shortness of the scaling-ladders, upon the left, of the American works at Fort-Erie. If the "British 41st and 104th," as whole regiments, could extort a compliment for what they were supposed to have done, what would the Americans have said, had they known, that "the determined and intrepid enemy," who could not be dislodged from the bastion, were the flank-companies only of those regiments, assisted by a party of seamen and marines, the whole numbering but 190 rank and file? * By an unaccountable inadvertency, Mr. Thomson has overlooked the statement he gave of the British force, just previous to the attack. We then had, he says, "5352 men." Let us see how he disposes of this force at the time of the assault. Colonel Fischer's column he states at 1300, colonel Drummond's, at 700, and colonel Scott's, at 800, in all, 2800; leaving 2552 men, for the reserve, which consisted, he says, of" the royals, another part of De Watteville's regiment, the Glengarians, and the incorporated militia, under lieutenantcolonel Tucker." Taking the outside of all the American estimates of the detailed parts of this reserve, we cannot make it amount to more than 1200 men;-what then become of the remaining 1352? The fact is, the reserve amounted to 1000 men only; and consisted of the battalion-companies of the royal Scots, six * All wounded, App. No. 35. + Sketches of the War, p. 308. companies of the 41st, the Glengarry regiment, and the incorporated militia. So that the British force engaged in the assault upon Fort-Erie, did not exceed 2140 men. In general Gaines's first letter, not a word appears about the "tremendous and dreadful explosion." The bastion, says the American general," was regained at the point of the bayonet."* We wish, for his sake, that we had his second letter to refer to. At all events, Mr. O'Connor, who professes to compile "carefully from official documents," is equally silent about the explosion; declaring, to the same effect as the general, that "the bastion was re-taken by the greatest display of courage and exertion.” t May not such a catastrophe, as the blowing into the air of, according to an American letterwriter,200 British," have merited the notice, if not have awakened the sympathy, of the reverend Dr. Smith? Here follows his whole account :-" General Drummond, on the 15th of August, attempted to storm the fort, but was repulsed with the loss of 600 men, one-half of whom were slain. The assault, and defence were of the same desperate character with the battles of Chippeway and Niagara; and could not fail to inspire the British officers and soldiers, with high ideas of the discipline and courage of the American army." Yet, when * App. No. 38. + History of the War, p. 260. History of the United States, Vol. III. p. 313. 200 Americans, along with general Pike, were blown up at the capture of York, doctor Smith could find room to tell us, that they were "terribly mangled;"* and Mr. O'Connor himself there gave a very circumstantial account of the "tremendous explosion."† Two short extracts from Mr. O'Connor's book will shew, that he was almost as much "gladdened" as general Gaines, at our discomfiture before Fort-Erie. "The assault," says he, "was of that desperate nature, that was calculated to rub away the stains of former defeats, to resuscitate the sinking charms of an assumed invincibility, and save the British general from contempt, and perhaps disgrace.". "The invincibles were, however, destined to experience another defeat; and the Americans added another wreath to the laurels, with which they were already so plentifully blessed."+ According to some letters from sir George Prevost to lieutenant-general Drummond, which were intercepted by the Americans, and afterwards published in all the journals, both American and British, the lieutenant-general was blamed for making the attack; sir George adding: "It is not in reproach of its failure that I observe to you, that night-attacks made with heavy troops, are, in my opinion, very objectionable." How far this may be the case, we will not pretend. to decide; but we think there appears, in both of *History of the United States, Vol. III. p. 230. And sir George's letters, though somewhat obscurely expressed, sufficient to account for the "hesitation" and "consternation" of the right column. In one letter, he says, alluding to De Watteville's regiment: "I am told they were deprived of their flints." In the other, he says: "It is to be inferred, from lieutenant-colonel Fischer's report, and your statement, that the right column was not sufficiently prepared for the obstacles it had to surmount, in attaining the point of attack.”— What can this mean, but that the scaling-ladders were too short? And yet neither general Drummond's, nor colonel Fischer's, official report contains a word about scaling-ladders; nor, indeed, in the present shape of those letters, any thing from which an inference can be drawn, "that the right column was not sufficiently prepared for the obstacles it had to surmount." Had the British right possessed the means of scaling the works, the enemy's right would not have been so strongly reinforced, nor colonel Drummond's column been delayed at the fatal bastion; and, consequently, the assault upon Fort-Erie, although "performed in the dark,” would have been crowned with success. The Americans will not allow us to give an uninterrupted detail of open and honorable warfare. Among several petty outrages upon private property, one that occurred on Lake Erie is too heinous to pass unnoticed. On the 16th of August, a party of about 100 Americans and Indians landed at Port-Talbot on that lake; and robbed 50 heads of families of all their horses, and of every article of household furniture, and wearing apparel, belonging to them. The number of individuals who were thus thrown naked and destitute upon the world, amounted to 49 men, 37 women,-three of the latter, and two of the former, nearly 70 years of age,—and 148 children, A great many of the more respectable inhabitants were not only robbed, but carried off as prisoners: among them, a member of the house of assembly, Mr. Barnwell, though ill of the fever and ague. An authenticated account of this most atrocious proceeding, delivered in by colonel Talbot, the owner of the settlement, stands upon the records of the "Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada;" yet not a whisper on the subject has escaped any one American historian. Early in the spring of 1814, when general Winder left Quebec for the United States, on his parole, he was understood to be the bearer, from sir George Prevost, of another proposition for an armistice. The American government very gladly published the fact; if only to show to the world, who was the first to cry out. At the same time, the annoyance felt from the British fleet in the Chesapeake, which was not, like the river St. Lawrence, shut up during the winter months, rendered desirable, a cessation of hostilities by water, as well as land. A flag of |