a fituation, if on other accounts it were poffible they could put themfelves into it, was no less than Lord Dunmore's could be on land. It may, however, be fuppofed, that the Governor's conduct was operated upon by caufes, or influenced by motives, with which we are unacquainted.

Upon receiving the forgoing anfwer, the Burgeffes paffed refolutions, in which they declared, that the meffage requiring them to attend the Governor on board a ship of war, was a high breach of their rights and privileges. That The unreasonable delays thrown into their proceedings, and the evafive answers to their fincere and decent addreffes, gave them reafon to fear that a dangerous attack was meditated against the unhappy people of that colony, and it was therefore their opinion, that they should prepare for the prefervation of their property, aud their ineftimable rights and liberties. And then, ftrongly profeffing loyalty to the King, and amity to the mother country, they broke up their feffion.

Thus, unhappily, was an end put, for the prefent, to the English government in the colony of Vir. ginia. A convention July 18th. of delegates was foon appointed to fupply the place of the affembly, who having an unlimited confidence repofed in them by the people, became accordingly poffeffed of an unlimited power in all public affairs. Thefe immediately took in hand the raising and embodying of an armed force, as well as the providing means for its fupport, and purfued every other measure which could tend to place the colony in a ftrong ftate of de

fence. Whilft they were pursuing thefe dangerous fteps, they publifhed a declaration in juftification of their conduct, tracing the meafures that led to the prefent unhappy ftate of public affairs, fetting forth the cause of their meeting, and fhewing the neceffity of immediately putting the country in a pofture of defence, for the protection of their lives, liberties, and properties. They concluded, as the affembly had done, with the ftrongest profeffions of faith and loyalty, and declared, that as, on the one hand, they were deter mined at the peril of the extremest hazards, to maintain their juft rights and privileges, fo on the other, it was their fixed and unalterable refolution, to difband fuch forces as were raifed for the defence of the colony, whenever their dangers were removed, and America reftored to its former ftate of tranquillity and happiness.

Whether Lord Dunmore expected that any extraordinary advantages might be derived from an infurrection of the flaves, or that he imagined there was a much greater number of people in the colony, who were fatisfied with the prefent fyftem of government, than really was the cafe, (a miftake, and an unfortunate one, which like an epidemical distemper, feems to have fpread through all our official departments in America) upon whatever grounds he proceeded, he determined, though he relinquifhed his government, not to abandon his hopes, nor entirely to lofe fight of the country which he had governed. He accordingly, being joined by thofe friends of government, who had rendered themfelves too obnoxious to the

people

people to continue with fafety in the country, as well as by a number of runaway negroes, and fupported by the frigates of war which were upon the station, endeavoured to establish such a marine force, as would enable him, by means of the noble rivers, which render the most valuable parts of that rich country acceffible by water, to be always at hand, and ready to profit of any favourable occasion that offered.

Upon this, or fome fimilar fyf. tem, he by degrees equipped and armed a number of veffels of different kinds and fizes, in one of which he conftantly refided, never fetting his foot on fhore but in a hoftile manner; the force thus put together, was, however, calculated only for depredation, and never became equal to any effential fervice. The former, indeed, was in part a matter of receffity, for as the people on fhore would not fupply those on board with provifions or neceffaries, they must either ftarve, or provide them by force. The Virginians pretend, that while the depredations were confined to thofe neceffary objects, the refpect which they bore to the rank and office of their governor, prevented his meeting with any refiftance; but their nature was foon changed into open and avowed hoftility. Obnoxious perfons, they faid, were feized and carried on board the hips; plantations ravaged and destroyed; the negroes carried off; houfes burnt, and at length lives loft on both fides. In one of thefe expeditions, his Lordship deftroyed a number of iron Cannon, and carried off fome others, which he fuppofed were provided for the purposes of rebellion, though the Virginians affert they were hip guns. Thefe

proceedings occafioned the fending of fome detachments of the newraised forces to protect the coafts, and from thence enfued, a fmall, mifchievous, predatory war, incapable of affording honour or benefit, and in which, at length, every drop of water, and every neceffary, was purchased at the price or the rifque of blood.

During this ftate of hoftility, he procured a few foldiers from dif

ferent parts, with Oct. 25th.

whofe affiftance, an attempt was made to burn a porttown, in au important fituation, called Hampton. It feems the inhabitants had fome previous fufpicion of the defign, for they had funk boats in the entrance of the harbour, and thrown fuch other obftacles in the way, as rendered the approach of the hips, and confequently a landing, impracticable on the day on which the attack was commenced. The fhips cut a paffage through the boats in the night, and began to cannonade the town furiously in the morning; but at this critical period they were relieved from their apprehenfions and danger, by the arrival of a detachment of rifle and minute men from Williamsburg, who had marched all night to their afit. ance. Thefe, joined with the inhabitants, attacked the fhips for vigorously with their fmall arms, that they were obliged precipitately to quit their ftation, with the lois of fome men, and of a tender which was taken.

In confequence of Nov. 7th. this repulfe, a proclamation was iffued by the Governor, dated on board the fhip William, off. Norfolk, declaring, that as the civil law was at pretent infufficient

to

This meafure of emancipating the negroes, excited lefs furprife, and probably had lefs effect in exciting the defired infurrection, from its being fo long threatened and apprehended, than if it had been more immediate and unexpected. It was, however, received with the greatest horror in all the colonies, and has been feverely condemned elsewhere, as tending to loofen the bands of fociety, to destroy domeftic fecurity, and encourage the most barbarous of mankind, to the commiffion of the moft horrible crimes, and the moft inhuman cruelties; that it was confounding the innocent with the guilty, and expofing those who were the best friends to government, to the fame lofs of property, danger, and deftruction, with the most incorrigible rebels. It was faid to establish a precedent of a most dangerous nature in the new world, by giving a legal fanction to the arraying and embodying of African negroes, to appear in arms against white men, and to encounter them upon an equal footing in the field: for however founded diftinctions with refpect to colour may appear, when examined by the tests of nature, reason, or philofophy, while things continue in their prefent ftate, while commerce, luxury, and ava

object in the political fyftem of every Eoropean power that poffeffes dominion in America, the idea of a pre-eminence muit always be cherished, and confidered as a neceffary policy. This measure is perhaps liable to be charged with another political fault, which has attended too many others that have been lately adopted with respect to America, viz. that of violent irritation, without affording any adequate benefit.

The proclamation, however, with Lord Dunmore's prefence, and the encouragement of the fmall marine force he had with him, produced, for the prefent, fome effect in the town of Norfolk, and the adjoining country, where many of the people were well affected to government. He was accordingly joined by fome hundreds both of blacks and whites, and many others, who did not chufe to take an active part, publicly abjured the Congrefs, with all its acts, and all conventions and committees, whatever. It is probable that Lord Dunmore now hoped, that the facility and good difpofition which he experienced here, would have been fo general, as to enable him to raise a confiderable armed force, and thus, perhaps, without any foreign affitance, to have the glory of reducing one part of the province by the means of the other.

This pleafing hope was interrupted by intelligence, that a party. of the rebels were marching towards them with great expedition. To obftruct their defigns, and pro tect the well-affected, he took poffeffion of a poft called the GreatBridge, which lay at fome miles diftance from Norfolk, and was a

pals

pals of great confequence, being the only way by which they could approach to that town. Here he constructed a fort on the Norfolk fide of the bridge, which he furnifhed well with artillery, and rendered as defenfible as the time would admit. Notwithstanding the loyalty of the people in this quarter, which included two fmall counties, it does not appear that his force was at all confiderable, either as to number or quality; he had indeed about 200 regulars, including the grenadiers of the 14th regiment, and a body called the Norfolk volunteers; the reft were a motley mixture of blacks and whites. The enemy, under the command of a Colonel Woodford, fortified themfelves alfo, within less than cannon shot of our people; they had a narrow caufeway in their front, which must be paffed to come at their works, fo that both parties feemed pretty well fecured from furprize.

In this ftate they continued quiet on both fides for fome days, until at length a defign was formed, of furprizing the rebels in their entrenchments. This was Dec. 9th. undertaken before daylight. Capt. Fordyce, at the head of his grenadiers, amounting to about fixty, led the attack. They boldly paffed the cauleway, and marched up to the entrenchments with fixed bayonets, and with a coolness and intrepidity, which firft excited the aflonishment, and afterwards the praife of their enemies; for they were not only expofed naked to the fire in front, but enfiladed by another part of the works. The brave Captain, with feveral of his men, fell; the Lieutenant, with others, were taken,

and all the furvivors of the grenadier company, whether prisoners or not, were wounded.

The fire of the artillery from the fort, enabled our people to retire without purfuit, as well as to carry off many of their dead and wounded. It will excite no great furprize, that the flaves in this engagement, did more prejudice to our own people, than to the enemy. It has been faid, that we were led into this unfortunate affair, through the defigned falfe intelligence of a pretended deferter, who was tutored for the purpose: however that may be, it was grievous, that fuch uncommon bravery should be fquandered to no purpofe. Capt. Fordyce was interred with every military honour by the victors, who fhewed due refpect to his former merit, as well as to the gallantry which fignalized his laft moments. The English prisoners were treated with great kindness.; the Americans who had joined the king's ftandard, with equal rigour.

The King's forces retired from the poft at the Great-Bridge the enfuing night, without any other lofs than a few pieces of cannon, and fome trifling flores which they left behind; and as all hopes in this quarter were now at an end, Lord Dunmore thought it neceffary to abandon the town and neighbourhood of Norfolk, and retired again with his people on board the fhips, which were confiderably increafed in number, by thofe which they found in that port. Many of the well-affected, (or Tories, which was the appellation now given to them throughout America) thought it prudent, with their families, to feek the fame afylum, whither they alfo carried

the

the most portable and valuable of their effects. Thus his Lordship formed a confiderable fleet, with refpect to the number of veffels and tonnage, and these were alfo crouded with people; but the fhips were without force, and contained mouths without hands fit to navigate them. The rebels took poffeffion of Norfolk, and the fleet moved to a greater diftance.

During thefe tranfactions a fcheme had been in agitation, for raifing a confiderable force at the back of the colonies, particularly in Virginia and the Carolinas, where it was known there were many well. affected to the King's government; it was hoped that fome of the Indian nations might be induced to become parties in this defign; and that thus united, they not only would make fuch a diverfion, as muft greatly alarm and diftrefs the rebels, but that they might penetrate fo far towards the coafts, as to form a junction with Lord Dunmore. One Connelly, a native of Pennsylvania, an active enterprizing man, who feems to have been well calculated for fuch an undertaking, was the framer of this defign; and his project being approved by Lord Dunmore, he with great difficulty and danger carried on a negociation with the Ohio Indians, and his friends among the back fettlers, upon the fubject. This having fucceeded to his fatisfaction, he returned to Lord Dunmore, who fent him with the neceffary credentials to Bofton, where he received a commiffion from General Gage, to act as colonel commandant, with affurances of fupport and affiftance, at the time and in the manner appointed. It was in

tended, that the garrifons which we had at Detroit, and fome other of the remote back forts, with their artillery and ammunition, fhould be fubfervient to this defign, and the adventurer expected to draw fome affiftance, at least, of volunteers and officers, from the nearest parts of Canada. He was to grant all commiffions to the officers, and to have the fupreme direction in every thing of the new forces, and as foon as they were in fufficient condition, he was to penetrate through Virginia in fuch a manner, as to meet Lord Dunmore, at a given time in the month of April, in the vicinity of Alexandria, upon the river Potowmac, who was to bring fuch a naval force, and other affiftance, as was deemed neceffary for the purpose. It was alfo a part, and not the least comprehenfive, of this plan, to cut off the communication between the northern and fouthern colonies.

Thus far, affairs feemed to look well with our adventurer; but on his road through Maryland to the fcene of action, and when he was fo far advanced that the worst feemed nearly over, the vigilance, or fufpicious temper of one of the committees unfortunately frustrated all his hopes. Being taken up on fufpicion, with two of his affociates who travelled along with him, his papers betrayed every thing; among thefe was the general fcheme of the defign, a letter from Lord Dunmore to one of the Indian chiefs, with fuch other authentic vouchers, as left nothing to be doubted. The papers were publifhed by the Congrefs, and the undertakers fent to prifon. As it does not appear that the loyalifts