under the pretext of retaliation for a wanton destruction committed by the army of the United States in Upper Canada, when no destruction was committed which was not unauthorised, and promptly shown to be so." The proclamation then calls upon all officers to be alert and vigilant in providing the means of defence, and authorises them to call in for the defence of threatened places, portions of militia most convenient thereto, whether they be or be not parts of the quotas detached for the service of the United States under requisitions of the general govern

ment.

Resuming the narrative of events, we have next to notice an attack upon a body of American militia posted at Bellair, by Sir Peter Parker, captain of his Majesty's ship Menelaus lying in the Chesapeak. From information received of their number and position, Sir Peter landed about 120 men on the night of August 30th, and marching at their head up the country, found the enemy drawn up in line before their camp in the midst of woods, and in much greater force than had been represented. He did not, however, hesitate to attack, but as he was animating his men, he received a mortal wound. The other officers gallantly continued the combat, and forced the enemy to full retreat; but the inequality of their numbers rendered it expedient to fall back to the beach, carrying with them their wounded. Besides the death of their brave commander, the assailing party incurred a loss of 41 killed and wounded.

The approach of the equinox

rendering it unsafe for the British fleet to proceed immediately to sea out of the Chesapeak, and act according to a concerted plan of further operations, it was agreed between Admiral Cochrane and General Ross, to employ the intermediate time in an attempt upon the important maritime town of Baltimore, which had been thrown into the utmost alarm by the fate of the neighbouring capital. The Admiral accordingly sailed up the bay, and on Sept. 11, anchored off the mouth of the Patapsco river, on the north side of which, round a kind of bason, Baltimore is situated. On the following day the troops were disembarked at the distance of about 13 miles from the town; the approach to which is through a peninsula formed by the Patapsco and Black rivers. An entrenchment extended across this neck of land, which the Americans were diligently employed in completing, when they precipitately abandoned the work on the approach of the British forces. Two miles beyond this post the advance of the British were engaged with the enemy's rifle men covered by the surrounding woods, and at this spot Gen. Ross received a mortal wound in his breast. He immediately sent for the second in command, Col. Brooke, and after giving him his instructions, and recommending his young family to the protection of his country, exclaiming My dear wife!" he dropt senseless. "Thus (says Col. Brooke) fell, at an early age, one of the brightest ornaments of his profession; one who, either at the head of a regiment, a brigade, or corps, had alike displayed the talents of command; who was not less beloved in his private, than enthusias

tically

tically admired in his public character; and whose only fault, if it may be deemed so, was an excess of gallantry, enterprise, and devotion to the service." A tribute not less warm and affectionate is paid to his memory in the dispatch of the naval commander.

The van of the British continued to press forward, pushing before it the enemy's light troops, to within five miles from Baltimore, where a corps of about 6000 men, with cavalry and six pieces of artillery, was descried posted under cover of a wood, and in dense order lining a paling which crossed the main road. Dispositions were immediately made by Colonel Brooke for a general attack, which began by the light brigades driving the enemy's skirmishers upon his main body with great loss. The rest of the troops pressing on with rapidity, in less than fiteen minutes the Americans were entirely broken and dispersed, leaving on the field two pieces of cannon, and a considerable number of killed, wounded, and prisoners. The day being now far advanced, the fatigued troops halted for the night on the ground on which the enemy had been posted; and the commander received a communication from Admiral, Cochrane, stating that the frigates, bomb-vessels, and flotilla of the fleet would take their proposed stations on the following morning. At day-break on the 13th the army advanced, and at ten o'clock occupied a position a mile and a half to the castward of Baltimore. This town is completely surrounded by detached hills, on which were constructed a chain of pallisaded redoubts connected by a small breast-work. These works

were defended, according to the best information, by about 15,000 men, with a large train of artillery. Relying, however, on the quality of his soldiers, the British commander had planned a nocturnal attack, in which the superiority of the enemy's artillery would have been less felt; but on the evening of that day a message from the admiral informed him that the entrance to the harbour was closed in such a manner by a barrier of sunken vessels, defended by gunboats and fortifications, that a nearer approach of the ships was impracticable. It was in consequence agreed by both commanders, that the chance of capturing the town was not an equivalent for the probable loss which would beincurred by storming the heights. The Colonel therefore moved back three miles from the position which he had occupied, where he halted to see whether the enemy would be induced to quit his entrenchments and follow him. demonstration of that kind being made, the army, on the 15th, was moved down to the place of reembarkation, carrying with it 200 prisoners, many of them belonging to the best families in Baltimore. The general alarm and confusion excited by this attempt, the necessity to the enemy of sinking a number of vessels, and burning a rope-walk and other public buildings, and the rout to which he had been put in a general action, were farther consolations for the failure of an enterprize eonducted with the characteristic spirit and activity of British troops. The heaviest loss sustained was that of the lamented General. The killed and wounded in the action of the

No

which was surrendered without resistance; and a Brigadier General with a number of others delivered themselves up as prisoners, and were admitted to parole. Twenty two pieces of cannon were taken in these actions, in which the loss was very trifling. After this success on the Penobscot, the only remaining fortified post of the Americans between that river and Passamquoddy bay being that of Machias, Lieutenant Colonel Pilkington was sent to reduce it, assisted by a naval force under Captain Hyde Parker. This was ef. fected without any loss on Sept. 11, and a capitulation was entered into, by which the whole brigade of the county of Washington engaged not to bear arms against his Britannic Majesty during the present war. On their return to Halifax, General Sherbrooke and Admiral Griffith issued a proclamation, declaring that they had taken formal possession, for his Majesty, of all the eastern side of the Penobscot river, and all the country lying between it and the boundary-line of New Brunswick, including all the islands near and contiguous to the shores thereof; and establishing a provisional Government for the same.

In correspondence with the vigorous measures adopted at this period for the prosecution of the war in other parts of the United States, the Governor General of Canada, Sir G. Prevost, assembled all the disposable force in the lower province of that country, and on September 1st entered the State of New York, and occupied the village of Chanplain, near the lake of that name. His force was estimated at 14 or 15,000 men,

among whom were a number of veterans who had served in Lord Wellington's army; and the commander and appointments were such as to give sanguine hopes of success. His first operations were directed against Plattsburgh, a fortified place on Lake Champlain, which was garrisoned by the Ame rican Brigadier General Macomb, with about 1500 effective men of different descriptions. The British army advanced by slow marches, gallantly surmounting every obstacle thrown in its way by the enemy, and on the 6th had arrived within a mile of Plattsburgh. The following days were occupied in bringing up the battering train, and making approaches; and it was planned that the attack should be supported by the co-operation of the British naval force on Lake Champlain, consisting of a frigate, a brig, two sloops of war, and some gun-boats, under the command of Captain Downie. On the morning of the 11th this flotilla appeared in sight of Plattsburgh, and bearing down, engaged at anchor in the bay off the town; at the same time the land batteries were opened against the fort, and threw in a continued shower of balls and bombs. The British flotilla was opposed by the American Commodore M'Donough, with a force nearly equal, and the conflict was fierce and bloody. Capt. Downie was unfortunately killed at the very beginning of the engagement, and the rudder of his ship being disabled, and the brig, commanded by Capt. Pring, becoming quite unmanageable, both vessels were left almost at the mercy of the enemy. The result, after an action of two hours, was the capture

of

of the frigate, the brig, and the two sloops, after a loss of 84 killed and 110 wounded, Capt. Downie and two Lieutenants being among the former. The Americans lost 49 killed, among whom were two officers, and 57 wounded. The firing from the land against the fort continued till sun-set, and attempts were made by the parties to advance to an assault of the works. but were foiled. The destruction of the naval force having now put an end to all hopes of success, it was thought necessary by the British General to abandon the enterpize. The cannon were withdrawn from the batteries, and at two o'clock the next morning the whole army began its retreat, leaving the sick and wounded to the humanity of the foe. Great quantities of provision were likewise left behind and destroyed; and the American accounts speak of finding on the ground, or concealed, a large quantity of shot, shells, ammunition, entrenching tools, &c. The estimate of loss of every kind sustained by the British troops, as made by the Americans, rises very high; but the return sent by Sir G. Prevost, of the loss in action of General de Rottenburg's division, from the 6th to the 14th of September, does not amount to 250. Deserters, who were probably numerous, are not included. The Americans being now collected from all the circumjacent country, the British drew back to their lines, and every idea of penetrating into the territories of the United States on that side was relinquished. Such a conclusion of an expedition from which so much had been expected, naturally excited dissatisfaction, and the letters from Canada were filled with severe censures of the Gover

nor General, but it is affirmed that he fully justified his conduct to the persons in power.

An action before Fort Erie terminated more favourably for the British arms. On September 17th the Americans stationed in that fort, joined by volunteers from the militia, made a sortie with their whole force, estimated at 5000 men, upon the intrenched position of Major General de Watteville, occupied by the 8th and de Watteville's regiments. Under cover of a heavy fire from Fort Erie, and favoured by the weather, they succeeded in turning the right of the picquets without being perceived, and attacking the picquets and their supporters, whilst another column attacked in front, they gained possession of two of the batteries. As soon, however, as the alarm was given, troops were assembled to oppose the enemy, by whose steadiness and bravery they were finally repulsed, the batteries and intrenchments were recovered, and the assailants were compelled to retire with precipitation to their works, leaving two hundred prisoners, and wounded. The loss of the British in this affair was, however, very serious, consisting of about six hundred killed, wounded, and missing.

While these warlike operations were going on beyond the Atlantic, the Commissioners of the two contending Powers were actively engaged in Europe in negociations for the restoration of peace. It has already been mentioned, that after a proposal on the part of the Americans to treat under the mediation of Russia had been declined by the British government, it was mutually agreed upon that Gottenburg