portunity he now had, of inviting thofe whom he addreffed, to join his majefty's arms. He was authorized to raise a corps of cavalry and infantry, who, with refpect to pay, cloathing and fubfiftance, were to be upon the fame footing, with the other troops in the British fervice. As an allurement to the private men, they were to receive a bounty of three guineas each, befides payment, at the full value, for horfes, arms, and accoutrements; and as he had the appointment of the of ficers, he should with infinite fatisfaction embrace the opportunity of advancing men whofe valour he had witneffed. It was, however, expected, that they fhould either bring in, or recruit in a reasonable time, a certain number of men in proportion to their rank.

Great as these encouragements, he faid, must appear, to thofe who had fuffered every diftrefs, of want, of pay, hunger, and nakednefs, from the neglect, contempt, and corruption of Congress, they were nothing to the motives which, he expected, would influence their brave and generous minds. He wished to lead a chofen band of Americans, to the attainment of peace, liberty, and fafety, and with them to fhare in the glory of refcuing their native country from the grasping hand of France, as well as from the ambitious and interested views of a defperate party among themselves, who had already brought the colonies to the very brink of deftruction. Could they now want evidence, that the funds of their country were either exhaufted, or that the managers had applied them to their own. private uses? And, in either cafe,

could they any longer continue in their fervice with honour or advantage? The tyranny of their rulers, had robbed them of their property, imprisoned their perfons, drags them to the field of battle, and is daily deluging their country with their blood.

He asked, what America was now, but a land of widows, orphans, and beggars? Even their laft ftake, religion, he represented to be in fuch danger, as to have no other fecurity, than what depended upon the exertions of the parent country for their deliverance. In proof, or illustration of this, he afferted a fact upon his own knowledge; viz. That he had lately feen their mean and profligate Congress at mafs, for the foul of a Roman Catholic in purgatory, and participating in the rites of a church, againft whofe anti-christian corruptions, their pious ancestors would have witneffed with their blood.

On this the writers in the American papers remarked, that no other man in America, had ever paid fo marked an attention to, or ever entered into fuch clofe habits of intimacy and apparent friendfhip with the French agents, confuls, and refidents in that country, as he had uniformly done. That his fine house at Philadelphia was not only at all times devoted to their fervice, but that he had maintained Monf. Gerard, with his whole family and fuite, for feveral weeks in it, in the most fumptuous manner, until the Congrefs were able to provide one proper for his reception. And that his conftant magnificence and expence, in concerts, balls, and entertainments, for the Gallican

ftrangers,

ftrangers, were in a ftile far fuperior to any thing of the fort before known in that part of the world; fo that the French themfelves confidered him, as one of the warmest friends to their country on the whole continent. How far this is true, we are totally unable to determine. According to our custom, we fairly ftate the representations on both fides; and laying facts together, we do our beft to enable the reader to judge of the true condition of America, and the value of our expectations from the ftate of parties there.

The only public notice taken of Arnold's defection, on the fide of America, was a proclamation iffued by the executive power of the ftate in Pennsylvania, wherein his name was placed at the head of a lift of ten fuppofed traitors, and of whom five were no higher than the rank of yeomen; who were all fummoned to furrender by a given day, in order to abide trial for the treafons wherewith they were charged; or, in cafe of failure, to be fubjected to all the pains, penalties, and forfeitures, of high treafon.

However disappointed by the failure of Gen. Arnold's original defign, and of his fubfequent proclamations, hopes were ftill entertained of the diffentions and diftreffes which prevailed in the revolted provinces; and which thefe proclamations appear by no means to have exaggerated. The depreciation of their paper currency was arrived at its ultimate pitch,, and it produced all its natural confequences. Some of the earlier emiffions of that currency fell infinitely below their nominal value; that is, one hundred filver VOL. XXIV.

dollars produced as much value at market, as eight or ten thoufand paper ones. And even the later emiffions, or thofe which were moft valued, had fallen at the rate of forty to one. At the fame time, that the circumftances of the war had raised the price of all foreign commodities, and of many of the most effential articles, to the moft enormous pitch. Without fuppofing very much of mal-adminiftration, we muft fuppofe fuch a depreciation the inevitable confequence of vaft paper emiflions, without an adequate money fund to give them ftrength, and currency.

This particularly affected, and was indeed exceedingly ruinous to the American officers; for although the foldiers were ill clad, and otherwife greatly diftreffed, they were, however, on the whole, well fupplied with provifions. But many, if not moft of the officers, had been under a neceflity of mortgaging their finall eftates, to the utmoft which they could raise upon them, in order to fupport the enormous expences of the fervice. Thefe grievances they had long and repeatedly remonftrated upon both to the Congrefs, and to the governments of their respective ftates; nor were the complaints confined to fubalterns, but proceeded equally from the field and general officers. After long waiting, with moft aftonishing patience, the ifiue of hopes and promifes which were never realized, it was at length fo much exhaufied, and their wants became fo urgent, that a great number of the officers were upon the point of throwing up their commiffious, and faid they muit preferve themselves from [D]

utter

D

URING thefe tranfactions on the fide of New York, the exceffive heats, and great unhealthiness of the feafon in South Carolina, had laid an infuperable restraint upon the arms and activity of Lord Cornwallis, for no fmall time after the battle of Camden. In the mean time he iffued a proclamation for feSept. 16th, queftering the eftates 1708. of thofe perfons within the province, who were either actually in arms with the enemy, who had abandoned their plantations with a view of joining or fupporting them, or who, by an open avowal of rebellious principles, and other criminal acts, fhould manifeft a defperate perfeverance in oppofing the re-eftablifhment of his majefty's government. To give effect to this purpofe, he appointed a commiffioner to take poffeffion of such eftates and property, the annual product of which, excepting the part allotted for the maintenance of the families of thofe defaulters and abfentees, was to be applied to the public fervice, in contributing to defray the expences of the war.

During this fickly feafon, by

which the army, notwithstanding its ceffation from toil, was much affected, Lord Cornwallis had difpatched Col. Ferguson, with his own corps of light infantry, and a body of militia, likewife of his training, which was attached to it, to make incurfions on the bor ders of North Carolina. If no great matter was expected from this expedition, yet, as he was neither incumbered with baggage or artillery, and that his troops were particularly diftinguished by their activity and alertnefs, as little danger feemed to be hazarded in the experiment with a broken and difpirited enemy; and misfortune was farther guarded against by the inftructions give to the commander, immediately to return upon the apprehenfion of any fuperior force; though, in fact, none fuch was reasonably to be expected. There were feveral fufficient motives for this expedition. For befides, that the nature of that fort of troops, requires their being kept in almoft continual motion and action, it feemed neceffary to keep the war alive in fome degree upon the frontier; as well to check the confidence of the [D] 2

enemy,

enemy, as to prevent the fpirits of the loyalifts in that province (where there were many more of the description than in any other) from finking under the unavoidable delay and flow movement of the army.

Ferguson was tempted to ftay longer in the mountainous country which partly borders on, and partly forms a part of, Tryon county in North Carolina, than was abfolutely neceffary, under the hope of cutting off a Col. Clarke, who was returning with his detachment from an expedition into Georgia; and was the more encouraged in this delay, from his not having an idea that there was any force in the country at all able to look him in the face. A numerous, fierce, and unexpected enemy, however, fuddenly fprung up in the depth of the deferts. The fcattered inhabitants of the mountains affembled without noife or warning under the conduct of fix or seven of their militia colonels, to the number of 1600, daring, well mounted. and excellent horfemen. Col. Ferguson had already received orders from Lord Cornwallis for his return, and was on his way to pass the Catawba for that purpofe. But difcovering, as he croffed the King's Mountain, that he was eagerly pursued by a thick cloud of cavalry, he took the best pofition for receiving them which time and the place would admit of; and which happened to be by no means a bad one. But his men being neither covered by horfe nor artillery, and being likewife difmayed and aftonifhed, at finding themselves fo unexpectedly furrounded and attacked on every fide by this cavalry, were not at

all capable of withstanding the impetuofity of their charge. A total rout enfued. The colonel, with 150 of his men, were killed upon the fpot; about the fame number were wounded; and the prifoners, including the latter, exceeded 800. The Americans fay they took 1500 stand of arms; and ftate Ferguson's force at 1400

men.

The fall of this officer, who poffeffed very diftinguished talents as a partizan, and in the conduct of irregular warfare, was, independently even of his detachment, no fmall lofs to the fervice. He was perhaps the beft markfman living; and probably brought the art of rifle fhooting to its highest point of perfection. He even invented a gun of that kind upon a new conftruction, which was faid to have far exceeded in facility and execution any thing of the fort before known; and he is faid to have greatly outdone even the American Indians, in the adroitnefs and quickness of firing and loading, and in the certainty of hitting the mark, lying upon the back, or belly, and in every other poffible pofition of the body. It is not certain, that these improvements produced all the effect in real fervice, which had been expected from thofe aftonishing specimens of them that were difplayed in England. Humanity cannot, however, but wish that this barbarous mode of hoftility was, by univerfal confent, banished from the warfare of all nations. It has been reported that General Washington owed his life at the battle of Germantown to this gentleman's total ignorance of his perfon; as he had him fufficiently