"Louisianians! remain quiet in your houses; your slaves shall be preserved to you, and your property respected. We make war only against Americans." Signed by admiral Cochrane and major-general Keane.

We have seen, in the account of the offers made to Mr. Lafitte, what reliance was to be had on their promise to preserve slaves to their masters.

An hour before these papers were seized, the British had stuck up the same proclamation on the fences, all along the road below Laronde's plantation.

The troops now moved forward; general Coffee took the command of the left, composed of a part of his brigade, the Tennessee mounted riflemen, the Orleans company of riflemen, under captain Beale, forming the extremity of the left, a part of the Mississippi dragoons and mounted riflemen, amounting in all to seven hundred and thirty-two fighting men.

Colonel de la Ronde, the owner of the plantation on which the troops were formed, after having, about noon, escaped from the British at Villeré's, and crossed the river, had come to town and joined captain Beale's company as a volunteer; from his knowledge of the ground, he was now ordered by general Jackson to accompany general Coffee as a guide.

About nightfall, the left entered on La Ronde's plantation, and took a position in the back of it, on its boundary with Lacoste's.

The right formed on a line almost perpendicular to the river, stretching from the levée to the garden of La Ronde's plantation, and on its principal ave

nue. The artillery occupied the high road, supported by the detachment of marines. On the left of the artillery were stationed the seventh and forty-fourth of the line, Plauché's and Daquin's battalions, and eighteen Chactaw Indians, commanded by captains Jugeant and Allard, forming the extremity of the right wing towards the woods. The superior command of the battalions of militia was given to colonel Ross.

The boats that had landed the first division of the British troops returned down the bayou, and at eight o'clock passed the village on their way to take in the second division, which had been embarked in small vessels, and was already in the lake. By four in the afternoon, that division, consisting of the twenty-first, forty-fourth, and ninety-third regiments, with a division of artillery, in all two thousand five hundred men, arrived at the village. At half after seven in the evening, they were disembarking, when the firing was first heard from the schooner Carolina, which now opened on the division encamped on the river bank.

Admirals Cochrane and Malcolm, with several officers of the army and navy, had remained at the village to hasten the landing of the troops, and had there passed the whole day, during which time they frequently conversed with the prisoners, endeavouring to persuade them that the British army came with no hostile intent against the inhabitants of the country, who being mostly Frenchmen or Spaniards by birth or descent, must naturally (as these English gentlemen naturally supposed) prefer the British government to that of the United States. They told them

that their intentions were to obtain and keep possession of the country, and to penetrate far up the Mississippi, to make the upper country the theatre of war; that to convince the inhabitants of their friendly intentions, they had brought with them three natives of Louisiana, serving in the troops of his catholic majesty in Pensacola; and accordingly those three persons alluded to, Messrs. Guillemard, Regio, and Grand Pré, were seen shortly after in company with the British officers; but fortunately were not able to give them any great assistance.

On the arrival of the second division at the vil lage, the prisoners were embarked on board one of the boats, to be conveyed to their own homes. They landed at half past seven, with the second division, who, on hearing the report of the cannon, made all haste to repair to the scene of action, where they arrived in less than an hour, long before the action was over, so that several corps of that division were engaged in it.

The first division of British troops, having encamped, or rather bivouacked, as I have already observed, at the angle formed by the road, on the highest part of Villeré's plantation, in irregular order, some on the side of the levée, and others in the plain, out-posts had been stationed at different places, in an oblique line, extending from the boundary between La Ronde's and Lacoste's plantations, running along the negro huts of the latter, on the back of the dwelling house, as far as a cluster of live oaks, on Villeré's canal, near the wood. There was stationed a strong detachment to cover the communica

tion with the rest of the

army, by the road on the Through the plain ran a

right bank of the canal. chain of out-sentries, very closely posted. A detachment of fifty men was stationed at Jumonville's bridge, on the border of the canal, on the road. One company had advanced as far as the bank of the river, behind the levée, and to the angle forming Mr. Villeré's inclosed batture, probably in order to prevent all surprise by the river. The detachment of the rocket brigade was stationed behind the levée, to use that diabolical invention against such vessels as might endeavour to annoy the camp. A few pieces of cannon had already arrived, and were mounted in the court near Villeré's sugar-works. A strong detachment of about five hundred men was stationed on the left bank of Villeré's canal, near the negro huts. General Keane and his officers, among whom was colonel Thornton, had established their headquarters in Mr. Villeré's house.

The British general having thus, with little difficulty, succeeded in bringing his troops to the banks of the Mississippi, and there establishing his camp, in the belief that his arrival and position could not be known at New Orleans till late in the night, expected to meet with little or no resistance. Such was the security and confidence of the British army, that part of the troops had lain down in their bivouacs, and some picquets of the out-posts had lighted up large fires, at which the men were cooking their • suppers, when they were surprised. It appears, indeed, not unlikely that the opinion they had of their superior military skill, the expectation with which they

had been deluded, that the old population of the country would hail their arrival with joy, the cheering thoughts of their having arrived on the banks of the Mississippi, within nine miles of New Orleans, without having had occasion to fire a musket, contributed to make the British believe themselves in perfect security from any attack. (See the plan, Plate No. 6.) About seven o'clock the Carolina came to anchoron the brink of Villeré's batture, opposite the centre of the British encampment, within musket-shot. Such was the security of the British, that taking that vessel for a common boat plying on the Mississippi, numbers of them went on the levée to examine her more closely. At half after seven the Carolina opened on them a dreadful fire, which continued for ten minutes before they could recover from the consternation with which they were struck by that sudden attack; so that they had not yet run to their arms, when the guns of the schooner had already killed or wounded upwards of a hundred of their men. The British at last extinguished the fires in their camp, and attempted to answer the schooner with a fire of musketry, from which the crew sustained no injury. Some Congreve rockets were tried with as little ef fect, and those who discharged them were forced to conceal themselves behind the levée. In less than half an hour the schooner drove the enemy from his camp. (See commodore Patterson's letter to the secretary of the navy, Appendix No. 24.)

At this moment a company of the seventh, commanded by lieutenant M'Klelland, under colonel Piatt, quarter-master-general, advanced from the gate