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 surprized 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 Massachusetts. 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 be nefits 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 far ther 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. LXV.

setts 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 number 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]

and

and twelve millions of dollars, more than doubling the estimated revenue of the year 1815.

On November 5th, the American garrison evacuted Fort Erie, having first blown up the works, and completely demolished the place, and retreated to their own shores. Military operations were at an end in this quarter.

A British expedition was undertaken in the autumn in the gulf of Mexico, of which we have only some imperfect accounts through the medium of the American papers. From these it appears that Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholls, styling himself commandant of his Britannic Majesty's forces in the Floridas, issued a proclamation to the people of Louisiana, dated Pensacola, Aug. 29th, in which he stated himself to be at the head of a large army of Indians, disciplined and commanded by British officers, and seconded by the aid of a nume. rous British and Spanish squadron of ships of war, and called upon all the settlers in that province to contribute their aid in abolishing the American usurpation. He also addressed a letter to Mons. La Fete, or Fitte, a Frenchman, the chief of a band of outlaws or pirates, as they are termed in an American paper, who had posted themselves in an island called Barataria, in an arm of the sea running up towards the Mississipi below New Orleans; in which he acquainted La Fete with his arrival, and made him large offers for his assistance. We have no farther direct information of the proceedings of LieutenantColonel Nicholls; but a letter from Major-General Jackson to the American secretary at war, dated Mobile, September 17th, commu

nicates an official report from Major W. Laurence of his success in repulsing an attack by a British land and naval force upon Fort Bowyer, on the point of Mobile, on the 15th. From this relation it appears that the British expedition bore down at noon on that day directly for the fort, when an American battery opened on the foremost ships, and the action be came general. It continued till seven, at which time the leading ship was so much disabled, her cable being cut by the shot, that she drifted on shore within six hundred yards of the battery, where she was exposed to such a tremendous cannonade, that her remaining crew set her on fire and abandoned her, and she blew up at ten o'clock. Another ship and a brig retired, having suffered much injury; and the whole fleet stood out to sea in the night. General Jackson mentions, that he has since discovered that the ship destroyed was the Hermes, of from 24 to 28 guns, Captain the Hon. W. H. Percy; and the other ship was the Carron, of the same force, Captain Spencer, said to be the son of Earl Spencer, the loss on board of which was 85 men killed and wounded. Among the latter is named Colonel Nicoll of the marines, doubtless the lieut.colonel Nicholls above-mentioned. The British land force is said to have been 110 marines, 20 artillerists, and 200 Creek Indians.

In the prospect of an indefinite continuance of the war, with more vigorous exertions on the part of Great Britain, measures were proposed in congress by the American government, for making defensive preparations adequate to the emergence. A letter

was

was laid before the military committee of the house of representatives, from the secretary at war, dated October 17th, introduced by some prefatory observations relative to the nature and importance of the war in which they were engaged. The letter itself contained a report of what was deemed necessary to place the war establishment upon a proper footing, two articles of which were, that the present military establishment, amounting to 62,448 men, should be preserved and rendered complete; and that an additional permanent force of at least 40,000 men should be raised for the defence of the cities and frontiers, under an engagement that such corps should be employed within certain specified limits. For carrying into execution the plan of augmenting the army, a bill was introduced, which provided that the white male inhabitants of the United States, between the ages of 18 and 45, should be distributed into classes of 25 in each, every class to furnish one able-bodied man to serve during the war; that assessors should determine the territorial precincts of each class, so that the property in each division should be as nearly equal as

possible; that in case of failure, a penalty should be levied on each class, to be divided among them in proportion to the property of individuals; and that every five male inhabitants liable to military duty, who should join to furnish one soldier during the war, should be exempt from service.

Whilst measures were thus agitating, which seemed to portend a renewal of hostilities in the coming year on a scale proportioned to the force of the two contending powers, the commissioners at Ghent, laudably zealous for restoring the blessings of peace to the two countries, compromised their differences, and on December 24th signed a treaty of peace and amity between Great Britain and the United States. The articles cannot be made publicly known till a ratification of the treaty has been received from the American government; but it is generally understood that the terms proposed by the English commissioners, which proved so repugnant to the feelings of the adverse party, were no longer insisted upon; and that the two nations would be left nearly in the relative position towards each other that subsisted before the war,

- Buenos

the American continent has been a theatre of hostilities, of which it is to be hoped that we have nearly seen the termination, the southern portion has still been involved in a sanguinary civil war, waged with a spirit of inveterate animosity that seems to afford no other prospect of returning peace than through the absolute subjugation of one of the parties. As in former years, the intelligence of the events occurring in that quarter has been so much obscured or distorted by misrepresentation, that it is difficult to frame a clear or consistent narrative from such documents. Some transactions, however, have brought with them sufficient evidence to render them matter for historical record.

An extraordinary gazette of the government of Mexico, dated Jan. 3d, mentions that dispatches had been received by the viceroy from Brigadier Ciriaco Llanos, of the dates December 25th and 28th, communicating intelligence of the complete rout of the forces of Morelos and other insurgent chiefs

is stated that the rebels lost in three several actions 1500 men in killed and prisoners, 30 pieces of cannon, their ammunition, camp, and provisions. Two hundred of the prisoners had been shot by way of example, the greater part being deserters, and some of them Europeans.

In Chili, the contending parties entered into a convention which happily effected a cessation of hostilities in that province. The plenipotentiaries on each part agreed, on April 19th, on several articles of a treaty, by the first of which, Chili, as an integral part of the Spanish monarchy, consents to send deputies to the Cortes, for the purpose of sanctioning the constitution framed by that body, and acknowledging the authority of Ferdinand VII. and the Regency, with the proviso, that the internal government of Chili be maintained in all its powers and privileges, and free trade allowed with allied and neutral nations, especially with Great Britain, to which Spain is acknowledged to be so much indebted for her politi

cal

cal existence. Of the other articles, one is particularly honourable to Captain Hillyar, of the British navy, to whose endeavours the restoration of peace is said to have been in great measure owing. This convention was publicly made known at St. Jago de Chili on May 5th. It appears from the terms that the government of Lima at the same time entered into friendship with that of Chili.

An attempt to effect a pacification between Montevideo and Buenos Ayres, made about the same time by Vigodet, the Spanish governor of the former place, proved abortive. It began with a proposal similar to that which formed the basis of the Chilese negociation, namely, the acknowledgment by Buenos Ayres and its dependencies of the Spanish monarchy under Ferdinand, and the constitution sanctioned by the Cortes. This article was followed by another, importing, that from the period of the ratification of the treaty, no other authorities should be acknowledged than those designated by the constitution, and which have been appointed by the regency of the kingdom. In an address from De Posadas, to whom, under the title of supreme director, the government of Buenos Apres had been delegated, these conditions were denominated an unjust and iguominious submission, with which he could never comply. Montevideo being still closely blockaded by land, the governor made an attempt to free its harbour, by sendng out, on May 14th, a squadron, consisting of four corvettes, three brigs, and some smaller vessels, to attack the squadron of Buenos Ayres under the command of

Guillermo Brown, an Englishman. The event, however, did not correspond with the governor's expectations. Brown, by able maneuvres, drew the Montevideans to some distance from their port, and then becoming the assailant, captured two of the corvettes and a brig; another brig was afterwards intercepted in its retreat and taken, and two smaller vessels were burnt. Five hundred prisoners were made on the occasion. Vigodet, on the next day, made proposals for a cessation of hostilities, but was informed that no conditions would be listened to, until Montevideo, with all its shipping and public property, was delivered up to the arms of Buenos Ayres. The contest was at length terminated by the capitulation of that city on June 20th, after its inhabitants had been reduced to great misery from famine, and no hopes remained of succour from the mother country. The terms were, that the garrison, after marching out with all the honours of war, should remain prisoners, that the property of individuals should be respected, no one molested for political opinions, deserters pardoned, and no extraordinary contributions levied, and in the ordinary contributions, Montevideo should be considered in the same light as the other towns of the province; also, that the captain-general Vigodet should be allowed to depart for Spain. Large quantities of arms, artillery, military and naval stores, fell into the hands of the victors; and this success was considered as decisive in favour of the independent in

terest.

This advantage, however, appears to have been more than

coun