438 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



litical sentiments ; this people, with 

 very little money, proverbially called 

 the sinew s of war, was yet enabled 

 to effect a final separation from Great 

 Britain, proud from successful ani 

 glorious war, flourishing in arts and 

 arms beyond the example of any 

 former period, capable of raising an 

 annual revenue of sixteen millions of 

 pounds, and, on the whole, the most 

 formidable nation in the world ; 

 and all this, although the continent 

 of North America, deeply indented 

 and peni^trated by navigable rivers 

 and lakes, presented a fit theatre for 

 the display of naval power, in which 

 chiefly the strength of Great-Britain 

 consisted. It is the object of the 

 present work to describe with fide- 

 lity the war that involved this great 

 event — a wonder to the present, an 

 example to all future ages. But 

 I shall first run over the train of 

 circumstances by which that war 

 was produced. 



Mr. Stedman having given a 

 clear, full, and satisfactory, account 

 of the origin of the American w ar, 

 on which part of his subject he gives 

 a very curious and pleasing account 

 of the different characters of the 

 inhabitants of the different pro- 

 vinces, proc( tds to relate the war- 

 like operations on both sides, from 

 the destruction of the British mili- 

 tary stores at Concord and the bat- 

 tle of Bunker's Hill, to the surren- 

 der of our army under Burgoyne, at 

 Saratoga ; a memorable aera, as cap. 

 Stedman justly observes, in the Ame- 

 rican war; foralthough the success 

 of the British arms had not been so 

 brilliant, nor the progress made in 

 repressing the spirit of revolt so con- 

 siderable, as the magnitude of the 

 force employed under sir William 

 Howe gave reason to expect; still, 

 Vpon the whole, until the unfortu- 



nate expedition from Canada under 

 general Burgoyne, the advantages 

 that had been gained were on the side 

 of Great-Britain. So uncommon an 

 event as the capture of a whole ar- 

 my of their enemies, animated the 

 Americans with fresh ardour, invi- 

 gorated the exertions of the con- 

 gress, lessened ia the mind of the 

 American soluier the high opinion 

 which he had entertained of British 

 valour and disciphne, and inspired 

 him with a juster confidence in him- 

 self. The consequences, however, 

 which tliis event produced in Eu- 

 rope were of still greater moment. 

 Bills were brought into Parliament 

 for reconciliation and peace with 

 America. In order to defeat the 

 effect of these concihatory mea- 

 sures, two treaties were entered into 

 between the thirteen revolted colo- 

 nies and the French king — one of 

 commerce, and another of defensive 

 alliance. Sir William Howe re- 

 signed his command of the army, 

 and returned to England. 



•' The friends of sir William 

 Howe, the members of parliament 

 in oppositionto administration, with 

 his concurrence, insisted on a public 

 enquiry into the conduct of the 

 American war, that our national 

 disgraces and misfortunes might be 

 traced to their r;al source. Lord 

 Howe, in a speech in the house of 

 ccmmons, Aprilthe 29th, 1779, de-^ 

 manded an enquiry into his own and 

 brother's conduct, for the following 

 reasons : — they had been arraigned 

 in pamphlets and in news-papers, 

 written by persons in high credit 

 and confidence with ministers, by 

 several members of that house in 

 that house, in the face of the nation, 

 by some of great ^dit and respect 

 in their public characters, known to 

 be countenanced by administration-; 



and 



