goods, with design to forestall and elude a non-importation agreement, we will find ways and means, without violating his private rights, to defeat his views, and make him sensible that virtue and public spirit will be more for his interest than low selfishness and avarice can be. These measures, dictated by necessity, we enter upon for the preservation of our liberties which we have received from our Creator, and may not resign, or suffer to be ravished from us; at the same time, it is the warmest wish of our hearts, that the wisdom and equity of the British Parliament may relieve us from our fears and dangers, and that we may once more and forever, look up to our parent country with confidence and pleasure, and secure our own rights, contribute all in our power to promote the honor, interest, and happiness of our elder brethren in Great Britain. And,

Whereas we cannot yet be advised what measures the General Congress will recommend, and therefore are at present unable to adjust the particulars of a non-consumption agreement, we think it may be of use to the merchants and traders in the aforesaid towns, to be made acquainted with our resolutions aforesaid, and that we determine in proper time to carry them into

execution.

Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given to the committee of correspondence, for the town of Hartford, for their care and attention to the interest of the public in calling this meeting; and that they be desired to call a colony meeting at a suitable time and place, to finish the business now begun and entered upon, taking the advice of the committees of correspondence for the towns of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Middletown therein.

The inhabitants of many towns in the colony, viz. :-Plainfield, East Haddam, Enfield, Bolton, Stonington, Colchester, Haddam, Ashford, Tolland, Coventry, and others, held similar meetings, and passed patriotic resolves in favor of sustaining Massachusetts, in her oppressed situation by the crown.

CONNECTICUT, AND THE CAMPAIGN OF 1776.

THE campaign of 1776, was one of the most interesting periods of the revolutionary war. It commenced under the most prosperous and favorable circumstances to the American cause, and was full of extraordinary and exciting incidents. The successful resistance made to the arms of Great Britain in 1775; the high reputation which the Bunker Hill battle had given to the American militia, and the final expulsion of the British from Boston, had raised the highest expectations of success among the American people-who had gained from the past more confidence than wisdom, and had vainly thought the contest nearly at an end, when it was scarcely begun. The British, on the other hand, had profited by the experience of the last, and were making the most extensive and thorough preparations for the ensuing campaign. At this critical juncture of the war of the revolution, no colony was more deeply interested in the result than Connecticut, and none better prepared for the emergency. The people of this colony had for more than a century, enjoyed one of the most beneficent colonial governments that ever fell to the lot of the subjects of a monarchical government. They had literally governed themselves, although nominally subject to the crown of Great Britain. Notwithstanding their extraordinary privileges, no colony stepped forth with more alacrity to the aid of the oppressed people of Massachusetts than Connecticut; and none exhibited more sympathy or poured forth their blood and treasure more freely in the onset. In the campaign of 1775, she sent forth her thousands to the aid of Massachusetts; and not only this, but she was the first to commence offensive operations against Great Britain. Her citizens, unaided by any other colony, had conquered the forts on Lake Champlain, captured the garrisons, and secured the prisoners and munitions of war in Connecticut. She had also been the first to rally in sustaining the cause of the revolution in the commercial city of New York, where she had sent her militia under Gen. Wooster, in the summer of 1775. Again in the autumn

of the same year, her citizens had destroyed one of the most offensive royal presses in the colonies; and finally, by the advice of Gen. Washington, Connecticut had raised a force, which, commanded by Gen. Lee, had wrested New York from the royal authority early in 1776. The last movement was not graciously received by the committee of safety of New York, who exercised the powers of government during the recess of the Provincial Congress of New York. The Connecticut forces were met on the frontier by the committee of safety, who earnestly entreated Gen. Lee, and his little army, to pause on the borders of Connecticut; but the heroic Connecticut forces were not dissuaded from their patriotic enterprise by the timid and vacillating policy of the New York committee, but marched into the city, and for the first time planted the standard of liberty, independence, and resistance to British oppression in that city, which has since become the commercial emporium of this great republic. It is an historical fact, that there was not sufficient patriotism or energy in the city of New York, in 1776, although having the glorious example of Boston before them, to acheive their own independence, and establish a government of their own choice; but for their first emancipation from the thraldom of the British government, the citizens of New York were indebted to the generous sympathy of the hardy yeomen of Connecticut. The patriotic band from Connecticut maintained their position in New York until the arrival of the American army, under Washington, in the beginning of April, '76. The design of the British during this campaign, proved to be, the possession of New York. A part of their fleet, from Halifax, arrived off Sandy Hook, on the 23d of June; the remainder followed within a week, and Gen. Howe established his head quarters at Staten Island.

On the 8th of August, Gen. Washington states that for the several posts on New York, Long Island, Governor's Island, and Paulus Hook, he had but 13,557 effective men. His nominal force was somewhat larger.

Opposed to him was the entire British force, concentrated at Sandy Hook, consisting, by the middle of August, of more than 24,000 men, combined with a fleet of more than 130 vessels. Subsequently, the American army was augmented by fourteen regiments of militia, from Connecticut, comprising from nine

to ten thousand men, some three thousand militia from the State of New York, and two thousand from the south; so that the whole force under Gen. Washington, at the commencement of operations on Long Island, on the 22d of August, was more than 25,000 men. This was the largest body of American troops ever collected at one point during the revolution; and the British force was proportionately large. The fourteen regiments of militia sent to New York city, together with the Connecticut quota in the regular army, constituted at least one-third of Gen. Washington's army in the neighborhood of New York, at the commencement of operations on Long Island. Shortly after, nine out of the eleven regiments left in Connecticut, were sent to the relief of Suffolk county, L. I., so that, as Connecticut had at that period but twenty-five regiments, all of them but two, were summoned to the aid of New York at one time, and that in the most busy season of the year. After the defeat on Long Island, the evacuation of New York, and the retreat of Washington across the Hudson, the Connecticut militia having disbanded, and gone home, for the defence of the State, there was only a force of 4,000 men left under Gen. Lee, at White Plains, which force was speedily withdrawn, although composed principally of Connecticut men, so that the State was left to rely on its own resources, and in a measure defenceless. This was one of the most gloomy periods of the war of, independence. The situation of Connecticut was critical in the extreme. Two British armies occupied strong positions on her right and left; Long Island Sound was covered with a large British fleet; and the British force in New York and Newport, was scarcely inferior in number to the whole militia of the State.

The militia had been harassed by repeated calls of duty, and had suffered greatly in the defence of New York, by privation and sickness,-so that had the British invaded Connecticut at this time, the militia would have been ill-qualified to have resisted them with success. In addition to other evils, the harvest of the past season, had been scanty, and gathered with great difficulty from the want of laborers; the women became familiar with the use of the plough, hoe, axe, and sickle; and but a small supply of seed had been put into the ground for the coming season. But, notwithstanding these numerous and appalling difficulties, neither Athens, when she was beset by the legions of Xerxes, nor Rome,

when she had lost the battle of Canna,exhibited a more indomitable spirit of firmness than the people and government of Connecticut at the close of the autumn of 1776. The high character for bravery which the people of Connecticut had acquired in the various contests in the beginning of the revolution-the great unanimity which prevailed among them-their patriotic devotion to the cause of independence-together with the unconquerable spirit of resistance which had so signally displayed itself in the heroic bravery of Knowlton, and the ever-memorable martyrdom of the gallant Hale-all had their influence to protect the people of Connecticut from the incursions of the enemy, and preserve them from the danger then so apparently formidable and threatening.

In going over the events of the campaign of 1776, which relate to Connecticut, it may be well, in this place, to give a brief account of one, whose lamentable fate ought to be preserved in the memory of every American.* NATHAN HALE was a son of Connecticut, born in South Coventry, on the 6th of June, 1755.

*The following is a genuine specimen of tory benevolence, and may be depended upon as real matter of fact.

NEWBURYPORT, February 13, 1777. Samuel Hale, late of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after his elopement from thence, visited an uncle in Connecticut, where he was hospitably entertained. But as his uncle was a Whig, and had a son, a young gentleman of a liberal education and most amiable disposition, who strongly felt for his bleeding country, and being very active in the military way, was urged and prevailed on to take a commission in the continental army; consequently Samuel was obliged to conduct with caution, and counterfeit as well as he could, a whigish phiz while he tarried, which however, was but for a short time, before he made his escape to Gen. Howe, in New York.

Some time after this, Capt. Hale, at the request of the General, (Washington) went into New York in disguise, and having nearly accomplished his designs, whom should he meet, but his aforesaid cousin Samuel, whom he attempted to shun, but Sam knew him too well. Capt. Hale soon found he was advertised, and so particularly described that he could not get through Long Island. He therefore attempted to escape by the way of King's Bridge, and so far succeeded as to get to the outer guard, where he was suspected, apprehended, carried back and tried, and yet would have been acquitted, had not his affectionate and grateful cousin Samuel, appeared and made oath that he was a captain in the continental army, and that he was a spy; in consequence of which, he was immediately hung up. However, at the gallows, he made a sensible and spirited speech; among other things, told them they were shedding the blood of the innocent, and that if he had ten thousand lives, he would lay them all down, if called to it, in defence of his injured, bleeding country.