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be fully inferted. The following is a Specimen of the 
European mode of addrelSng thefe people: 
“ Brothers, Sachems, and Warriors! 
“ We, the delegates from tlie Twelve United Provinces, 
•now fitting in general congrefs at Philadelphia, lend their 
talk to you our-brothers. 
“ Brothers.and Friends, now attend! 
“ When our fathers eroded the great water, and came 
over to this land, the king of England gave them a talk, 
alluring them that they and their children fhould be his 
•children ; and that if they would leave their native coun¬ 
try, and make fettlements, and live here, and buy and 
fell, and trade with their brethren beyond the water, 
they fhould (fill keep hold of the fame covenant-chain, and 
enjoy peace; and it was covenanted, that the fields, hou- 
fes, goods, and pofTeffions, which our fathers fhould ac¬ 
quire, fhould remain to them as their own, and be their 
children’s for ever, and at their foie difpolal. 
“ Brothers and Friends, open a kind ear! 
“ We will now tell you of the quarrel betwixt the coun- 
,-fellors of king George and the inhabitants and colonies of 
America. 
“ Many of his counfellors have perfuaded him to break 
the covenant-chain, and not to fend us any more good 
balks. They have prevailed upon him to enter into a co¬ 
venant again!! us ; and have torn afunder, and calf behind 
their back, the good eld covenant which their anceftors 
and ours entered into, and took !frong hold of. They now 
tell us they will put their hands into our pocket without 
alking, as though it were their own ; and at their pleafure 
t hey will take from ns our charters, or written civil conlli- 
tution, which we love as our lives ; alfo our plantations, 
-bur houles, and goods, whenever they pleafe, without 
diking our leave. They tell us, that our veflels may go 
to that e>r this ifland in the lea, but to this or that parti¬ 
cular island we fliall not trade any more; and, in cafe of 
our non-compliance with thefe new orders, they (hut up 
our harbours. 
“ Brothers, we live on the fame ground with you ; the 
fame ifland is our common birth-place. We defire to fit 
down under the fame tree of peace with you ; let us water 
its roots, and cherilh the growth, till the large leaves and 
flouriflung branches fliall extend to the letting fun, and 
reach the fkies. If any thing difagreeable fhould ever 
fall out between us, the Twelve United Colonies, and you, 
the Six Nations, to wound our peace, let us immediately 
feek meafures for healing the breach. From the prefent 
fituation of bur affairs, we judge it expedient to kindle up 
a ftnall fire at Albany, where we may hear each other’s 
voice, and difclole our minds fully to one another.” 
The other remarkable t ran fact ions of this congrefs were 
the ultimate refufal of the conciliatory propofal made by 
lord North, of which fuch fanguine expectations had been 
formed by the Englilh miniltry ; and appointing a gene- 
ralillimo to command their armies, which were now very 
numerous. The perfon chofen for this purpofe was Geo. 
Walhington : a man fo univerfally beloved, that he was 
raifed to fuch an high ftation by the unanimous voice of 
■congrefs: and his fubfequent conduCt (hewed him every 
way worthy of it. Horace Gates and Charles Lee, two 
Englilh officers of cor.fiderabie reputation, were alio cho¬ 
fen; the former an adjutant-general, the lecond a major- 
general. Artemus Ward, Philip Schuyler, and Ifrael 
Putnam, were like wife nominated major-generals. Seth 
Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, David Woofter, William 
Heath, jofeph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan, and 
Nathaniel Green, were chofen brigadier-generals at the 
fame time. 
The fuccefs which had hitherto attended the Americans 
in all their meafures, now emboldened them to think not 
only of defending' themfelves, but likewife of aCting of- 
fenfively againil-Great Britain. The conqueft of Canada 
appeared an object within their reach, and one that would 
be attended with many advantages ; and, as an invalion of 
that province was already facilitated by the taking of 
Crown Point and Ticonderago, it was refolved if poffible 
to penetrate that way into Canada, and reduce Quebec 
during tire winter, before the fleets and armies, which they 
were well affured would fail thither from Britain, fhould 
arrive. By order of congrefs, therefore, 3000 men were 
put under the command of generals Montgomery and 
Schuyler, with orders to proceed to lake Champlain, from 
whence they were to be conveyed in flat-bottomed boats 
to the mouth of the river Sore!, a branch of the great 
river St. Lawrence, and on which is lituated a fort of the 
fame name with the river. On the other hand, they were 
oppofed by general Carleton, governor of Canada; an 
officer of great a Givi ty and experience in war ; who, with 
a very few troops, had hitherto been able to keep in awe 
the difafleCted people of Canada, notwithftanding all the 
reprefentations of the c'olonifts. He had now augmented 
his army by a confiderable number'of Indians, and pro- 
mifed even in his prefent fituation to make a formidable 
refinance. 
As foon as general Montgomery arrived at Crown Point, 
he received information that Several armed veliels were 
ftatior.ed at St. John’s, a ftrong fort on the Sorel, with a 
view to prevent his crofting the lake; on which lie took 
poffeffion of an ifland that commands the mbuth of the 
Sorel, and by which he could prevent them from entering 
the lake. In conjunction with general Schuyler, he next 
proceeded to St. John’s : but, finding that place too ftrong, 
he landed on a part of the country confiderably diftant, 
and full of woods and fwarnps. From thence, however, 
they were driven by a party of Indians whom general 
Carleton had employed. 
The provincial army was now obliged to retreat to the 
ifland of which they at firft took poffeffion ; where general 
Schuyler being taken ill, Montgomery was left to com¬ 
mand alone. His firft ftep was to gain over the Indians 
whom general Carleton had employed, and this he in a 
great meafu re accompli Hied ; after which he determined 
to lay liege to St. John’s. In this he was facilitated by the 
reduction of Chamblee, a fmall fort in the neighbourhood, 
where lie found a large fupply of powder. An attempt 
was made by general Carleton to relieve the place; for 
which purpofe he with great pains collected about 1000 
Canadians, while Colonel Maclean propofed to raife a re¬ 
giment of the Highlanders who had emigrated from their 
own country to America. But, while general Carleton was 
on his march with thefe new levies, he was attacked by a 
fuperior force of provincials, and utterly defeated ; which 
being made known to another body of Canadians who had 
joined colonel Maclean, they abandoned him without ftri- 
king a blow, and he was obliged to retreat to Qaiebec. 
The defeat of general Carleton was a fufficient recoin - 
pence to the Americans for that of colonel -Ethan Allen, 
which had happened a little before. The fuccefs which 
had attended this gentleman againft Crown Point and Ti¬ 
conderago had emboldened him to make a limilar attempt 
on Montreal; but, being attacked by the militia of the 
place, Supported by a detachment of regulars, he was en¬ 
tirely defeated, and taken prifoner. 
General Carleton’s defeat, and the defertion of Maclean’s 
forces, induced the garrifon of St. John’s to Surrender 
themfelves prifoners of war; and they were treated with 
great humanity. They were in number 500 regulars and 
200 Canadians, among whom were many French nobles. 
General Montgomery next took meafures to prevent the 
Britifh (hipping from palling down the river from Mont¬ 
real to Quebec. This he accomplilhed fo effectually, that 
the whole were taken. The town itfelf was obliged to 
Surrender at diferetion; and it was with the utmoft diffi¬ 
culty that genera! Carleton efcaped in an open boat by the 
favour of a dark night. 
No obftacle now remained to prevent the Americans 
from making their way to the capital, except what arc ft; 
from the nature of the country; and thefe were very con¬ 
fiderable. Nothing, however, could damp the ardour of 
the provincials. Notwithstanding it-was now the middle 
o£ 
