live with comfort, fome of them hardly with fafety, in their own homes.

It was even feared that the military ftores would fail, and falt provifions at length grew fcarce. The troops at Bunker's Hill underwent great hardships, being obliged to lie in tents all the winter, under the driving fnows, and expofed to the almoft intolerably cutting winds of the climate in that feafon, which, with the ftrict and conftant duty occafioned by the ftrength and vicinity of the enemy, rendered that fervice exceedingly fevere both to the private men and officers. Various attempts were made to remedy, or to leffen, fome of the wants which now prevailed in the army. That of firing, which was the most immediately and intolerably preffing, was in fome measure relieved by the deftruction of houses.

The attempts made to procure provifions were not attended with any great fuccefs. Some veffels which were fent to Barbadoes, obtained, through the affiftance of the governor, and before the matter was fully known, a quantity fo moderate, that it would not at other times have been more taken notice of than any common occurrence in trade; but being now cut off from their ufual resources, and having, as they faid, a famine ftaring them in the face, with 80,000 Blacks, and 20,000 Whites to feed, and no fufficient ftock in hand, nor no certain fupply in profpe&t, the meafure was deemed fo dangerous, that it occafioned a direct addrefs from the affembly to the king, including, along with the detail of their own melancholy

fituation, ftrong complaints againft the conduct of the governor.

A detachment of marines, with an armed fhip and some transports, were fent to Savanna in Georgia, with a view, as it would feem by the event, of obtaining cargoes rice and other provifions, whether by force or otherwife. The militia, however, took to their arms, and would not permit the marines to land, nor the fhips to hold any correfpondence with the fhore. In the courfe of the debate which arose upon this occafion, fome officers belonging to the colony were feized and detained on board the fhips, and their release being refused with a high hand, and other circumftances of aggravation occurring on both fides, fome batteries were fpeedily erected by the militia on the banks of the river, and an engagement with cannon and small arms took place, in which fome blood was fpilt, and feven loaded veffels belonging to the colony, which the commanders of the king's armed veffels, feemingly by collufien with the captains or owners, had got poffeffion of, and whose cargoes would effectually have anfwered their purpose, were defignedly burnt in the conflict.

In this ftate of things on our fide, the provincials before Boflor, were well covered, and well fupplied in their lines. They expected with the most earnefst folicitude the fetting in of the frost, which usually takes place there about Christmas, and generally covers the harbour, and all the adjoining rivers and creeks, with a furface of folid ice. They founded great hopes upon this, as upon a moft powerful auxiliary, by whofe

aid they not only extended their views to the recovery of the town, but to the feizure or deftruction of the fleet, as well as of the land forces.

In these they were disappointed. The winter was uncommonly mild, and the frofts had none of the effects they expected. The expecta tion, however, probably influenced their operations, and occafioned their continuing more quiet than they otherwife would have done. The arrival of a copy of the king's fpeech, with an account of the fate of the petition from the continental congrefs, is faid to have excited the greatest degree of rage and indignation amongst them; as a proof of which, the former was publicly burnt in the camp; and they are faid upon this occafion to have changed their colours, from a plain red ground, which they had hitherto ufed, to a flag with thirteen ftripes, as a fymbol of the number and union of the colonies..

In the mean time, the arrival by degrees of feveral of thofe fcattered veffels which had failed from thefe kingdoms with provifions and neceffaries, alleviated in a confiderable degree the diftreffes of the forces at Bofton; and though the winter was not fevere enough to answer all the purposes of their enemies, the climate prevailed fo far, as to render both parties fond of their quarters; to check the spirit of enterprize, and to prevent the effufion of blood; fo that for two or three months, an unexampled quiet prevailed on

both fides.

During this ftate of things, the American cruizers and privateers, though yet poor and contemptible, being for the greater part no better

than whale boats, grew daily more numerous and fuccefsful against the tranfports and ftorefhips; and, among a multitude of other prizes, had the fortune of taking one, which gave a new colour to their military operations. This was an ordnance fhip from Woolwich, which had unfortunately feparated from her convoy, and being herself of no force, was taken without defence by a fmall privateer. This veffel contained, befides a large mortar upon a new conftruction, feveral pieces of fine brafs cannon, a large quantity of fmall arms and ammunition, with all manner of tools, utenfils, and machines, neceffary for camps and artillery, in the greatest abundance. The lofs of this fhip was much refented in England, and occafioned fome very fevere animadverfion upon the admiralty, both within doors and without, for hazarding a cargo of fuch value and importance in a defenceless veffel.

.

The tranquillity at Bofton was, in the beginning of March, unexpectedly broken in upon by some fudden and unexpected movements on the fide of the rebels. It is faid, that as foon as the Congress had received intelligence of the prohibitory act, and of the hiring, of foreign troops, they immediately difpatched inftructions to Gen. Washington totally to change the mode of carrying on the war, and to bring affairs at Bolton to the fpeediest decifion that was poffible, in order that the army might be difengaged, and at liberty to oppofe the new dangers with which they were threatened.

However this was, a battery was opened near the water fide, at a place called Phipp's Farm, on the [*K] 2

night

night of the 2d of March, from whence a fevere cannonade and bombardment was carried on a gainst the town, and repeated on the enfuing nights. Whilft the attention of the army was occupied by the firing of houfes and other mifchiefs incident to this new attack, they beheld, with inexpreffible furprize, on the morning of the 5th, fome confiderable works appear on the other fide of the town, upon the heights of Dorchester Point, which had been erected in the preceding night, and from whence a 24 pound, and a bomb battery, were foon after opened. Some of our officers have acknowledged, that the expedition with which thefe works were thrown up, with their fudden and unexpected appearance, recalled to their minds thofe wonderful ftories of enchantment and invifible agency, which are fo frequent in the Eastern romances.

The fituation of the army was now very critical. The new works, along with thofe others which it was evident would now be fpeedily conftructed on fome of the neigh bouring hills, would command the town, a confiderable part of the harbour, of the beach, from whence an embarkation must take place in the event of a retreat, and render the communication between the troops in the works at Botton Neck, and the main body, difficult and dangerous.

In thefe circumftances no alternative remained, but to abandon the town, or diflodge the enemy and deftroy the new works. Gen. Howe, with his ufual fpirit and refolution, adopted the latter, and took the neceffary meafures for the embarkation on that very evening

of five regiments, with the light infantry and grenadiers, upon a fervice, which the whole army must of courfe have been ultimately engaged in. This defign was fruf trated by the intervention of a dreadful form at night, which rendered the embarkation impracticable, and thereby probably prevented the lofs of a great number of brave men, if not of the whole army.

It is not, however, to be wondered at, that, with a high fenfe of the British military honour, as well as of his own, the general fhould hazard much, rather than fubmit to the indignity of aban doning the town. He commanded a force, which he knew had been confidered and reprefented here as fufficient to look down all oppofition in America; and which, in reality, with refpect to the number of regiments, if not of men, the excellency of the troops, the character of the officers, and the powerful artillery which they posfeffed, would have been deemed refpectable in any country, and dangerous by any enemy. With fuch troops, to give up that town which had been the original cause of the war, and the conftant object of contention fince its commencement, to a raw and despised militia, feemed, exclufive of all other ill confequences, a difgrace not to be borne. But these brave men had, by a variety of events, and perhaps it will be thought, through original error and mifconduct in the arrangement of the war, been reduced to fuch circumitances, and hedged in in fuch a manner, that no means were left for an exertion of their force and courage, that were not subject to

the