with feme melancholy circumftances; and as it was the laft of our military tranfactions, it will be proper to give a short account

of it.

Having made ourselves mafters of the Havannah, and taken meafures for the conqueft of the Philippines, it was judged expedient to encourage fome private adventurers to add to our other operations against the Spanish commerce, an attack upon the colony of Buenos Ayres. This was agreeable to that fpirited manner in which the war had been pursued 'for fome campaigns. Is was inforced alfo by inducements which were not without weight. Buenos Ayres was not in itself so much an object from any lucrative confideration; though in that refpect too it was defireable. It became important from its fituation. On one hand, of all the Spanish colonies it lay the moft conveniently for the enemy to moleft the fettle. ments of our Portuguese allies; on the other, Buenos Ayres affords, if we should be fortunate enough to get it into our poffeffion, a ftation extremely well adapted for enterprizes against all the trade, and the dominions of Spain, upon the South Seas. The place was, befides, of a degree of ftrength by no means equal to the importance of the fituation.

The embarkation was made from the Tagus, and the force, partly English and partly Portuguefe, confifted of three ftout 30th of Auguft, 1762. fmall armed veffels frigates, and fome and ftoreships. They had on board about 500 foldiers. The expedition was under the command of

captain Macnamara, an adven turer of fpirit and experience.

vember.

This voyage to the mouth of the Plata proved as favourable as they could have wished; but no fooner had they enzd of Notered that vaft river, than difficulties and obftructions began to start up on every fide. A violent storm, attended with thunder and lightening, attacked them on their entrance. When the tempeft ceased, they found that the river was fhoaly, and of a bad navigation, that they must encounter no fmall obftructions even in making their way to Buenos Ayres. The Spaniards were better armed and prepared for their reception than they expected. They had even acted on the offenfive with fuccefs, and taken, fome time before, the Portuguese fettlement of Nova Colonia, in which they found a very great booty, and a large quantity of military ftores.

An

On this view of things they confulted together, and, after deliberation, judged it neceffary to begin with the recovery of Nova Colonia, before they made any attack upon Buenos Ayres. English pilot, who knew the place and river, and whom they accidentally met on board a Portuguese fhip, encouraged them to the attempt, and undertaking himself to carry the commo

dore's veffel into the Ift of Januharbour, and within ary, 1763. piftol fhot of the enemy's principal battery.

Though the enterprize was not without danger, there was great reafon to expect fuccefs. The hips were in good order, and the

men

men in good fpirits. They adorned their veffels with all the pomp and parade of a naval triumph. Their colours of every kind were hung out. The foldiers dreffed in new red uniforms, and difpofed upon the poop, and upon the tops, made a gallant appearance. In this manner they advanced to the attack, with horns founding and drums beating; and every thing expreffed hope and joy.

This gay preparative was followed by a fierce fire, fupported on both fides for four hours, at a very fmall distance, with uncommon refolution. The Spaniards pointed their guns well, and ftood to them with firmnefs. But their fpirit, and perfeverance was more than equalled by the Britifh fhips, whofe fire at length became fuperior. The Spanish batteries were almoft filenced. The English were in expectation of feeing the colours immediately ftruck, when, juft as their fuccefs feemed certain, by fome unknown accident, the hip took fire. In an inftant fhe was all in a blaze. The fame moment difcovered the flames, and the impoffibility of extinguishing them.

Then was to be feen a moft dreadful fpectacle. All the fides of the veffel were immediately crouded with naked men, who but a few minutes before reckon ed themfelves almoft in the affured poffeffion of wealth and conqueft, precipitating themfelves into the fea with the melancholy alternative of a death by fire or water. Some clung to the yards and rigging, until the prevalency of the flames loofed their holds, and they tumbled into the fea. The enemy's fire, which recommenced on this accident, redoubled their diftrefs, VOL. VI.

ducted with a refolution equal to any of the former, but with a fortúne very different. Except, however, in the melancholy lofs of the men, the failure of this enterprize, in the then fituation of affairs, was attended with ho confequences. It was fome confolation to thofe who efcaped that terrible fire, that when they got afhore they were treated with a degree of humanity and benevolence which could not be exceeded, if the fame calamity had happened to them on the coaft of their own country, and amongst their dearest friends and relations. Instead of regarding them as perfons who came to destroy and plunder their fettlements, the Spaniards confidered their misfortunes, not their enmity, and treated them rather as fons than captives. The Englith came to them naked; they clothed them all decently, and afed them in every other inftance with equal tenderness and indulgence, The war clofed with an action, the fittest in the world to

infufe fentiments correfpondent to a state of peace and union between brave and generous nations, whose undoubted intereft it is to be always united.

The war between the great powers was, as we have faid, clofed by this expedition. But, from the ashes, as it were, of the great war, a new fire fuddenly burft out, which involved us in hoftility with moft of the Indian nations who inhabit that tract of continent, for the poffeffion of which we principally contended in the war, and which we had made the capital object in our treaty of peace. This war is far from being yet ended, and it is of no fmall importance, not fo much from the quality of the enemy we are engaged with, as from the value of the object it affects. In order to lead the reader to a proper idea of the events of this war, it will be neceffery to trace out the causes, which probably gave rise to it; and this we shall attempt in the enfuing chapter.

BY

Y the IV. and VII. articles of the last treaty of peace, Canada was ceded to Great Britain in its utmost extent. This tretched the northern part of our poffeffions on the continent of "America from one ocean to the other. The ceffion of Louifiana to the Miffifippi, and of the Spa

nifh Florida on both feas, made our American empire compleat. No frontiers could be more diftinctly defined, nor more perfectly fecured. The only object of attention, which feemed left to Great Britain, was to render thefe acquifitions as beneficial in traffic, as they were extenfive in territory. An im

menfe

mense waste of savage country was evidently to a commercial nation no great object for the prefent; but it was a confiderable one in hope, because it contained an inexhauftible variety of foils, climates and fituations, and thereby afforded ample materials for the exertion of wealth and skill in its improvement to all the purposes [of trade. These exertions were not likely to be wanting, or to be ineffectual. Independent of national motives, the administration in England had á particular intereft in improving thofe acquifitions to the utmost; they were to juftify the choice they had made in preferring them to the Weft India islands. They therefore took very great pains to come at an exact knowledge of every thing, which could tend to render our new conquefts on this continent flourishing and commercial. To this end they judged it expedient to divide them into three feparate and independent go.

vernments.

The first and most northerly of thefe divifions was called the government of Quebec. It is bound ed on the Labrador coaft by the river of St. John, or Saguenay. This river continues the boundary of the colony, as it runs from the weftward, until you come to a lake, which it meets in its courfe, called the Lake of St. John.

To form the western boundary, an imaginary line is here drawn from that lake to another, which is fituated to the fouth-weft of it, and is called Nipiffim. At this lake they changed the direction of the line, fo as to make it crofs the river St. Lawrence and the Lake Champlain in forty-five degrees of north latitude; and this

formed the fouthern boundary. From thence ftriking the line to the north-eaft, they carried it quite to the gulph of St. Lawrence, through the high lands, which feparate the rivers which fall into the great river of Canada from these which fall into the ocean. This government is very short, almost upon every fide, of the extent of the government of Canada, whilft it continued in the hands of the French.

They divided the southern part of our conquefts on this continent into two governments, those of Eaft and Weft Florida. The former was bounded towards the north by our colony of Georgia; to the east and fouth by the Atlan tic ocean and the gulph of Florida; and on the west by the river Apalachicola.

The latter, or Weft Florida, was bounded on the east by the fame river. Its fouthern frontier ran along the gulph of Mexico to the Lake Pontchartrain on one of the mouths of the Miflifippi. This great river formed its boundary to the weft unto the 31ft degree of latitude, from which a line was ftruck acrofs for the northern limit, due eaft, until it met the abovementioned river Apalachicola.

As to the fhore of Labrador and the adjacent iflands in the gulph of St. Lawrence, their value confifts, in a manner wholly, in the fishery carried on upon their coafts. It is of importance to t that branch of commerce to be under ftrict regulations; and this could never be well compaffed, unless the coaft, near which it is carried on, was under a fingle direction. With great judgment, therefore, all the coaft of Labrador from the river Saguenay

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