Military operations were in the mean time carrying on with various fortune in the vicinity of the Canadian lakes, and on the northern border of the American territory. On August 12 Capt. Dobbs made a gallant attack with his boats on three schooners which were anchored close to fort Erie for the purpose of flanking the approaches to that fortress, two of which he carried sword in hand; the other escaped by cutting its cables. This success induced General Drummond to make an attempt on the fort, against which he opened a battery on the 13th. Its effect on the enemy's works was such that an assault was resolved upon, which took place two hours before day-light on the 15th, at two different points. Both unfortunately failed. In the principal attack, after the assailants had made a lodgment in the fort through the embrazures of the demi-bastion, and turned the guns against the enemy, some amunition took fire and caused a tremendous explosion, by which almost all the men who had entered the place were dreadfully mangled, and a panic being communicated to the rest, the attack was abandoned, and the whole retreated to the battery. The loss on this occasion was very serious, amounting in killed, wounded, and missing, officers and men, to nine hundred and sixty two.

An expedition up the Penobscot river was undertaken in the month of September for the purpose of reducing the inhabitants of this part of the province of Maine under the British dominion. A com

Rear-Admiral Griffith, and Lieut.-. General Sir J. C. Sherbrooke, sailed from Halifax for this destination, and on Sept. 1st reached the fort of Castine, situated upon a peninsula on the eastern side of the Penobscot. The fort was summoned, and on the refusal of the American officer to surrender, arrangements were made for disembarking the troops; before, however, this could be done, the place, was evacuated, after blowing up the magazine; and the militia. who were assembled for its defence dispersed immediately upon the landing. An American frigate, the John Adams, having run up the river for safety as high as the town of Hamden, where she had landed her guns and mounted them on shore by way of defence, it was next determined to send a party in order to capture or destroy her.A naval force was appointed for this expedition under the command of Captain Barrie, supported by a detachment of artillery and troops commanded. by Lieutenant Colonel John; and for their protection against any collection of the armed population, a regiment was sent to occupy the town of Belfast. The expedition proceeding up the river, landed, at a cove three miles from Handen, and on the morning of the 3rd attacked the enemy, who, computed at double their number, were posted in front of the town on a height, strengthened with artillery on the flanks. After a short contest, the enemy's strong position was forced, and the frigate was set on fire by themselves, the batteries for its defence being deserted. The expedition pushed forwards to the town of Bangor,

which was surrendered without resistance; and a Brigadier General with a number of others delivered themselves up as prisoners, and were admitted to parole. Twenty-two pieces of cannon were taken in these actions, in which the loss was very trifling. After this success on the Penobscot, the only remaining fortified post of the Americans between that river and Passamaquoddy bay being that of Machias, Lieutenant Colonel Pilkington was sent to reduce it, assisted by a naval force under Captain Hyde Parker. This was effected without any loss on Sept. 11, and a capitulation was entered into, by which the whole brigade of the county of Washington engaged not to bear arms against his Britannic Majesty during the present war. On their return to Halifax, General Sherbrooke and Admiral Griffith issued a proclamation, declaring that they had taken formal possession, for his Majesty, of all the eastern side of the Penobscot river, and all the country lying between it and the boundary-line of New Brunswick, including all the islands near and contiguous to the shores thereof; and establishing a provisional Government for the same.

In correspondence with the vigorous measures adopted at this period for the prosecution of the war in other parts of the United States, the Governor General of Canada, Sir G. Prevost, assembled all the disposable force in the lower province of that country, and on September 1st entered the State of New York, and occupied the village of Champlain, near the lake of that name. His force was estimated at 14 or 15,000 men,

among whom were a number of veterans who had served in Lord Wellington's army; and the commander and appointments were such as to give sanguine hopes of success. His first operations were directed against Plattsburgh, a fortified place on Lake Champlain, which was garrisoned by the American Brigadier General Macomb, with about 1,500 effective men of different descriptions. The British army advanced by slow marches, gallantly surmounting every obstacle thrown in its way by the enemy, and on the 6th had arrived within a mile of Plattsburgh. The following days were occupied in bringing up the battering train, and making approaches; and it was planned that the attack should be supported by the co-operation of the British naval force on Lake Champlain, consisting of a frigate, a brig, two sloops of war, and some gun-boats, under the command of Captain Downie. On the morning of the 11th this flotilla appeared in sight of Plattsburgh, and bearing down, engaged at anchor in the bay off the town; at the same time the land batteries were opened against the fort, and threw in a continued shower of balls and bombs. The British flotilla was opposed by the American Commodore M'Donough, with a force nearly equal, and the conflict was fierce and bloody. was unfortunately killed at the very beginning of the engagement, and the rudder of his ship being disabled, and the brig, commanded by Capt. Pring, becoming quite unmanageable, both vessels were left almost at the mercy of the enemy. The result, after an action of two hours, was the capture

Capt. Downie

of the frigate, the brig, and the two sloops, after a loss of 84 killed and 110 wounded, Capt. Downie and two Lieutenants being among the former. The Americans lost 49 killed, among whom were two officers, and 57 wounded. The firing from the land against the fort continued till sun-set, and attempts were made by the parties to advance to an assault of the works, but were foiled. The destruction of the naval force having now put an end to all hopes of success, it was thought necessary by the British General to abandon the enterprise. The cannon were withdrawn from the batteries, and at two o'clock the next morning the whole army began its retreat, leaving the sick and wounded to the humanity of the foe. Great quantities of provision were likewise left behind and destroyed; and the American accounts speak of finding on the ground, or concealed, a large quantity of shot, shells, ammunition, entrenching tools, &c. The estimate of loss of every kind sustained by the British troops, as made by the Americans, rises very high; but the return sent by Sir G. Prevost, of the loss in action of General de Rottenburg's division, from the 6th to the 14th of September, does not amount to 250. Desert ers, who were probably numerous, are not included. The Americans being now collected from all the circumjacent country, the British drew back to their lines, and every idea of penetrating into the territories of the United States on that side was relinquished. Such a conclusion of an expedition from which so much had been expected, naturally excited dissatisfaction, and the letters from Canada were filled with severe censures of the Gover

nor General, but it is affirmed that he fully justified his conduct to the persons in power.

An action before Fort Erie terminated more favourably for the British arms. On September 17th the Americans stationed in that fort, joined by volunteers from the militia, made a sortie with their whole force, estimated at 5,000 men, upon the intrenched position of Major-General de Watteville, occupied by the 8th and de Watteville's regiments. Under cover of a heavy fire from Fort Erie, and favoured by the weather, they succeeded in turning the right of the picquets without being perceived, and attacking the picquets and their supporters, whilst another column attacked in front, they gained possession of two of the batteries. As soon, however, as the alarm was given, troops were assembled to oppose the enemy, by whose steadiness and bravery they were finally repulsed, the batteries and intrenchments were recovered, and the assailants were compelled to retire with precipitation to their works, leaving two hundred prisoners, and wounded. The loss of the British in this affair was, however, very serious, consisting of about six hundred killed, wounded, and missing.

While these warlike operations were going on beyond the Atlantic, the Commissioners of the two contending Powers were actively engaged in Europe in negociations for the restoration of Peace. It has already been mentioned, that after a proposal on the part of the Americans to treat under the mediation of Russia had been declined by the British government, it was mutually agreed upon that

Gottenburg should be the place for holding the conferences. Circumstances afterwards produced a change in favour of Ghent; at which city the British Commissioners, Lord Gambier, Henry Goulbourn, Esq. and Wm. Adams, Esq. arrived on August 6th; the American Commissioners, Messrs. J. Quincey Adams, J. A. Bayard, H. Clay, and Jonathan Russell being there already. The proceedings of this negociation were laid before the American Congress by the President, on October 10th; and we shall extract from them a statement of those conditions which the British Commissioners, after having obtained fresh instructions from their Court, presented as the basis of a treaty.

Having at a former meeting mentioned that it was a sine qua non that the Indians should be included in the pacification, and the boundaries of their territory be established, and having expressed their surprise that the American Plenipotentiaries had received no instructions on that head, they now repeated that these objects were indispensable, and that the contracting parties should guarantee the integrity of the Indian territory by a mutual stipulation not to acquire by purchase, or otherwise, any lands within those limits.They proceeded to say, that the British Government consider the Lakes, from Lake Ontario to Lake Superior, both inclusive, as the natural military frontier of the British possessions in North America; and the weaker power on that Continent being the least capable of acting offensively, and the most exposed to attack, Great Britain considers the military occupation of those Lakes as necessary to the

Its

security of her dominions. Government, however, not desiring to extend its possessions to the southward of the Lakes, proposes to leave the territorial limits undisturbed, with free commercial navigation of the waters, provided the American Government will agree not to maintain any fortitications upon or within a limited distance of the shores, or to keep any armed vessels on the lakes, or in the rivers discharging themselves into the same. Other objects mentioned for discussion were, the arrangement of the north-west boundary between Lake Superior and the Mississippi, and the free navigation of that river; and also, such a vacation of the line of frontier as may secure a direct communication between Quebec and Halifax. The British Commissioners in conclusion acquaint the American Plenipotentiaries that if they should feel it necessary to refer to their Government for further instructions, they are to understand that the British Government cannot be precluded by any thing that has passed from varying the terms now proposed, in such a manner as the state of the war may, in its judgment, render advisable.

The American Plenipotentiaries did not hesitate to give an unanimous and decided negative to these demands; and when they were laid before Congress, almost an equal unanimity prevailed in both Houses for their rejection. It was, indeed, a very fortunate circumstance for the government of the United States, that at so momentous a crisis, in the midst of difficulties and discontents, such an opportunity offered itself of procuring an acquiescence in the measures necessary for con

tinuing the war. Although, therefore, the conduct of the president was censured in this country for the unusual step of laying before the public the transactions of a pending negociation, no one could be surprised that he was willing to avail himself of the advantage.

Only two days previously to this communication, an alarming proceeding had taken place in the legislature of Massachusets. A report was presented from a committee, to which a message from the governor respecting the war had been referred. After an introduction, charging in warm and direct terms the government of the United States with having brought a ruinous and unnecessary war upon the country, and having neglected the proper means of defence, the committee declare their conviction that the constitution of the United States has failed to secure to the eastern section of the Union those equal rights and benefits which were the great objects of its formation. "The people however (they say) possess the means of certain redress. The framers of the constitution made provision to amend defects, which are known to be incident to every human institution; and the provision itself was not less liable to be found defective upon experiment, than other parts of the instrument. When this deficiency becomes apparent, no reason can preclude the right of the whole people, who were parties to it, to adopt another." After some farther reasoning on this head, they report three resolutions to the following effect: 1. That the calamities of war being brought home to the territory of this commonwealth, the people of MassachuVOL. LVI.

sets are impelled, by the duty of self-defence, to unite in the most vigorous measures, 2. That persons be appointed as delegates to confer with delegates from the states of New England on the subjects of their grievances and common concerns, and to take measures, if they think proper, for procuring a convention of delegates from all the United States, in order to revise the constitution. 3. That a circular letter from this legislature be addressed to the executive government of each of the said states, inviting to the proposed conference." At a subsequent sitting it was resolved that delegates should be appointed to assemble on December 12th.

The expediency of rousing the national spirit became particularly evident on the appearance of the report of the committee of ways and means, to which had been referred the message of the President as far as it related to finance. After observing that loans in the present situation of the country would be uncertain, and not be obtained but on undesirable terms, the report recommends, as the best resource, treasury notes, combined with a system of taxation. The treasury notes were to answer for a medium of circulation through the states, and to bear interest like our exchequer bills. The list of proposed taxes was truly formidable. Besides increasing the direct tax 50 per cent. doubling that on auctions, and greatly augmenting others, a uumber of new articles of taxation were offered, some of which might furnish hints to the oldest European financier. The estimate of the amount of the proposed augmentations, and of the new duties, was between eleven [0]