216 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



loss, and I found myself close to 

 the fort, and the new entrenched 

 camp which is formed on the right 

 of that work, both of them crowd- 

 ed with men, bristled with cannon, 

 and supported by the fire from 

 Fort Niagara, on the opposite side 

 of the river ; but no provocation 

 could induce the American army 

 to leave their places of shelter, and 

 venture into the field. 



Having made a display of my 

 force in vain, a deliberate retreat 

 ensued without a casualty. Since 

 I had the honour of addressing 

 your lordship on the 1st inst. every 

 possible exertion has been made by 

 commodore sir James Yeo, but 

 in vain, to bring the enemy's squa- 

 dron to a decisive action ; repeat- 

 edly has he offered them battle, 

 and as repeatedly have they declined 

 it, which their great superiority 

 in sailing, together with the light 

 and baffling winds prevailing on 

 the lake at this season, has ena- 

 bled them hitherto effectually to 

 do. He, however, was fortunate 

 enough, on the night of the 10th 

 instant to get so close in with the 

 enemy, as to render an action in- 

 evitable, unless they chose to sacri- 

 fice two of their schooners in order 

 to avoid it; to this sacrifice they 

 submitted, and sir James had the 

 satisfaction, after a few shots had 

 been fired, to take possession of 

 two very fine schooners, the one 

 carrying one longthirty-twopound- 

 er and two long sixes, and the 

 other one long thirty-two pounder, 

 and one long twelve, with a com- 

 plement of 43 men each. Having 

 proceeded to York for the purpose 

 of refitting his prizes, lie sailed 

 from thence with them in pursuit 

 ' of the enemy on the 13th inst. and 

 having followed them down the 



lake on the 17th, again saw them 

 on the 18th, but was unable to 

 come up with them. On the night 

 preceding tliat of tlie capture of 

 the above vessels, two of the ene- 

 my's largest schooners, carrying 

 nine guns each, overset and sunk, 

 in carrying sail to keep from our 

 squadron, and, excepting sixteen 

 persons, all on board perished, in 

 number, about one hundred. Sir 

 James Yeo, has been into Kingston 

 with his squadron, to take in pro- 

 visions and refit, and since sailing, 

 has cruised off York, and Niagara, 

 but has not seen any thing further 

 of the enemy's fleet, I understand 

 that commodore Chauncey, with 

 his squadron, after the loss of his 

 schooner in the night of the 10th, 

 returned to Sackett's harbour ; 

 from which place he sailed sudden- 

 ly on the 14th, and again returned 

 to it on the 18th pursued by our 

 fleet. I have not yet been able 

 correctly to ascertain whether he 

 has since left it. 



COLONIAL DEPARTMENT. 



Downing Street Nov. 1^. 

 A dispatch, of which the fol- 

 lowing is an extract, was this day 

 received from lieut. -general sir 

 G. Prevost, K H. addressed to earl 

 Bathurst, one of his majesty's prin- 

 cipal secretaries of state. 



Extract of a Letter from lieu- 

 tenant general sir G. Prevost, 

 dated Head-quarters, Montreal, 

 Oct. Sth 1813. 



Shortly after I had the honour 

 of addressing your lordship, I re- 

 ceived information that the tnemy 

 were assembling in considerable • 

 force on the Montreal frontier, 



