.

Under fome of thefe, and perhaps other ideas, he endeavoured to commence or renew a private correfpondence with feveral members of the Congrefs, and other perfons of confideration. Thus in fact, endeavouring to eftablish a double fyftem of negociation; the one, oftenfible, with the Congress at large; the other, unfeen and private, with individuals whofe influence might not only facilitate, but even in fome degree direct, the proceedings of the former. Some of these letters, which have been published, feem rather of an unufual caft, confidering the ресиliar circumstances and fituation of the writer. While, as a common friend to both countries, he pathetically lamented their mutual calamities, he feemed no way fparing in his cenfure of the conduc ́ and measures on the fide of government which led to the present troubles; nor did he any more fupport the juftice of the original claims fet up by the mother country, than he did the prudence or policy of endeavouring to enforce them. Upon the whole, he used a freedom with the authority under which he acted, not cuftomary with thofe entrusted with delegated power, and afforded fuch a degree of approbation to the conduct of the Americans in the past refiftance which they had made to it, as is feldom granted by negociators to [B] 2

their

their opponents. But it was perhaps not ill fitted to confirm that character of neutrality, which might have helped him to infinuate himfelf into the minds of the Americans.

vate and confidential correfpondence, which was indeed neceffary to leffen its odium, and at the fame time held out authorized ground to the Congrefs, whereon to found their intended fuperftructure. Several letters being accordingly laid before them, a paffage in one, from Governor Johnstone to General Jofeph Reed, and in another, from that gentleman to Mr. Morris, together with an account given by General Reed, of a verbal meffage or propofal delivered to him by a lady, afforded an opportunity to Congrefs for entering into thofe violent measures, by which they interdicted all intercourfe and correfpondence with Mr. Johnstone.

However right the principles might be, upon which this infinuating fcheme of conciliation was adopted, its effects were rather untoward; and the Congress affected to confider it in a very different point of view, from that in which it had been wifhed or intended to be placed. The first inftance of this difpofition that appeared, was in a refolution paffed by the Congrefs, about a week after their first communication with the Commiffioners. In this, after ftating fimply as a fact, and without any particular direction, that many letters addreffed to individuals of the United States, had been lately received through the conveyance of the enemy, and that fome of thefe were found to contain ideas, infidioufly calculated to divide and delude the people; they, therefore, earnefly recommended to the governments of the refpective ftates, and ftrictly directed the commander in chief, and other officers, to take the most effectual measures for putting a top to fo dangerous and criminal a correfpondence.

This was followed by a refolution in the beginning of July, that all letters of a public nature, received by any members of Congrefs, from the agents, or other fubjects of the King of Great-Britain, fhould be laid before that body. It need fcarcely be doubted, that the contents of these objects of enquiry were already well known; but this measure afforded a fanction to the disclosure of pri

The firft of these exceptionable paffages, went no farther than a fort of general propofition, that the man who could be inftrumental in restoring harmony between both countries, would deferve more from all the parties concerned in or af fected by the quarrel and reconciliation, "than ever yet was be" ftowed on human kind."-The fecond, in the letter to Mr. Morris, was more particular. After a complimentary declaration, of believing the men who conducted the affairs of America incapable of being influenced by improper motives, it, however, proceeds upon the fubject of the negociation in the following terms:- " But in

"all fuch tranfactions there is

rifque; and I think that whoever ventures fhould be fecured,

at the fame time that honour "and emolument should naturally "follow the fortune of those who "have fteered the veffel in the "ftorm, and brought her fafely

to port. I think that Washington "and the Prefident, have a right