Divers corps of the provincial militia effected a rapid junction with the mountaineers of the western districts, under the command of colonels Williams and Cleveland, to the amount of feveral thousand men, and, marching in queft of Fergufon, foon discovered his encampment on an eminence known by the name of King's Mountain. The Americans, dividing their force into different columns, afcended the hill in various directions, and attacked the royalists with great fury. Major Ferguson was successful on whichever fide he directed his efforts; but no fooner was one divifion driven back, than. the former refumed its ftation, fo that his exertions were entirely unavailing. But his unconquerable fpirit difdained all ideas of furrender, and the unequal conflict continued till this officer received a nortal wound; and no chance of efcape being left, nor profpect of fuccefsful refiftance remaining, the fecond in command fued for quarter, which was granted, and more than eight hundred men laid down their arms, about three hundred being killed or wounded in the action.

This disaster was in its confequences almost as fatal to lord Cornwallis as the affair of Trenton, to general Howe. On the firft intelligence of it his lordship retreated to Wynnesborough, where he was much haraffed by the irregular but con

tinual attacks of the provincials; and general Gates was enabled to write to the prefident of the congrefs, "The "The enemy have fo far the worst of the campaign, having loft confiderably more men, officers, and arms, than your army; and even loft ground, as they had several pofts at the beginning of the campaign on the Pèdee, all of which are now evacuated." But the exultation of the court-faction in England, on the intelligence of lord Cornwallis's victory at Camden, was extreme. Untaught by former difappointments, all the flattering and favorite ideas of abfolute conqueft and unconditional fubmiffion feemed for a time to be revived. "I have not the leaft doubt," said the American fecretary of state to lord Cornwallis in his dispatch of November 9th, "from your lordship's vigorous and alert movements, that the whole country fouth of the Delawar will be restored to the king's obedience in the course of the next campaign;"-this credulous and confident ftatesman thinking, as is evident, that marching through the country was the fame thing as fubduing it. It is even poffible that the animation inspired by this fuccefs contributed to the adoption of the violent counfels by which, at this period, matters were brought to the last extremity with the States General.

On the 3d of September, the Mercury, a con

grefs

grefs packet, was taken by the Vestal frigate off the banks of Newfoundland. On board this packet was Mr. Laurens, late prefident of the congrefs, charged with a commiffion to Holland. On being brought to England, he was examined, by the privy council, and committed close prifoner to the Tower, on an accufation of high treafon. His papers, which had been thrown overboard, and by great dexterity and diligence recovered and deciphered, were found to contain the sketch of a treaty of amity and commerce between the republic of Holland and the States of America. This treaty appeared to be in a train of negotiation, and to have received the fanction and approbation of M. Van Berkel, counsellor and penfionary of Amfterdam. Such was the high offence taken by the court of London at this difcovery, that immediate orders were tranfmitted to fir Jofeph Yorke, to reprefent to the States General, that the States of Amsterdam, as appeared from the papers of the Sieur Laurens, calling himself prefident of the pretended congrefs, had entered into a clandeftine correfpondence with the American rebels, and that inftructions and powers had been given by them for the purpofe of concluding a treaty of indiffoluble friendship with the said rebels. His Britannic majefty, therefore, required not only a formal difavowal of fo irregular

a con

a conduct, but also infifted on fpeedy fatisfaction adequate to the offence, and the exemplary punishment of the penfionary Van Berkel and his accomplices, as difturbers of the public peace and violators of the rights of nations; otherwise the king would be obliged to take fuch steps as became his dignity and the interests of his fubjects. The States General, though they paffed without difficulty refolutions of difavowal and enquiry, delaying to give a formal and explicit answer to this declaration, a fecond memorial was presented by fir Jofeph Yorke on the 12th of December, in which the ambaffador requires an immediate and fatisfactory answer from the States. "The king," he says, "has never imagined that your High Mightineffes had approved of a treaty with his rebellious fubjects. That had been raifing the buckler on your part. But the offence has been committed by a city which makes a confiderable part of the state, and it belongs to the fovereign power to punish and give fatisfaction for it: and it will not be till the last extremity, in case of denial or filence, that the king will take them upon himself." The ambaffador was now informed that the memorial would be taken ad referendum by the deputies of the respective provinces, according to the received custom and conftitution of their government. This being regarded as a palpable eva

fion, the ambaffador received orders immedi ately to leave the Hague, and a declaration of war was published against Holland on the 20th of December 1780. This was a measure totally unexpected on the part of the States General, who were ill-prepared for fuch a rupture. Before the departure of count Welderen, he delivered, by order of the States, a letter to lord Stormont, which his lordship returned unopened.

However unjuft and indefenfible had been the policy of the British government, the hoftile conduct of the Dutch, apparently proceeding lefs from a fpirit of generous attachment to the caufe of violated freedom than from a fordid and avaricious selfishness, had rendered them the objects of the national refentment and averfion. The declaration of war, therefore, which carried with it a refemblance of vigor and even of magnanimity, was received with a great share of approbation and applaufe. There were not, however, wanting thofe who, without any prejudice in favor of Holland, hefitated not to affirm that this laft act of the British miniftry filled up the measure of their iniquity and abfurdity. "Where," faid they, "could be the civil or political offence for the fubjects of a foreign state to enter into provisional agreements with the Americans which were not and could not be fuppofed valid till the recognition of American

indepen