GENERAL HISTORY. 



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by recommending the passing of a 

 bill " for the regulation of seamen 

 on board the public vessels, and in 

 the merchan ts' service of the United 

 States." 



A public notification was issued 

 by the Prince Regent on March 

 30th, that necessary measures had 

 been taken for blockading the 

 ports and harbours of New York, 

 Charleston, Port Royal, Savannah, 

 and the river Mississippi. These 

 were additional to the blockades of 

 the Chesapeake and Delaware. 



A proclamation issued by the 

 governor of Bermuda, reciting a 

 British order of council providing 

 for the supply of the West India 

 islands by a trade under special li- 

 cences from the ports of the United 

 States, but confining such licences 

 to those of the Eastern states ex- 

 clusively, produced a message from 

 the President to the House of Re- 

 presentatives on February 24'th, 

 couched in terms of indignation 

 and reproach which denoted the 

 acuteness of his feelings with re- 

 spect to any attempt for separating 

 the interests of different parts of 

 the union, and particularly when 

 favouring that part in which he 

 was conscious of being unpopular. 

 He concluded with suggesting to 

 Congress the expediency of a pro- 

 hibition of any trade whatever by 

 the citizens of the United States 

 under special licences, and also a 

 prohibition of all exportation from 

 the United States in foreign bot- 

 toms. This matter was also touched 

 upon in Mr. Madison's inaugural 

 speech at the Capitol, on occasion 

 of taking his oath of office, on 

 March 4th. The other topics were 

 the practice of imprisonment, the 

 refusal by the British government 



to consider as prisoners of war na- 

 turalized emigrants, and the em- 

 ployment of savages. Upon the 

 whole, the address breathed a keen 

 spirit of resentment against this 

 nation ; and we have to lament 

 that the continuance of the war 

 during this year has unhappily ex- 

 asperated the feelings on both sides, 

 and produced situations, hereafter 

 to be mentioned, scarcely compa- 

 tible with civilized hostility. The 

 Congress closed its session on 

 March 5th, without passing the 

 prohibitory bills recommended by 

 the President. 



The attempts of the American 

 army against Canada, in the mean- 

 time, produced nothing but dis- 

 appointment and defeat. General 

 Winchester, with a division of the 

 American forces consisting of more 

 than 1,000 men, advanced in Ja- 

 nuary to the attack of Fort De- 

 troit, and obtained possession of 

 French-town, twenty-six miles from 

 that place. Intelligence of this 

 circumstance being conveyed to 

 col. Proctor, he hastily assembled 

 all the force within his reach, 

 amounting to no more than 500 

 regulars and militia, and about 600 

 Indians, and marching to the ene- 

 my, attacked them on the morn- 

 ing of Jan. 22nd. Being posted in 

 houses and enclosures, they made 

 a desperate resistance, chiefly 

 through dread of falling into the 

 hands of the savages, but at length 

 about 500 of them surrendered at 

 discretion, and the remainder, at- 

 tempting to retreat were almost 

 all cut oflF by the Indians. General 

 Winchester was among the cap- 

 tives, being taken by a Wyandot 

 chief, who delivered him to the 

 British commander. The loss of 



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