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tory, held on Sept. 4th. His Holiness begins this address with informing his “venerable brothers" that he could have wished to apprize them earlier of the restitution of several of their provinces, but that he waited for its completion. He acquaints them that Cardinal Gonsalvi, after fulfilling the commission with which he was charged to his most Christian Majesty, proceeded to London, where were assembled the allied sovereigns, with the exception of the Emperor Francis, and renewed a spectacle which had not been seen for two centuries, that of the public appearance of a Cardinal Legate, decorated with the distinguishing marks of his dignity. He was received (the Pope says) at the court of the Prince Regent, with such marks of kindness and attachment to our person, that it was impossible to manifest more. The legate then delivered a brief to each of the sovereigns, soliciting the restitution of the provinces of which the Holy See had been deprived, and stating its rights to them. The departure of the legate to the congress at Vienna is then mentioned, and his conduct there, the result of which was the restoration of the three Legations. For this event acknowledgments are made to those Princes who do not belong to the Romish church, and particular gratitude is expressed to the Prince Regent of England for his earnestness in their behalf, which was of great advantage to their cause at the congress. The Pope then confesses that his joy at this restitution is somewhat abated by the still continued retention of the

province of Avignon، and the county of Venaissin within France, and the province of Ferrara on the left bank of the Po, belonging to the Holy See as much as the restored parts, and of which he does not despair the restitution, or at least an equivalent compensation. Proceeding to spiritual concerns, he mentions that the legate had been instructed to seize the opportunity presented by the projected establishment of the affairs of Germany, to secure upon their ancient footing the interests of the Catholic church in that country; but that his labours had not hitherto produced any effects, the congress having been dissolved without any definitive arrangement.

The attempts of the papal court to restore the ancient order of things even in Italy were not every where alike successful. At Florence the re-introduction of mortmain, and the re-establishment of the religious orders, met with difficulties from the government; and in the Austrian dominions of Italy little regard was paid to the wishes of the Pope. The King of Sardinia, on the other hand, showed himself an obedient son of the church; and some useful public establishments were obliged to give way to the return of monks and nuns. That Sovereign, and those of Sicily and Spain, appear to have been the only catholic monarchs who yielded to the application for restor ing the order of Jesuits in their dominions.

The occupation of Elba by the Grand Duke of Florence, though an event of no considerable importance,

portance, may deserve recording, on account of the interest attached to that island when the residence of Buonaparte. A body of Tuscan troops landed upon it on July 30th, and invested Porto Ferrajo, the commandant of which

at first asked for a suspension of arms in order to treat of a surrender; but this not being granted, a convention was entered into, in consequence of which the Tuscans took possession of all the military posts of the island.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER XIII.

America.-Remaining Incidents of the War with the United States.Capture of the President Frigate.-Failure of the Attack on New Orleans.-Fort Mobille taken.—Treaty of Peace ratified, and President's Message.-Treaty with the Creeks.-Actions of the American Navy against the Barbary Powers.-Commercial Connection with Great Britain.-President's Message in December.—South America.—Arrival of the Spanish Expedition.-Potosi taken by the Insurgents.-Operations in Venezuela.-Mexico.-Insurrection prevented in Martinique.-Guadaloupe declares for Buonaparte: its Reduction by the British.-Further Occurrences.—Transactions in the Assembly of Jamaica.

THE

HE signature of peace be tween Great Britain and the United States of America at the end of the last year could not operate to put a period to hostilities till it had been made known and ratified beyond the Atlantic; and several actions remain to be related as the conclusion of a destructive war, which wisdom and temper might have entirely prevented.

On January 15th a British squadron, consisting of the Majestic, Capt. Hayes, and three frigates, being stationed off the coast of New York, in order to prevent the escape of the United State's ship President, Commodore Decatur, and other vessels, from Staten Island, descried the President attempting to get to sea, and commenced a general chase. After a run of many hours, the Endymion frigate got along side the President, and a warm action ensued, which was maintained with great gallantry on both sides for two hours and a

half, when the Endymion's sails being cut from the yards, the American got a-head. At length, the Pomone coming up, and firing a few shots, Commodore Decatur hailed to say he had surrendered. The loss was considerable in both the ships, but much the greatest on board the President. She was a frigate of the largest rate, and had on board about 490 persons.

A series of operations of the British army in the neighbourhood of New Orleans occupied the last week of December and a part of January. An army had been collected for an attack on that town under the command of Major-Gen. Keane, which, with the assistance of Admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, was disembarked without resistance on the 23d. During the following night the troops were assaulted with vigour by a considerable body o Americans, who, after repeated efforts, were repulsed with loss. On the 25th Major-General Sir

Edward

Edward Pakenham arrived, and took the command of the army. In the morning of the 27th the troops moved forward in two columns, and drove in the enemy's picquets to a situation within six miles of the town, where their main body was discovered strongly posted behind a canal, with a breast-work in front, their right resting on the Mississipi, in which an armed ship was moored, so as to enfilade any advancing assailants, and their left touching a thick wood. From that time to the 8th of January the interval was occupied in preparations of both sides for attack and defence. On the 8th the British army was formed for a general assault upon the enemy's line, to be preceded by an attempt with a detached force under Col. Thornton to cross the river during the night, and proceeding along the right bank, to carry the flanking battery of the Americans on that side. Various unforeseen difficulties retarded the execution of this part of the plan till the co-operation lost its intended effect, though, in the end, the battery was taken; and the main attack did not take place till there was light enough for the enemy to descry the assailants at more than 200 yards distance. A galling fire was immediately opened from every part of the American line, and in the midst of it, General Pakenham, riding forwards to animate his men, received two shots, one of which was almost instantly fatal. He fell into the arms of his aidede-camp, and, at the same time, Generals Keane and Gibbs were carried off wounded in sight of the troops, who were so much dis

heartened that they began to waver. Major-General Lambert then bringing up the reserve, met the whole falling back in the greatest confusion; and though he restored order so far as to maintain the ground he occupied, it was not thought advisable to renew the attempt. On learning the success of Col. Thornton's attack, General Lambert sent an artillery officer over the river to examine whether the post was tenable, and from his report he was induced to order it to be relinquished. Such was the unfortunate termination of an enterprise which appears to have been undertaken with more courage than judgment. The loss on this day was very serious, including that of the General-in-chief killed, General Gibbs wounded so severely as to die on the next day, General Keane wounded, 1 lieut.colonel killed, and 8 wounded, and of the rest, officers and men, about 2000 killed, wounded, and prisoners. The final result was, that the whole army was reembarked, leaving a few of the most dangerously wounded, and carrying off its field artillery, ammunition, and stores.

The concluding operation of the war was the capture of fort Mobille, planned by Admirał Cochrane and General Lambert. The entrance into its bay being so well guarded by a fort that it was thought unsafe to attempt forcing a passage by the smaller ships of war; a body of troops was landed on February 7th, about three miles from the fort, which was immediately invested, and the trenches were pushed to within pistol-shot of the works.

The

The defence being obviously hopeless, the commander capitulated on the 11th, surrendering his garrison of 366 men prisoners of

war.

The treaty of peace concluded at Ghent was ratified by the president and senate of the United States on February 17th. By its articles each party bound itself to restore all places and possessions captured by it, with an exception of the islands in Passamaquoddy bay, which were to remain under their present occupation till the right to them should be decided by two sworn commissioners, one of each nation. To a similar decision were also referred some existing doubts and disputes respecting boundaries on the limits between Nova Scotia and the New England States, and on the line through the Canadian lakes between the territories of the two powers. Prisoners of war were to be mutually restored after paying the debts they might have contracted. Each party engaged to terminate all hostilities with the Indians with whom they might be at war, provided the latter should desist from hostilities on their part. Both parties agreed to continue their efforts for the final abolition of the slave trade. Not the least notice was taken of any of the national points at issue on the commencement of the war, and which were the occasion of it; so that the continuance of peace must depend either upon the absence of those circumstances which produced the disputes, or upon a spirit of reeiprocal moderation and conciliation, he desirable fruit of dear-bought experience.

On Feb. 21st, the President sent a message to both houses of Congress, accompanying the treaty of peace. In this paper, after some general observations on the policy of being at all times in a state of preparation against the possible necessity of again having recourse to arms, the President expressed his confidence that the wisdom of congress would provide "for the maintenance of an adequate regular force; for the gradual advance of the naval establishment; for improving all the means of harbour-defence; for adding discipline to the bravery of the militia; and for cultivating the art-military in its essential branches, under the liberal patronage of government." We are not informed of the particulars relative to the discussion of these topics; but it is said that the peace establishment, after much debate between the two houses, was fixed at 10,000 regulars; from which small number it may be concluded, that a general aversion existed against any attempt to promote a spirit of conquest in the military system of the United States.

A treaty between Major-Gen. Jackson and the Creek Indians, by which the war of the latter against the United States had been terminated in August 1814, was ratified by the President and Senate on February 16th. By the first of its articles the Creeks cede to the United States all the land belonging to them within the territories of the States lying west, south, and south easterly of a certain line to be drawn by persons appointed by the President, reserving, however, a certain por

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