eager and fruitlefs hopes of fuccour. York Town being fituated nearly at the extremity of a narrow peninfula, inclosed between York River to the north and James River to the fouth, it was invefted with great eafe and advantage by an enemy who commanded the navigation of the two rivers.

On the 14th of October the befiegers, notwithftanding the well-directed and inceffant fire of the enemy, had advanced far in their fecond parallel. Being greatly incommoded in their approaches by two redoubts at the distance of two hundred yards from the British lines, it was determined to attack them at the fame time by different detachments of French and Americans. Actuated by the spirit of emulation, both redoubts were carried fword in hand with refiftlefs impetuofity. On marching to the affault, the general exclamation was, "Remember New London!" a place on the coaft of Connecticut, which the renegade Arnold, in one of his predatoryexpeditions, had recently taken and destroyed, putting the troops which defended it to the fword. On the fubmiffion, nevertheless, of the British stationed in the two redoubts, their lives were fpared and when the Americans were afterwards interrogated why they did not carry their previous refolve into execution, they replied, "they could not

tell how to put men to death while begging on their knees for quarter." By this time the batteries of the befiegers were covered with one hundred pieces of heavy ordnance; and the British works, enfiladed in almost every part, and nearly demolished, could scarcely mount a fingle gun. In this extremity no other refource remained than to endeavour to tranfport the garrifon across York River to Glocefter Point, oppofite to York Town, where works had been alfo erected, and were ftill occupied by part of the British army. But this intention being totally frustrated by a violent storm after the embarkation had actually commenced, lord Cornwallis was reduced to the hard and terrible neceffity of propofing terms of capitulation, which were granted only on condition of his lordship's furrendering himself, and the forces under his command, to the amount of above 7000 men, prifoners of war. The honor of marching out with colors flying, which had been refufed to general Lincoln on his giving up Charlestown, was now refufed to lord Cornwallis; and general Lincoln was appointed to receive the fubmiffion of the army of York Town precifely in the fame way his own had been conducted eighteen months before.

Such was the final iffue of the eager hopes and

fanguine

fanguine expectations excited by the first brilliant fucceffes of this noble and gallant commander. The joy of the Americans on the capture of a fecond royal army was unbounded. In a circuitous march of 1100 miles, from Charlestown to Williamsburg, every place through which they paffed had experienced the effects of their rapacity and instead of endeavouring to conciliate the minds of the inhabitants by acts of lenity, they alienated even those who were most friendly, by their relentnefs and fyftematic feverity. Yet was lord Cornwallis, as an individual, generous, disinterested, and humane; but the favorite and avowed maxim of the British government at this time, a maxim from which the military commanders feem not to have thought themselves at liberty to depart, was, "that the extreme of rigor, by making the war intolerable, and refistance hopelefs, was in effect the greatest mercy, and the mode of all others to be adopted, therefore, by the parental affection of Britain, for reclaiming his majesty's deluded fubjects of America." A marble column, with a suitable inscription and trophies, was ordered by the congrefs to be erected at York Town, in commemoration of this glorious and decisive event; and a folemn thanksgiving to Almighty God was appointed throughout all the States of the Union, " for the fignal fucceffes with which he had vouchfafed to bless the

armies of America, combating in defence of their rights and liberties."

The remaining mifcellaneous tranfactions of the year must now be fuccinctly noticed.

Early in the fpring governor Johnstone, late one of the commiffioners to America, was invefted with a naval command, and with a confiderable fquadron was detached on an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. The court of Verfailles, knowing the prefent inability of the States General to protect their foreign dominions, fent a fuperior squadron under M. Suffrein, to counteract the defigns of the English; and coming up with them at Port Praya, in the island of St. Jago, the French admiral fcrupled not to violate the neutrality of the Portuguese flag, by attacking the fquadron of commodore Johnstone while it lay difperfed and fcattered, unfufpicious of danger, in the harbour. Happily the French, rather by extraordinary efforts of valor on the part of the British feamen, than of skill on that of their commander, were beaten off; but immediately proceeding to the Cape, they effectually fecured that important fettlement from any hoftile attempt. Commodore Johnstone, on his fubfequent and tardy arrival, was obliged to content himself with the capture of feveral Dutch EaftIndiamen in Saldanha Bay; and thofe of his ships which were deftined for the Eaft Indies profecu

ting their voyage thither, the commodore returned home with his prizes from his inglorious though lucrative expedition.

In the course of the fummer an engagement took place off the Dogger Bank, between an English fquadron commanded by admiral Hyde Parker, and a Dutch fquadron of equal force. under admiral Zoutman, who had under convoy the Baltic trade bound to the Texel. On per- . ceiving the English fleet bearing down, the Dutch admiral, who was to leeward, lay-to, and the English were fuffered to approach within half mufquet shot without firing a gun, when a dreadful cannonade commenced, which was kept up without interruption for three hours and forty minutes; and the action then ceafed only because the ships on both fides, from the damages they had respectively fuftained, were no longer found manageable. The Dutch, after fome time, bore away with their convoy for the Texel, which they reached with great difficulty, one of their largest ships finking before they could make the harbour.

Admiral Parker, who had unavailingly applied to the Admiralty for a reinforcement, returned in great discontent and in a fhattered condition to the Nore, where he received the fignal honor of a vifit from his majesty on board his own ship, and