1781. India produce, as well as European goods, in the place: for all the property was indifcriminately feized, inventoried, and declared to be confifcated.

The keeping of Dutch colours flying at Eustatia, rendered it for fome time a decoy to French, Dutch, and American veffels, a confiderable number of which fell accordingly into the hands of the conquerors without trouble.

The indifcriminate feizure and confifcation of property in the island, induced the merchants of St. Chrif topher (or St. Kitt's) to prefent two memorials to adm. Rodney and gen. Vaughan, for themselves, and as agents and factors for many of the most commercial houses in Great Britain and Ireland. They stated, that their connections with St. Euftatia, and the property they had lodged there, were all in pursuance to, and under the fanction of repeated acts of the British parliament; and that their commerce had befide been entirely founded on the fair principles of merchandise, and conducted according to the rules and maxims adopted by all trading nations. The fecond memorial was carried and delivered to Rodney by Mr. Glanville the 11th of March. The admiral in a line to him anfwered, that "their effects at St. Euftatius could only be lodged as a depofit to fupply the neceffities of their king and their country's enemies. The island was Dutch, every thing in it was Dutch, every thing was under the protection of the Dutch flag, and as Dutch it fhall be treated." Mr. Glanville made a fenfible reply on the 13th of March, and obferved" That if the king's enemies were fupplied, by the trade of his fubjects through St. Euftatius, they were likewife supplied, through the fame channel,

by the fale of prizes captured by his majesty's fhips of war. 1781. The one fact is as notorious as the other, and equally criminal."

After the furrender of Euftatia, the Jews who were numerous and wealthy were the firft fufferers. Several of them were torn from their habitations with many indignities, and banished without knowing the place of their destination; and were, in that state of wretchedness which followed the feizure of their property, tranfported as outlaws, and landed at St. Kitt's. The affembly, to their great honor, inftantly paffed an act for their prefent relief and future provision, until they should have time to recover from their calamitous fituation. The Jews were foon followed by the Americans, fome of whom had been obliged to fly their native country, through the part which they had taken in fupport of the British cause. These also were fent to St. Kitt's, in much the fame ftate with the former; and were received and entertained with the same humanity and liberality by the people and legiflature of that ifland. The French merchants and traders were next banished; and at length the Amfterdammers met with the fame fate. Mean while public fales were advertised, invitation given, and protection afforded to purchafers of all nations and claffes; and the island exhibited one of the greatest auctions that ever was opened in the universe. Never was a better market for buyers. The goods were fold for a trifling proportion of their value; and by report, the French agents made the greatest and most lucrative purchases. Most of the goods were conveyed to French and Danish islands; and left to find their way to those enemies, for having fupplied whom, in the ordinary commerce,

1781. commerce, Euftatia fuffered fo feverely. This whole bufinefs, from beginning to end, has brought upon Great Britain the odium of all Europe.

A fquadron of privateers, moftly belonging to Bristol, upon hearing of the rupture with Holland, boldly entered the rivers of Demarara and Iffequibo, and with no fmall degree of courage and enterprise, brought out from under the Dutch forts and batteries, almost all the veffels of any value in either river. The prizes were confiderable but adm. Rodney, in his official letter of the 17th of March, obferved in the postscript-" The Dutch fhips feized by the privateers at Demarara are droits to the admiralty, the privateers having no commiffion to take them." He mentioned alfo the furrender of the French island of St. Bartholomew on the 16th.

The inhabitants of the two Dutch colonies of Demarara and Iffequibo, fenfible of their defenceless fituation, had already made a tender of their fubmiffion to the governor of Barbadoes, requiring no other terms but a participation of those which had been granted to Eustatia and its dependencies. A deputation was fent to adm. Rodney and gen. Vaughan to learn what were thefe terms. The deputies found that the colonists had made an improvident demand, as in effect the terms which they required were, that they might be defpoiled of all their goods, and banished from their habitations. But a nice line of distinction was drawn, between the honesty and good properties of Dutchmen inhabiting the continent, and of those living in Euftatia: and the continental colonists were accordingly fully fecured in their property, and had every indulgence granted, which could have been fairly expected. However their coun

trymen,

trymen, the Euftatian iflanders, have been obliged to 1781. undergo the opprobrium, of having the atrocious crime of perfidiousness publicly charged and recorded against them in the London gazettes; and therefore of being unworthy of any degree of protection, much lefs of indulgence.

Mar.

25 22.

The Dutch war prevented the fending of the second French naval divifion to the affiftance of the United States of America as at firft intended; and put the court of Versailles upon the plan of augmenting their fleet in the Weft Indies, fo as to fecure it a fuperiority over the British. Accordingly count de Graffe failed from Breft toward the end of March, with a fleet of fail of the line, the Sagittaire of 54 guns, 6000 land forces, and a prodigious convoy, amounting to between 2 and 300 fhips; the whole compofing one of the largest and richest fleets that ever failed from France. Of this formidable armament, five fhips of the line under Mr. de Suffrein, with part of the land forces, were deftined for the Eaft Indies; with a view likewife of intercepting commodore Johnstone's fquadron and convoy on their way; the laft failed from Spithead on the 13th of the fame month, in company with the British grand fleet under adm. Darby.

The Eaft India company received advice, about the middle of April, that in July of laft year, Hyder Ally entered the Carnatic in different places; that fome of their troops were afterward attacked and defeated; that Sir Eyre Coote left Calcutta and failed with a reinforcement to Fort St. George, where he arrived the 5th of November, two days after Arcot had furrendered to Hyder. Their affairs in that quarter have but a threat

781.ening afpect; but Sir Eyre is attempting all in his

19.

power

to retrieve them. April Mr. John Adams prefented to their high mightineffes, the states general of the United Provinces of the Low Countries, a memorial dated Leyden, April 19, 1781. In which he informed them, that the United States of America had lately thought fit to fend him a commiffion (with full powers and inftructions) to confer with them concerning a treaty of amity and commerce; and that they had appointed him to be their minifter plenipotentiary to refide near them. Similar information was communicated at the fame time to the stadtholder, his ferene highness the prince of Orange. Mr. Adams meant to conciliate the affections of all parties; that fo they might unite in fupporting the measure he wished to obtain.

LETTER IV.

Roxbury, Sept. 15, 1781.

L

ORD Cornwallis having croffed the Deep river, gen. Greene refolved on carrying the war without delay into South Carolina; thereby to oblige the enemy to follow him, or to endanger their pofts in that state. He expected that if the former took place, North Carolina would not continue the feat of war; if the latter,

that