ments and feelings expressed by General Arm inhabitants of the Michigan territory, and took strong, in his history of the war, may be such precautionary measures as he deemed fairly taken as a sample of the exertions which necessary for the protection of the inhabitants were made at the time to find a victim, some of the conquered territory. To the honor of where, on which to wreak the vengeance of the Indians, however, be it said, that although mortified national vanity. In order to make many enemies fell into their hands, no loss of the case still more strong against Gen. Hul!, life was sustained, beyond that caused by the rashness and ignorance are qualities freely British batteries. Faithfully did they obey bestowed on the English General,— -a short the injunctions of Tecumseh and the other extract will, however, enable the reader to chiefs, who had impressed on them that in judge for himself :- Notwithstanding the nothing could they testify more strongly their repeated blunders of the American General, love to the king, their great father, than in fortune did not yet entirely abandon him; and following the dictates of honor and humanity on the 16th August, presented a new occasion, which he, through his General, had inculrequiring on his part only the vulgar quality cated. This behavior on the part of our of defensive courage, to have completely baf- Indian allies did not, however, prevent General fled the designs of Brock, and re-established Hull from basely aspersing them in his attempt his own ascendancy on the Detroit. This to vindicate his conduct. "The bands of occasion was found in the indiscretion of his savages," wrote the General, “which had then adversary; who on crossing the river with a joined the British force, were numerous beforce smaller than that it was his purpose to yond any former example. Their numbers assail, had hastily determined to risk the storm- have since increased, and the history of the ing of a fortification, strong in itself, abun- barbarians of the north of Europe does not dantly supplied and sufficiently garrisoned. furnish examples of more greedy violence than If it be thought extraordinary, that under these savages have exhibited." This passage these circumstances, General Brock should must always reflect everlasting disgrace on have forgotten all the dissuasions from attack him who penned it, as in no one American furnished by history, it was certainly still less work on the war have we been able to discover to be expected that General Hull should have an authenticated statement of the excesses forgotten all the motives for defence furnished imputed to the Indians by General Hull. by the same source, Such, however, was the There is very little doubt but that the fear of fact; the timidity of the one kept pace with them, however, operated effectually on Gen. the temerity of the other; and at last, in an agony of terror, which cunning could no longer dissemble, and which history is ashamed to describe, the fort, army, and territory were surrendered without pulling a trigger." We have been thus particular in exposing the attempt of Americans to bolster up their wounded honor, because every attempt to attach imbecility or cowardice to the American General, tarnishes directly the lustre shed on the British arms on that occcasion.

Immediately after the surrender of Detroit, General Brock issued his proclamation* to the

of his Majesty's government, I do hereby announce to all the inhabitants of the said territory, that force until his Majesty's pleasure be known, or so the laws heretofore in existence shall continue in long as the peace and safety of the said territory will admit thereof; and I do hereby also declare and make known to the said inhabitants, that they shall be protected in the full exercise and employment of their religion, of which all persons, both civil and military, will take notice, and gov ern themselves accordingly.

All persons having in their possession, or having any knowledge of, any public property, shall forthwith deliver in the same, or give notice thereof, to the officer commanding, or to Lieut.Colonel Nichol, who are duly authorized to receive and give proper receipts for the same.

Officers of militia will be held responsible, that

*Proclamation by Isaac Brock, Esq., Major-Gene-all arms in the possession of militia-men be imral, commanding his Majesty's forces in the Province of Upper Canada, &c.

Whereas the territory of Michigan was this day, by capitulation, ceded to the arms of his Britannic Majesty, without any other condition than the protection of private property, and wishing to give an early proof of the moderation and justice!

mediately given up, and all individuals whatever who have in their possession arms of any kind, will give them up without delay.

Given under my hand at Detroit, this 16th day of August, 1812, and in the 52d year of his Majesty's reign.

ISAAC BROCK, Major-General.

Hull, and produced in a great measure the suggest to them that the frontiers of Ohio, surrender of Detroit, as in another part of his Pennsylvania, and Kentucky were now open

official despatch he thus expresses him self:-"It was impossible, in the nature of things, that an army could have been furnished with the necessary supplies of provisions, military stores, clothing, and comfort for the sick, on pack-horses through a wilderness of two hundred miles, filled with hostile savages." The General's fears for the safety of his troops certainly here got the better of his judgment, as he goes on. "It was impossible, Sir, that this little army, worn down by fatigue and sickness, by wounds and deaths, could have supported itself against not only the collected force of all the Northern Nations of Indians, but against (save the mark!) THE UNITED FORCE of Upper Canada, whose population consists of more than twenty times the number contained in the territory of Michigan, (as if the General had depended for his defence on the Michigan Militia) aided by the principal part of the regular forces of the Province."

Our readers are in a position to judge of the truth of this part of the statement. The General by way of climax arrays also against him and his devoted army "the whole in fluence of the north-west and other trading establishments among the Indians, which have in their employment and under their control MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND WHITE MEN. We will close this portion of our subject with an extract from one of General Brock's letters to

to a retaliatory invasion, either by themselves
or their Indian allies. They were now taught
how a conjunction of incidents, under Provid-
ence, had occurred, which shortsighted man
could not provide for or foresee. The boasted
prospects of acquiring Canada, at least as far
as the Niagara, had been frustrated and over-
turned, and the whole Union as much aston-
ished at the failure of their long-cherished
plans, as if the mighty Niagara had changed
its current and been thrown from Lake On-
tario to Erie upwards, by earthquakes or other
convulsive phenomena. Such was the revul-
sion from overweening confidence to utter
amazement. The effect, indeed, produced
throughout the Canadas by the fall of Detroit
was as electrical as it was unexpected. It was
the first enterprise in which the militia had
been engaged, and its complete success not
only imparted confidence to that body, but it
inspired the timid, fixed the waverers, and
awed the few disaffected who might have been
inhabitants of the Province. This victory, too,
at the very commencement of the campaign,
produced the most beneficial results in at-
taching yet more strongly to the British cause,
the Indians of the west-many of whom, had re-
verses overtaken the British arms, would have
seceded from a cause which they conceived
us too helpless to defend, or joined the Ame-
rican standard. The tribes, also, and numerous

they were, who were undecided which party
and numbers into the opposite scale.
to join, would have thrown their influence

his brothers, which shows pretty clearly the real secret of his success:-"Some say nothing could be more desperate than the measure; but I answer that the state of the Province Fortunate, indeed, was it for Canada, that admitted of nothing but desperate remedies. to a General of such energy and decision as —I got possession of the letters my antago-Brock, had been entrusted the defence of the nist addressed to the Secretary at War, and Province, and by the capture of Detroit he also of the SENTIMENTS WHICH HUNDREDS OF HIS ARMY uttered to their friends, -evident despondency prevailed THROUGHOUT. I crossed the river contrary to the opinion of Colonel Proctor; it is, therefore, no wonder that envy should attribute to good fortune what, in justice to my own discernment, I must say proceeded from a cool calculation of the pours et

contres."

The first and greatest effect was at once to
Effect produced on release Canadians of al
Canadians by these un-
hoped for successes. fears of invasion, and to

may fairly and deservedly be called the saviour
of Canada. Had this decisive blow not been
struck, both the Canadas must have passed
under the yoke of the United States, and cut
off, as they were, during six months of the
year by ice, from all European assistance, they
would, in all probability, have become integral
To General Brock
portions of that country.
it may be ascribed that Canada was not only
not conquered, but not even injured, and that
a delay of nearly a year was, at least, ensured
ere another invading force could be organised
from the same quarter. The effect produced

in the lower Province, also, was not less marked, passed, and then returned to La Chine, leaving and the arrival at Montreal of General Hull the prisoners of war to be guarded by the militia and the regulars of the American regular ariny, as prisoners of war, did not fail to produce a marked and beneficial result. We subjoin a short account of the event :—

CHAPTER V.

CONTENTS.

the declaration of war, America had been Naval encounters at sea-General remarks on.decoying men from British vessels by every First objects of the War; chase of Belvidera; artful scheme, so that the captains of American escape of English homeward-bound fleet of vessels had to pick their complement not only West Indiamen.-Manning of American fleet, from amongst men of their own nation, but as compared with that of the British.-Captain from a numerous body also of foreign seaPorter's inhuman treatment of an English men. The constitution also of the body of sailor.--First consequences of the meeting of American marines was wholly different from unequal forces; loss of the Guerrière; Frolic the British.

and Wasp; Macedonian and United States; In the United States every man may learn to of these successes on the American people.-shoot, every man may be a marksman. To

Java and Constitution, December 29th.-Effect

The failure of all the military movements undertaken, so far, by the

Naval encounters at sea.general remarks on.

collect these expert marksmen officers were Measures a lopted by the British Government. --American list of captures made.-American sent into the western parts of the Union, and President's Message, November 4. to complete still farther their efficiency, a marine barrack was established near Washing ton, from which depôt the American ships were regularly supplied. There was another Americans was, in some point in which the British were found, as comdegree, balanced by the unexpected success pared with their opponents, very deficient― which attended their operations on an element gunnery, -nor was this entirely the fault of which had long been the scene of triumph to the commanders of H. M. ships, as the Admitheir opponents-we may advisedly use the ralty instructions, which they were bound to expression 'scene,' as the sea had hitherto been obey, restricted them, during the first six the stage on which the triumphs of British months after the ship received her armament, prowess had been most brilliantly represented. from expending more shots per month* than In entering, however, on a contest with Ame-amounted to one-third in number of her upperrican sailors, bone of their bone and sinew of deck guns, and after these six months had their sinew, the British Government appear expired, they were to use only half the quanto have lost sight of the fact, that the strength of the United States navy consisted of a few frigates, of scantling and armament corresponding to their own seventy-fours, and that, by their own well understood regulations, every single-decked vessel was bound to engage any single-decked vessel of the enemy, nominally of her own class, however superior, in reality, it was to be waged. in tonnage, guns and crew;-another important fact also, must not be lost sight of, that the American vessels were manned by sailors, many of whom, unfortunately, were British, while many more had been trained in the British service. For many years previous to

tity. The disastrous consequences of this discouragement of the expenditure of powder and shot will be apparent, as we shall have to bring forward in quick succession, instances that will show how much the British navy suffered by inattention to this most essential point in war, the proper handling of the weapons by which

We have boldly made the assertion that the American frigates were of the scantling of will show the correctness of the statement. seventy-fours, and a few explanatory remarks

* Vide James' Naval History, part 8.

In 1794, an English shipwright,* Mr. Joshua Endymion) that carried long twenty-fourpounders." The Constellation was a sister frigate to the Chesapeake, and "had ports for mounting on her two broadsides (vide James) fifty-four guns." Had the Americans, possessed no stronger frigates than the heaviest of these, Europeans would not have been so surfeited with tales of American naval prowess. An object of paramount importance to the Americans was, the cap

First objects of the
War, chase of Belvidera
-Escape of English
homeward bound fleet

of West Indiamen.

Humphreys, resident at Philadelphia, gave in estimates of the cost of building three seventy four gun ships, to measure sixteen hundred and twenty tons, American measurement, about seventeen hundred and fifty English. Before, however, the keels of these vessels had been much more than laid, Mr. Jay's treaty restored the amicable relations between England and America, and it was resolved to convert the vessels, begun as seventy-fours, ture of the homeward into frigates. This was done by contracting bound West India fleet, the breadth about three feet and a half, and supposed to be on the not connecting the quarter-deck and forecastle, coast, and known to be under the convoy of so as to give in reality only one continuous but one thirty-six gun frigate, and a sloop of tier of guns,—thus were these seventy-fours war. This fleet had left Jamaica on the 20th converted into enormous sixty-two gun frigates. May, and had passed Havanna on the 4th A frigate, the Constellation, begun at the same June, at 3, a. m. : on the 23rd (five days after time, and originally intended to class as a for- the declaration of war) the American Comty-four, was in a similar manner reduced to modore spoke a brig, and ascertained that, the rate of a thirty-six. It appears from the four days previous, in lat. 36° long. 67°, estimates rendered to Congress that the ori- the Jamaica fleet had been seen, steering to ginal intention had been to construct two the eastward. In that direction he immediately forty-fours and a thirty-six; but, by the proceeded, and, at 6, a. m., that day made out new arrangement it was confidently expected a large sail to the northward and eastward, that the sphere of utility of these vessels would standing directly towards them. This was the be widely extended "It was expected (vide British thirty-six gun frigate, Belvidera, Capt. estimates) from this alteration, that they would Byron, then on the look-out to intercept a possess in an eminent degree, the advantages French privateer schooner, hourly expected of sailing, that separately they would be supe- from New London. Capt. Byron having a few rior to any single European frigate of the same days before, spoken a New York pilot boat, rate and of the usual dimensions; that if and ascertained what was likely to happen, assailed by superior force, they would be finding his private signals unanswered, and always able to lead a-head; that they could coupling this circumstance with the efforts never be obliged to go into action but on their of the Americans to close, was no longer own terms, except in a calm; and that in in doubt as to the hostile intentions of heavy weather they would be capable of en- the approaching squadron, and immediately gaging double-decked ships." These were tacked and made all sail, hoisting his colors. the principal advantages contemplated in thus The American squadron did the same, the two rating vessels of this heavy scantling as forty- commanders.displaying their broad pennants; four gun frigates. Having thus shown that in designating these "line of battle ships in disguise" by their true titles we have not greatly erred, we shall add a few remarks on the Constellation, nominally a thirty-six gun frigate. "Even here (says James) was a frigate more than equal to any French or English frigate of the largest class, carrying long eighteen-pounders, and, be it remembered, in the year 1811, France did not own any, and England only three frigates (Cornwallis, Indefatigable, and

* Vide James, part 8, page 2.

and, by signal, the frigates and the sloops hauled to the wind in chase. For twelve hours the chase was continued, during which time the Belvidera kept up a steady stern fire, firing upwards of three hundred round shot from her two cabin eighteen pounders. Commodore Rodgers, in the President, the leading frigate of the squadron, finding himself by this time three miles astern, shortened sail. The Belvidera suffered only from the fire of the President, (as the shot of the Congress, the only other vessel that got up, all fell short,) and her loss amounted to two killed, and twenty