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moving to the mouth of York river, cut off Lord Cornwallis from any communication with a friendly force by water.

His lordship's garrison amounted to 7,000 men, and the place was strongly fortified. On the right it was secured by a marshy ravine, extending to such a distance along the front of the defences as to leave them accessible only to the extent of about 1,500 yards. This space was defended by strong lines, beyond which, on the extreme left, were advanced two redoubts, which enfiladed their approach to Gloucester Point, on the other side of York river, the channel of which is here narrowed to the breadth of a mile, which post was also sufficiently garrisoned, and strongly fortified. Thus secured in his position, Lord Cornwallis beheld the approach of the enemy with firmness, especially as he had received despatches from Sir Henry Clinton, announcing his intention of sending 5,000 men, in a fleet of 23 ships of the line, to his relief.

The allied forces on their arrival from Williamsburgh immediately commenced the investure both of Yorktown and Gloucester Point, and on the 10th of October, they opened their batteries with such effect, that their shells, flying over the town, reached the shipping in the harbour, and set fire to the Charon frigate, and to a transport. On that day, too, Lord Cornwallis received a communication from Sir Henry Clinton, conveying to him the unwelcome intelligence that he doubted whether it would be in his power to send him the aid which he had promised.

On the following morning, the allied army commenced their second parallel, and finding themselves in this advanced position, severely annoyed by the two redoubts which have been mentioned above, they resolved to storm them. In order to render available the spirit of emulation which existed between the troops of the allied nations, and to avoid any causes of jealousy to either, the attack of the one was committed to the French, and that of the other to the Americans. The latter were commanded by the Marquis de la Fayette, and the former by the Baron Viominel.

On the evening of the 14th, as soon as it was dark, the parties marched to the assault with unloaded arms. The redoubt which the Americans attacked was defended by a major, some inferior officers, and 45 privates. The assailants, advanced with such rapidity, without returning a shot to the heavy fire with which they were received, that in a few minutes they were in possession of the work, having had eight

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DISTRESS OF THE GARRISON.

men killed and 28 wounded in the attack. Eight British privates were killed, the major, some other officers, and 17 privates, were made prisoners, and the rest escaped. Although the Americans were highly exasperated by the recent massacre of their countrymen in Fort Griswold by Arnold's detachment, yet not a man of the British was injured after resistance had ceased. Retaliation had been talked of, but was not exercised.

The French party advanced with equal courage and rapidity, and were successful; but as the fortification which they attacked was occupied by a greater force, the defence was more vigorous, and the loss of the assailants more severe. There were 120 men in the redoubt, of whom 18 were killed and 42 taken prisoners; the rest made their escape. The French lost nearly 100 men killed or wounded. During the night these two redoubts were included in the second parallel; and in the course of the next day, some howitzers were placed on them, which in the afternoon opened on the besieged.

On the 16th of October, a sally was made from the garrison, but with indifferent success; and Lord Cornwallis was now convinced that he could only avoid surrender by effecting his escape by Gloucester Point. Seeing himself, therefore, reduced to the necessity of trying this desperate expedient, he prepared as many boats as he could procure, and on the night of the 16th of October attempted to convey his army over York river to the opposite promontory. But the elements were adverse to his operations. The first division of his troops was disembarked in safety; but when the second was on its passage, a storm of wind and rain arose, and drove it down the river.

Though this second embarkation worked its way back to Yorktown on the morning of the 17th, Lord Cornwallis was convinced, however unwillingly, that protracted resistance was vain. No aid appeared from New York-his works were ruined—the fire from the besiegers' batteries swept the town; and sickness had diminished the effective force of the garrison. In these circumstances, nothing remained for him but to negotiate terms of capitulation.

He accordingly sent a flag of truce, and having agreed to give up his troops as prisoners of war to congress, and the naval force to France, he, on the 19th of October, marched out of his lines with folded colours; and proceeding to a field at a short distance from the town, he surrendered to General

SURRENDER OF YORKTOWN.

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Lincoln, with the same formalities which had been prescribed to that officer at Charleston, eighteen months before.

Another coincidence was remarked on this occasion. The capitulation under which Lord Cornwallis surrendered was drawn up by Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens; whose father had filled the office of president of congress, and having been taken prisoner when on his voyage to Holland, in quality of ambassador from the United States to the Dutch Republic, had been consigned under a charge of high treason, to a rigorous custody in the tower of London, of which fortress his lordship was constable.

Had Lord Cornwallis been able to hold out five days longer than he did, he might possibly have been relieved; for on the 24th of October a British fleet, conveying an army of 7,000 men, arrived off the Chesapeake; but finding that his lordship had already surrendered, this armament returned to New York and Sandy Hook.

It was with reason that congress passed a vote of thanks to the captors of Yorktown, and that they went in procession on the 24th of October, to celebrate the triumph of their arms, by expressing, in the solemnities of a religious service, their gratitude to Almighty God for this signal success. The surrender of Lord Cornwallis was the virtual termination of the war.

From this time forward, to the signature of the treaty of peace, the British were cooped up in New York, Charleston, and Savannah. From these posts they now and then, indeed, made excursions for the purpose of foraging and plunder; but being utterly unable to appear in force in the interior of the country, they found themselves incompetent to carry on any operations calculated to promote the main object of the war-the subjugation of the United States. Perseverance, however, still seemed a virtue to the British cabinet. Immediately after the arrival of intelligence of the capture by the Americans of a second British army, George III. declared, in a speech to parliament,' that he should not answer the trust committed to the sovereign of a free people, if he consented to sacrifice, either to his own desire of peace, or to their temporary ease and relief, those essential rights and permanent interests, upon the maintenance and preservation of which the future strength and security of the country must for ever depend.'

When called upon, in the house of commons, for an expla

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RETIREMENT OF LORD NORTH.

nation of this vague and assuming language, Lord North avowed that it was the intention of ministers to carry on in North America' a war of posts;' and such was, at that moment, the state of the house, that, in despite of the eloquence of Mr. Fox, who laboured to demonstrate the absurdity of this new plan, a majority of 218 to 129 concurred in an address, which was an echo of the king's speech.

But the loud murmurs of the people, groaning beneath the weight of taxation, and indignant under a sense of national misrule, at length penetrated the walls of the senate-house. Early in the year 1782, motion after motion was made in the house of commons, expressive of the general wish for the termination of hostilities with the United States. The minister held out with obstinacy, though on each renewal of the debate, he saw his majority diminish; till at length, on the 27th of February, on a motion of General Conway, expressly directed against the further prosecution of offensive war on the continent of North America, he was left in a minority of nineteen.

This victory was followed up by an address from the house to his majesty, in favour of peace. To this address so equivocal an answer was returned by the crown, that the friends of pacification deemed it necessary to speak in still plainer terms; and on the 4th of March, the house of commons declared, that whosoever should advise his majesty to any further prosecution of offensive war against the colonies of North America, should be considered as a public enemy.

This was the death blow of Lord North's administration. His lordship retired from office early in the month of March, and was succeeded by the Marquis of Rockingham, the efforts of whose ministry were as much and as cordially directed to peace as those of Lord Sherburne's. On the death of the marquis, which took place soon after he had assumed the reins of government, the Earl of Sherburne was called on to preside over his majesty's councils, which, under his auspices, were directed to the great object of pacification.

To this all the parties interested were well inclined. The English nation was weary of a civil war in which it had experienced so many discomfitures. The king of France, who had reluctantly consented to aid the infant republic of North America, was mortified by the destruction of the fleet of De Grasse, in the West Indies, whither he had sailed after the fall of Yorktown, and been defeated by Rodney. The Spaniards

were disheartened by the failure of their efforts to repossess themselves of Gibraltar; and the Dutch were impatient under the suspension of their commerce.

Such being the feelings of the belligerents, the negotiations for a treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, were opened at Paris, by Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. Oswald, on the part of the former power, and by John Adams, Doctor Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, on behalf of the latter.

After a tedious and intricate negotiation, in which the firmness, judgment and penetration of the American commissioners were fully exercised, preliminary articles of peace were signed on the 30th of November, 1782; and news of the conclusion of a general peace reached the United States early next April.

By this provisional treaty the independence of the thirteen United States was unreservedly acknowledged by his Britannic majesty, who moreover conceded to them an unlimited right of fishing on the banks of Newfoundland and the river St. Lawrence, and all other places where they had been accustomed to fish. All that the British plenipotentiaries could obtain for the American loyalists was, a provision that congress should earnestly recommend to the legislatures of their respective states the most lenient consideration of their case, and a restitution of their confiscated property.

The independence of the United States was acknowledged, and peace with Great Britain had been concluded; but the dangers of America were not at an end. She had succeeded in repelling foreign aggression; but was threatened with ruin by internal dissension.

In the interval between the cessation of hostilities and the disbanding of the troops, congress found itself in a trying and perilous situation. The army was in a state of high dissatisfaction and irritation. In October, 1780, a season of danger and alarm, congress promised half pay to the officers on the conclusion of peace. The resolution to this effect not having been ratified by the requisite number of states, was in danger of remaining a dead letter. In the month of December, 1782, soon after going into winter quarters, the officers had presented a memorial and petition to congress, and deputed a committee of their number, to call its attention to the subject. Their request was, that all arrears due to them might be paid, and that instead of granting them half pay for life, congress