270 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
forward as rapidly as possible in the hope of surprising him. When 
he arrived within a few miles of this place he met Lieut. Tiffany, of 
the Middlesex militia, who informed him that Watson was at Allen’s 
Mills with a well armed party, and that all the inhabitants would join 
him. He took possession of a house about six miles distant, stating 
that his men were a part of Watson’s command, and thus inducing the 
disaffected inhabitants to disclose their feelings. About a dozen of 
them were made prisoners, and a messenger was sent off to Bostwick 
to request a reinforcement. When this arrived next day, under Bost- 
wick himself, they moved forward, captured two of Watson’s men, and 
surrounded the mills, but found that he had effected his escape. Re- 
turning to Oxford, Merritt learned that Major Chambers had arrived 
at Burford, where he went to meet him and was at once despatched ‘to 
Fort George to request a reinforcement of cavalry. On his arrival 
there he was informed that Brock had just sailed for York, but followed 
in a row- boat and overtook him. Greatly pleased with the young offi- 
cer’s zeal and activity, the General directed him to rejoin Chambers with 
a cornet and twenty troopers.* 
At first Chambers met with little encouragement in his efforts to 
assemble the militia. As has been already stated, there were many 
recent immigrants from the United States in the vicinity of Burford 
and Oxford who had little attachment to the Government. One of 
their number, an itinerant “ minister of the gospel,” relates that many 
of them were offended at Hull’s invitation to take up arms to assist 
him from freeing them from tyranny,” for if they had been under any, 
“they could at any time have crossed into the United States”? But 
when a militia officer came to warn them for service most of them pro- 
mised to turn out, but instead of doing so, concealed themselves in the 
woods to await the course of events. When ordered to assemble at 
Oxford, many of the Middlesex militia absolutely refused, alleging their 
personal dislike of Colonel Talbot, their commanding officer. Timothy 
Collver, an ensign in the Norfolk militia; John Beamer, a Justice of 
the Peace, and another man, whose name has not been recorded, rode 
about among their acquaintances in the vicinity of Long Point advising 
them to disobey the order. Beamer presided over a public meeting, at 
which it was decided to refuse to take up arms, but the prompt action 
of Bostwick and Merritt in marching against the raiders at Delaware, 
coupled with the arrival of Chamber’s detachment at Burford, restored 
confidence among the loyalists, and within a week about one hundred 

* Smith, View of Upper Canada. 
? Merritt, Journal. 
