whose captain, Finnis, was killed, having struck, he was compelled to submit to the same fate. He represents the American squadron as greatly superior in strength; and says that there were not more than 50 British seamen on board his own vessels. He returns the loss in the action at 3 officers and 38 men killed; 9 officers and 85 men wounded.

The consequence of this disaster to the British was the relinquish ment of the Michigan territory, excepting Michilimackanak, and the abandonment of the posts in Upper Canada beyond the Grand River. General Proctor, on September 24th, commenced his retreat from Sandwich, having previously dismantled the posts of .Amherstsburg and Detroit,and destroyed the public buildings and stores of every kind. On October 5th, when within a few miles of a strong position which he purposed to take at the Moravian village on the Thames, he was attacked by general Harrison with a force so much superior, that resistance was vain, and his small army, consisting of not more than 450 regular troops, was obliged to disperse. Of these he afterwards collected about 200, with whom he at length reached Burlington Heights, the head-quarters of major-gen. Vincent.

In the American account of this action, the prisoners taken are said to amount to 601 regulars, including officers. Eight pieces of artillery were also captured.

On Lake Ontario, the opposite commanders, sir James Yeo, and commodore Chauncey, each in their despatches of September re

present themselves as eager to bring their antagonist to fair combat, but disappointed by manœuvring, and unfavourable winds. On the 11th, there was a probability of a general engagement, the American fleet having, with the wind in their favour, got near enough to the British to do some mischief with their long guns, the fire of which could not be adequately returned. The fleets, however, parted without coming to close action. On the 28th the fleets had a running fight, in which the Pike, the American commodore's ship,lost her maintopmast, and the Wolfe, sir J. Yeo's ship, her main and mizen top-mast; but a heavy gale separated the combatants. Little loss was incurred on either side in these affairs; but on October 5th the British suffered a serious disaster. Six sail of transports with troops on board, proceeding without convoy from York for Kingston, were intercepted and captured by the American fleet. The prisoners taken, of all descriptions, are stated at 264, a number which at this period could be ill spared.

Sir George Prevost having received information that the Americans were assembling in considerable force on the Montreal frontier, thought it expedient to quit Kingston, and repair to Montreal, where he arrived on September 25th. He found that the American major-general Hampton, after advancing to the frontier line, and overpowering one of the British picquets, had suddenly moved to the westward. In the meantime, the British commander of the district, sir R. Sheaffe, had moved the whole of his troops to

the defence of the frontier line, and had called out 3,000 of the sedentary militia. These were aug. mented to nearly 8,000 by sir G. Prevost, who testifies to the readiness with which the Canadians obeyed the call. He reports in his dispatch, dated October 8th, the enemy's force collected for the invasion of Canada as greater than at any former period; estimating that of general Harrison at Sandusky on the Michigan frontier at about 8,000; of general Wilkinson at Fort George and Niagara, at nearly 6,500 men, and ofgen. Hampton at about 8,000; all these, regular troops, exclusive of 10,000 militia. In consequence of his solicitation to admiral Warren for a supply of seamen for the lake service, he had received the crews of two sloops of war, part of whom he had sent to join capt. Pring, on Lake Champlain, and the remainder to Lake Ontario.

Gen. Hampton, who had taken his post on the Chateauguay river, near a settlement called the Four Corners, crossed the boundary line into Lower Canada on the 21st of October, surprized a small party of Indians, and drove in a picquet of militia, and having made a road for bringing up his artillery, proceeded against the British advanced posts, marching along both banks of the Chauteauguay. On the 26th he was opposed on the north side by lieut-col. De Salaberry, with two companies of voltigeurs and the light-infantry of the Canadian fencibles, who made so good a disposition of his force, as to check the advance of the enemy's principal column led by gen. Hampton in person; and at the same time the American light brigade

was repulsed on the south side by a flank company of embodied militia, supported by the Chateauguay chasseurs, reinforced by another flank company of militia. The enemy repeatedly returned to the attack, but was as often repulsed: and the day ended with. his disgrace and defeat. Sir George Prevost, who arrived soon after the commencement of the action, bestows the highest praises on the conduct of the defenders, of whom the force actually engaged did not exceed 300. The American army was stated by the prisoners to amount to 7,000 infantry, and 200 cavalry, with ten field pieces. The British loss was trifling. That of the Americans was severe, and was partly incurred from parties of their own, firing upon each other in the woods. Hampton's army afterwards entirely quitted Lower Canada, and retreated to its former encampment at the Four Corners.

In co-operation with this invasion, general Wilkinson, on October 30th, left Grenadier Island on Lake Ontario, with 10,000 men, in small craft and batteaux, and proceeded down the St. Laurence with the avowed intention of taking up his winter quarters at Montreal. By keeping close to his own shore, he arrived, on December 6th, within six miles of the port of Prescott, which he endeavoured to pass unobserved during the night of the 7th; but he could not elude the vigilance of lieutcol. Pearson, who obliged him to undergo a heavy and destructive cannonade during his passage. Sir George Prevost, having anticipated the probability of such a movement, had ordered a corps of observation under the command of

lieut-col. Morrison, amounting to 800 rank and file, to follow and watch the motions of the Americans. Upon this corps an attack was made by brigadier-gen. Boyd with 3 or 400 men, which, after a severe action, terminated in an entire defeat of the assailants, whose loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, is estimated at 300, with one field piece; that of the British was about 180. The enemy after the action retired to their own shores. The final result of this combined attempt of the Americans, as reported by sir G. Prevost, on December 12th, was, that both provinces of Canada were freed from the invaders, who retired to winter quarters in their own territory. A division of British gunboats on Lake Champlain, had in the meantime burnt a dépôt magazine near Plattsburg. A detachment sent by the commander in chief, under colonel Murray, for the purpose of restraining the depredations of a party of banditti, organized by the American government, upon the inhabitants of the Niagara district, arrived at Fort George on December 12th, from which the enemy had made a hasty retreat across the river, burning the town of Newark as they fled.

It is with regret that we are obliged to conclude our account of the American campaign with the notice of some retaliatory measures, which, if persisted in, will stamp a character on the war, highly inconsistent with the supposed improvement of the age in the practice of justice and humanity. The peculiar circumstances under which the United States are placed with respect to emigrants

from foreign countries, on whom their population was originally founded, and to whom they are still indebted for large accessions of useful citizens, has made them desirous of introducing a new principle into the code of nations, that of the right of individuals to transfer their allegiance, from the country of their birth to that by which they are adopted, and, in consequence the right of nations to accept and support that transfer. This maxim being contrary to that of all the European governments, it is evident that frequent disputes must arise from putting it in practice, especially in time of war; and Great Britain being the country from which America derives the greatest part of its emigrant population, in every quarrel the two states must be involved in angry contention from this source, until some common rule of decision is agreed upon between them. The actual existence of such a difference, with its lamentable effects, are made known in the general orders issued by the commander of the British forces from Montreal, on October 27th. The facts stated are, that 23 soldiers of the infantry of the United States, being made prisoners were sent to England, and held in close confinement as British subjects; that general Dearborn had been instructed to put into similar confinement 23 British soldiers as hostages for the safety of the former; that the Prince Regent had given directions to put in close confinement, 46 American officers and non-commissioned officers to answer for the safety of the last 23 soldiers; and also to apprize gen. Dearborn, that if any of them

should suffer death in consequence of executing the law of nations upon the first 23 confined as British subjects, double the number of the confined American officers should immediately be selected for retaliation; and moreover that the commanders of his majesty's armies and fleets had received orders to prosecute the war with unmitigated severity against all the cities, towns, and villages of the United States in case their

govern

ment should persist in their intention of retaliation. In this dreadful state of mutual menace, affairs were at that time remaining; and should the threats on each side be brought to effect, scenes of blood will ensue, worthy only of the times of barbarism.

Of the other maritime events of the American war in this year, relations are given in our chapter appropriated to naval occurrences.

UR information of what has been passing in South America during the present year, and the latter part of the preceding, is scanty and imperfect. We know in general that a state of civil war has been still subsisting in the different provinces of the Spanish dominion on that continent, but of its particular events we have only partial and uncertain accounts.

By intelligence from Montevideo in October 1812, we learn that after the departure of the Portuguese troops from the Spanish territory, in consequence of the mediation of lord Strangford, the revolutionary army crossed the Uruguay, and compelled the small detachments of loyalists to evacuate the port of Colonia, and other places; and that their party in the province acquiring confidence, assembled in arms at several points, and plundered the defenceless towns and villages. The siege of Montevideo being continued by the revolutionists of Buenos Ayres, general Vigodet, commandant in the former, made a sortie on December 31st, in which he incurred a loss of 250 in killed, wounded, and prisoners. That of the besiegers is stated at 160; but their loss would be more

easily supplied than that of the Montevideans, who could receive no succour except from the mother country.

To the friends of general liberty, a decree dated from Buenos Ayres on February 3rd, in the name of the supreme government of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, will give pleasure. It declares all persons free, born on or subsequent to January 31st, 1813, the day on which the general assembly was installed.

Santa Martha was brought over to the revolutionist party by a force sent from Carthagena. Whilst it was in their possession, a frigate from old Spain, having 300 troops on board, supposing it to be held by the royalists, put into the harbour, when the fort by its fire completely dismasted her, and obliged her to surrender, with all the soldiers. On the 5th of March, however, some Indian tribes joining the royalists, effected the expulsion of the Carthagena troops, with their French commander Labatut; and on the following day Ferdinand VII. was proclaimed, and the people of Santa Martha swore allegiance to him. The same advices related that the city of