GENERAL HISTORY. 



[197 



tween the two powers occurred al- 

 most immediately after the decla- 

 ration of war. Commodore Rodgers, 

 of the President frigate, leaving 

 New York with a squadron of 

 ships of war, having received in- 

 telligence that a British convoy 

 had sailed about a month before 

 from Jamaica, made course to the 

 southward ; and on June 23rd fell 

 in with the Belvidere English fri- 

 gate, Capt. Byron, to which he 

 gave chace. The President alone 

 got near enough for action, and a 

 running light ensued for three 

 hours, after which the Belvidere 

 kept on her way for Halifax un- 

 molested, having undergone some 

 damage, and had some men killed 

 and wounded. The President also 

 incurred some loss of men, chiefly 

 from the bursting of one of her 

 own guns. Capt. Byron, conclud- 

 ing from this attack that war was 

 declared, captured three American 

 merchant vessels before he arrived 

 in port, which were released by 

 Admiral Sawyer, commander on 

 the Halifax station. 



An occurrence near Montreal, 

 about this time, doubtless animated 

 the hopes of the Americans with 

 respect to the meditated expedition 

 against Canada. By a late militia 

 law, a draft of 2,000 men was to 

 be made from the militia of the 

 province, for three months, in or- 

 der to be trained and disciplined. 

 Some of those who were to be 

 drafted from the parish of St. 

 Claire, having refused to march 

 to La Prairie to join the division 

 stationed there, an officer was sent 

 to apprehend the refractory per- 

 sons as deserters. Four of these 

 were taken and carried off, but 

 were followed by a mob who res- 



cued one, and threatened to come 

 the next day to la Prairie, and li- 

 berate all the young men of their 

 parish who were kept there. Ac- 

 cordingly, a large body assembled 

 at La Chine to execute this pur- 

 pose, when they were met by a 

 police magistrate, with a detach- 

 ment of regular troops. A par- 

 ley ensued, in which the insur- 

 gents pleaded that they did not 

 consider the militia act as fully 

 passed, and that it had not been 

 properly promulgated among them. 

 They declared their readiness to 

 concur in the defence of their 

 country, but persisted in their de- 

 termination relative to the object 

 they had in view. The riot act 

 was' then read, and on their re- 

 fusal to disperse, shots were fired 

 by the troops, which were return- 

 ed by the insurgents ; the latter 

 were however soon dispersed with 

 a trifling loss. On the next day a 

 larger force was marched to the 

 spot, who made a considerable 

 number of prisoners, and brought 

 them to Montreal. The governor 

 acted with prudent lenity on the 

 occasion, and discharged them 

 upon a promise to deliver up the 

 instigators of the insurrection, and 

 the deserters. It is said that two 

 attorneys, members of the house 

 of assembly, were the chief pro- 

 moters of this act of resistance, 

 which at such a crisis was certain- 

 ly of dangerous import. 



On July 6th, an act passed the 

 Congress to prohibit American 

 vessels from proceeding to, or 

 trading with, the enemies of the 

 United States, and also to forbid 

 the transport of articles of mu- 

 nition of war, or provision, to 

 the British settlerneots in North 



America, 



