leave England till May, and he then directed his course for Halifax, where he arrived in June; but found by a letter left for him, that his brother, the general, was already departed for New York; to which place he instantly proceeded without coming to an anchor, and reached Staten Island, the head-quarters of the general, on the 12th of July. Here, to his inexpressible chagrin, he was informed of the publication of the declaration of independency. His lordship, however, refolved to make an effort, such as yet remained, for effecting an accommodation, though so limited were his powers, that it was in fact of very immaterial consequence whether his arrival preceded or fucceeded the declaration. On his arrival off the coast, his lordship had fent ashore by a flag to Amboy a circular letter addressed to the governors of the different colonies, acquainting them with his appointment as commiffioner, in conjunction with the general, together with a declaration to the inhabitants. Copies of these papers were fent by general Washington to the congress, who immediately refolved, " that they be published in the several Gazettes, in order that the good people of the united states might be apprized of what nature are the commissions, and what the terms with the expectation of which the infidious court of Great Britain has endeavored to amuse and difarm them." Some days after this, adjutant-general Paterfon was deputed by general Howe with a message to general Washington, stating, that the commiffioners were invested with great powers, that they would derive the greatest pleasure from effecting an accommodation, and wished this visit to be confidered as the first advance towards that defirable object. General Washington replied, "that, by what had transpired, their powers extended merely to the granting of pardons; that those who had been guilty of no fault, wanted no pardon; and that they were only defending what they deemed their indisputable rights." Both fides now prepared feriously for action; and and the general, being joined by the far greater part of his expected reinforcements, found himself at the head of 30,000 veteran troops, supported by a formidable fleet, compofing together a far fuperior force to any that had ever before been seen, in the New World employed in the same service.

On the 22d of August 1776, the whole army being reembarked, was safely landed, under protection of the shipping, on the fouth-western extremity of Long Island, an extensive and fertile tract; on the oppofite fide of which, in view of the island and city of New York, lay encamped, near the village of Brooklyn, a large body of Americans commanded by general Sullivan. His lines extended on the left to the east river, which separated him from New York; he was defended by a marsh and an inlet of the fea called Gowan's Cove on the right; and to the rear of the encampment was an open bay, bounded by a small ifland, known by the name of Governor's Island. Between the armies was a range of hills covered with wood, interfecting the country from east to west: through these hills are three passes, one to the westward called the Narrows; a second, on the road denominated the Flat-bush road; and the third bending to the eafst, called the Bedford road. Befides these three is a road leading round the eastern extremity of the hills to a plantation called Jamaica. On each of these roads or passes the American general had placed a strong guard of 800 men. General Howe, having formed his plan, stationed general Grant at the head of the left wing, in a position to guard the coast, and, if practicable, to force a passage through the Narrows. General De Heister, with the Heffians, was ordered to take post at the central pass of Flat-bufh.

About nine in the evening of the 26th, the main army, under the command of general Clinton and the lords Percy and Cornwallis, marched to the right, in order to gain the eastern or Jamaica pass, which, through the unaccountable countable negligence or cowardice of the officer appointed to defend it, they accomplished without delay or difficulty. The way being thus open, the whole army defcended by the town of Bedford into the level country which lay between them and the American lines. This action began early on the morning of the 27th, by a warm cannonade on the right of the American lines from the generals de Heister and Grant; the ships of war in the mean time attacking a battery at Red Hook, in the rear of the American encampment, in order to call off their attention from the left and centre where the real danger lay. The Americans having taken a station fome miles diftant in front of their camp, in order to oppose the advance of de Heister and Grant, were fuddenly attacked by general Clinton in the rear, and immediately thrown into the utmost confufion; and, in the effort to retreat back to the lines of Brooklyn, great numbers were killed and taken prisoners; amongst the latter was general Sullivan, and ten other field officers, and many were drowned or fuffocated in attempting to pass the marsh. Upon the whole, a fignal victory was obtained with inconfiderable loss; and such was the ardor of the British troops, that scarcely could they be restrained by the too great caution of their commander from storming the American lines, which would have been in all probability quickly forced, in the consternation occafioned by the lofs of the battle. On the next day the British troops broke ground in form, at 600 yards distance from the nearest redoubt, and the ships in the bay waited only a fair wind to enter the east river, which would effectually cut off all communication between the island and the continent. In this fituation no hope remained but in a retreat, which was on the fucceeding night effected, under cover of a thick fog, with extraordinary filence, order, and fecrecy; general Washington himself croffing over in perfon, and taking the conduct of the whole. On the clearing up of the fog, the last boats of the Americans

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were seen paffing the river, but out of reach of the English batteries, and general Howe, whose hopes had been raised to the highest pitch, now found no other advantage resulting from his victory than the inglorious acquifition of the deferted works of Brooklyn. Almost immediately after this transaction, general Sullivan was fent upon parole, with a verbal message from lord Howe to the congrefs, importing, that although he could not at present treat with them in a legal character, yet he was defirous of conferring with some of the members of that assembly in their individual capacity; informing them, " that he, with the general, was invested with full powers to compromise the dispute between Great Britain and America, on terms advantageous to both; the obtaining of which had detained him near two months; and prevented his arrival before the declaration of independency had taken place. If, upon the conference, any probable ground of accommodation appeared, his lordship added, that the authority of congress must of course be subsequently acknowledged, in order to render the compact complete." The CONGRESS replied with republican dignity, rather raifing than lowering their tone in consequence of the late defeat, that "being the representatives of the free and independent STATES of AMERICA, they could not with propriety fend any of their members to confer with his lordship in their private characters; but that, ever defirous of establishing peace on reasonable terms, they would fend a committee of their body, to know whether he had any authority to treat with perfons authorized by congress, and what that authority is." The committee appointed for this purpose, Dr. Franklin, Mr. John Adams, and Mr. Rutledge, according met lord Howe upon Staten Island September, 14, where they were entertained by his lordship with great politeness; but in the report of this conference, they say, " that his lordship's commiffion appeared to them to ontain no other authority of importance than was comprized in the act of parliament; for, as to the power of enquiring into the state of America, and tranfmitting the result of such enquiry to England, they apprehend any expectation from the effect of such a power would have been too precarious for America to have relied upon, had she continued in her ftate of dependence." Thus all hope of success in consequence of negotiation vanished, much to the fatisfaction of the friends of American independence, who dreaded left the powers vested in the commiffioners should have proved so extensive as to create a ferious difference of opinion as to the propriety of treating; but this the abounding pride and deficient wisdom of the English court moft effectually prevented. No suspension of arms having taken place, several ships of war were previous to the conference sent up the east and north rivers, which lave the coafts of the long and narrow peninsula at the extremity of which the city of New York is situated. The army of general Washington being stationed, part in the environs of the city, and part at Kingsbridge, on the isthmus which connects the peninfula with the continent, apprehenfions were entertained that the English general, by landing his forces in the centre, would cut off the communication between them; on which a resolution was taken immediately to evacuate the city; and on the actual landing of the British forces, the Americans retreated with precipitation and fome lofs to Kingsbridge, where they had erected strong works. The greater part of the army were now re-embarked, and again landed near West Chester, with a view to gain the rear of general Washington's encampment, and to enclose him in his fastnesses on all fides. The American commander, alarmed by the remonstrances of general Lee, who had recently joined him, perceiving the neceffity of making a grand movement, in order to counteract this project; and immediately decamping with his whole army, took a new and strong position at White Plains, the deep river Brunx covering his front, and the north river flowing at fome distance in the rear.

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