sengers was Mr. Henry, the father of the American stage, and William B. Simpson, afterwards a lawyer of Newport.

Mr. Henry's wife and daughter were among those who were lost. It is stated that the cabin-boy was sent below to draw some rum from a choice cask, and carelessly placing the light too near, it immediately ignited, and the cask burst; the report was like that of cannon.

Capt. John Dennis was a native of England; he came to Rhode island when a boy, having been apprenticed to a shipmaster in the London trade, belonging to Newport. Being of an active disposition, he soon became master of a vessel. He greatly distinguished himself by his daring courage, and successful enterprise. In 1741, while cruising in the West Indies, he so greatly annoyed the French islands, by the capture of their vessels and privateers, that the authorities of Martinique fitted out a vessel of 14 guns, and 130 men, expressly for the purpose of ridding themselves of so troublesome an enemy; but in this they were disappointed, for, after an engagement of nearly four hours, in which Capt. Dennis was slightly wounded, she was taken possession of by Capt. Dennis, and carried into St. Kitt's. Here he received the attention which he had so justly merited, from the Governor, and other officers of the island, and who, as a testimony of respect for his valuable services, presented him with a golden oar and a purse of five hundred pistoles.

In the war of 1756, Capt. Dennis was selected to command the privateer ship Tay, of 18 guns, and 180 men, which was fitted out by the merchants of Newport, for the purpose of annoying the Spanish commerce. This vessel sailed from Newport on the 22nd of August, 1756, and was never heard from after sailing.

He left a large family; among his sons was the late Capt. Thomas Dennis, for many years an enterprising merchant of Newport, and the late Capt. William Dennis, a revolutionary patriot, who commanded, during the contest for Independence, no less than thirteen privateers. Their descendants are still found in Newport.

1745. This year two large ships were built, and fitted out from Newport, as privateers, and were intended to cruise in company on the Spanish Main. They mounted 22 guns each,

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and were commanded, one by Capt. Brewer, and the other by Capt. Cranston. They sailed on the 24th of December, at the commencement of a north-east snow storm, which increased with great violence during the next day. These ships were never heard from after sailing, and the only conjecture that could be formed was, that they must have come in collision with each other during the thick snow storm, and both had gone down with all on board. These ships were fitted out, and principally owned, by Col. Godfrey Malborn, and the loss was considered as one of the greatest calamities that ever befel the town; beside the loss of property, upwards of four hundred lives were sacrificed, and nearly two hundred women became widows by this disaster.

EVENTS IN THE WAR WITH FRANCE.

The legislature of Massachusetts decided, after much discussion, to invite the other Colonies to unite with them, in an expedition against Louisburgh, the Gibraltar of the French American Provinces. Into the spirit of this enterprise, the legislature of Rhode Island entered with patriotic ardor; and, at the May session of that body, passed a resolution to raise a regiment of one hundred and fifty men, exclusive of officers ; and that the Colony sloop, Tartar, be fitted out, with a compliment of ninety men, exclusive of officers.

The expedition was crowned with success; and after a siege of forty-nine days, the city of Louisburgh, and the island of Cape Breton, was surrendered by the French, on June 17th, 1745, to his Britannic Majesty.

The capture of Louisburgh, by the Colonies, stung the Court of France with mortification and revenge, and they resolved to chastise them for their insolence- Accordingly, an expedition was fitted out for this purpose, consisting of forty ships of war, and fifty-six transports, with three thousand five hundred men, and forty thousand stand of arms, for the French and Indians. The Colonies saw and acknowledged their danger, from their total inability to defend themselves, in case of an invasion by so

numerous and formidable a fleet; and the inhabitants of the seaport towns were thrown into the greatest consternation.

No people had more to fear from foreign invasion, in New England, than the people of Newport; from the extent of her commercial interests, her local situation, and the facility with which the town might be approached with the largest ships of war, the inhabitants were thrown into the greatest agitation and distress. Nor were these apprehensions allayed, until in October, it was ascertained that God had interposed for the Colonies, and gotten the victory with his own arm.

So disastrous was this expedition to the French, that among all this mighty and formidable fleet, destined to lay in ruins the smiling villages of New England, not more than two or three ships, and a few transports, ever reached her coast. A violent storm at sea either destroyed or damaged many of them. Others were compelled to return, on account of a most fearful pestilence which swept off hundreds of their crews, and made the bravest hearts tremble.

The Admiral, or Commander-in-chief of the whole French squadron, on reaching the coast of New England, died of mortification; or as some say, of poison. The Vice-Admiral came to a similar tragical end, by running himself through the body with his own sword. That part of the fleet which arrived on the coast, sailed with the intent of making an attack upon Annapolis, but a storm scattered them again, and they were forced to return without effecting any part of the work of destruction originally intended.

Thus were the Colonies preserved, not by the policy of their councils, nor the prowess of their arms-but by the providence of God. Preliminaries of peace were soon entered into, between France and England, and a definitive treaty was signed in October, 1748. The privateers of Rhode Island distinguished themselves in this war, and during the year 1745, more than twenty prizes, some of them of immense value, were sent into Newport.

In May, 1758, Great Britain, under George II., formally declared war with France; which declaration was reciprocated by France the following month. The causes which led to this war, commonly distinguished by the name of the "French and Indian war," were the alleged encroachments of the French on the English settlements in America.

SAMUEL CRANSTON, ESQ.

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This war terminated in 1763, by the cession of Nova Scotia, Canada, the Isle of Cape Breton, and all other islands of the gulph and river of St. Lawrence, to the British Crown. In all these splendid achievements of the British arms, during these long, protracted, and sanguinary conflicts, no town, perhaps, of equal size in New England, contributed more to the glory of the British Crown, than Newport.

In 1723, the town of Newport voted to build an Alms House for the poor of the town.

SAMUEL CRANSTON, ESQ.

As the Cranston family figured largely in Newport, previous to the Revolution, some account of them will, no doubt, prove highly interesting and amusing to the reader, more especially the event we now are about to notice.

Samuel Cranston, Esq., a gentleman of noble descent, and who had highly distinguished himself as a merchant in Newport, on the breaking out of the French war of 1755, finding business completely paralyzed, and being of an active temperament of mind, was induced to start on a voyage for Jamaica, not, how. ever, anticipating the scenes and events which he was destined to endure in the prosecution of the voyage.

When off the Keys of Florida, they were attacked by a piratical vessel; they defended themselves to the utmost, satisfied as they were, that should they fall into their hands, no mercy would be shown them; but all their efforts were in vain, and they were compelled to surrender to the enemy. Such was the savage cruelty of these buccaneers, that neither prayers nor expostulations had the least effect on their hard and obdurate hearts: the passengers and crew were all inhumanly butchered on the spot, with the exception of Mr. Cranston, who was spared, in order to labor on board the vessel as a common menial.

To a mind like his, it must have been deeply humiliating to be suddenly thrown from an elevated position in society, and compelled to herd with brutes in human form. In this condition

he was doomed to labor for seven years. The thoughts of home would rush on the mind, producing pain and disquietude, and anxiously looking forward to the moment of deliverance, when he should once more participate in the enjoyment of the. domestic circle. He had watched every moment, from the time of his captivity, for an opportunity to effect his escape; the propitious hour seemed now to have arrived, and he availed himself of it. Having secured a boat and secreted some provisions, he committed himself to the winds and waves, trusting in Divine Providence for protection. After having been tossed about for many days, he was so fortunate as to fall in with an English ship, bound from Jamaica to Halifax, who kindly took him on board and treated him with marked attention. On his arrival at Halifax, a passage was given him to Boston, and on his arrival there, he was startled at the rumor that his wife was on the eve of being married to a Mr. Russell, of Boston. This was an additional stroke, and rendered his mind a prey to the most gloomy thoughts. Poor and penniless, he started from Boston on foot, for Newport, there to await the issue. On his arrival, he entered the back door of his former residence, in the character of a mendicant, and craved food from the servants, which was readily granted. After appeasing the cravings of hunger, he inquired if Mrs. Cranston was the mistress of the house; on being answered in the affirmative, he stated that he had a message which he wished to communicate to her. On being informed that it would be entirely out of her power to comply with his wishes, as she was then making preparations for her nuptial celebration, which was to take place that evening, the heart of Cranston was seized with the most painful emotion, that his lovely and adored wife was about to espouse another. He requested the servant to say to her mistress, that he had seen her husband that day at 12 o'clock, crossing Howland's Ferry.

Such intelligence, so unaccountable, yet highly interesting, brought Mrs. Cranston from her toilette, to look on the bearer of such intelligence. He briefly rehearsed over the sufferings which her husband had endured, which she listened to with the deepest interest. He wished to know of Mrs. Cranston whether she had ever seen him before. Dressed in sailor's garb, with a tarpaulin hat partially drawn over his eyes, she replied in the nega