GENERAL HISTORY. 



[185 



ten seamen who were on board ; 

 the loss would have been much 

 more serious had she been close 

 to the Ramillies. 



The extra session of Congress 

 which concluded in August, con- 

 ducted its business with unaccus- 

 tomed dispatch,5and with a degree 

 of unanimity proving, that however 

 reluctant a people may be to com- 

 mence a war, when actually en- 

 gaged in it, and especially when 

 it is brought to their own doors, 

 they will generally concur in mea- 

 sures rendered necessary by the 

 circumstances. The establishment 

 of a system of war-taxes capable 

 of defraying the interest of the 

 existing debt and of future loans 

 was the principal business of the 

 meeting ; and though there were 

 considerable differences of opinion 

 as to the fittest objects of taxation, 

 the majority gave their support to 

 the measures proposed by the com- 

 mittee of ways and means. The 

 duties imposed were, on licences to 

 retailers of wines, spirituous 1 iquors, 

 and foreign merchandize ; on li- 

 cences to distillers of spirituous li- 

 quors; on sales by auction of mer- 

 chandize, and ships and vessels; on 

 sugar refined in the United States; 

 on bank notes and certain nego- 

 ciable paper; and on imported salt: 

 these to continue in force during 

 the present war, and a year after 

 its termination. A further loan was 

 authorised of 7,500,000 dollars for 

 the service of the present year,and 

 the first quarter of the next. A 

 variety of acts were also passed re- 

 lative to the prosecution and con- 

 duct of the war, and the provision 

 for widows and orphans; and 

 greater encouragement was given 

 to privateers in respect to prizes. 

 An act also passed, conformably to 

 the rreoidenl's former recummen- 



dation, prohibiting the use of Bri- 

 tish commercial licences. From all 

 these measures may be seen the 

 rapid approach to the condition of 

 an old belligerent, by a new state, 

 the peculiar felicity of whose si- 

 tuation appeared to be that of be- 

 ing placed beyond the sphere of 

 perpetual hostility which involves 

 the greatest portion of the world. 



\Ve now revert to the occur- 

 rences on and near the Canadian 

 lakes, which continued to be the 

 most important scene of warlike 

 action during the American cam- 

 paign of this year. 



A detachment of troops of dif- 

 ferent descriptions, from the cen- 

 tre division of the British army in 

 Upper Canada, was embarked un- 

 der the command of lieut.-col. 

 Bishopp, early on the morning of 

 July 11th, for the purpose of de- 

 stroying the American naval es- 

 tablishment at Black Rock onLake 

 Ontario. The detachment landed 

 unperceived before day-light, ?nd 

 immediately proceeded to attack 

 the batteries, which they carried 

 with little opposition, the enemy 

 retreating with precipitation. They 

 then set fire to the block-houses, 

 barracks, and navy-yard, with a 

 large schooner ; and the stores 

 which could be got off were car- 

 ried across the river, but before 

 they could be taken away, the 

 Americans, reinforced by a body 

 of Indians, advanced, and rendered 

 it expedient for the troops to re- 

 treat to their boats. They recrossed 

 the river under a heavy fire, which 

 occasioned a considerable loss, the 

 commander himself being severely 

 wounded; the purpose of the en- 

 terprize was, however, in great 

 measure effected. 



Sir G. Prevost, in a letter from 

 the head-quarters at Kingston, da- 



