write by halves, fight by halves, and do every thing by halves, without any sense of glory, dread of fhame, or regard for any public confideration whatfoever; fuppofe our most gracious Sovereign was reftored to his prerogative, his Minifters to their full freedom of acting according to confcience, and the people to the full benefit of the immenfe fupplies they annually give for annual difappointments."

The doctrine of this fpecimen of our author's politics needs no comment, efpecially if we reflect, that it was written when the Adminiftration of Mr. Pitt had rendered the nation as happy and united as it has fince been unfortunate and divided. In the cafe of Authors by Profeffion there is much curious matter, especially in that part of it which relates to authors and authorship; though in fome paffages he is greatly mittaken. His obfervations are generally fhrewd, though, not always juft. In fhort it is an entertaining farrago of anecdote, criticism, fpleen, and resentment. The pamphlet produced the effect upon Mr. Garrick which the author intended; for he felt all the poignancy of the fatire which was pointed at him, and refented the ingratitude of the writer in fuch a manner as, perhaps, rendered Ralph himself more uneafy at last than he had made his friend. I believe that he never spoke to him afterwards, and refused to be in any company where he might have the chance of meeting him.

Upon the death of George II, Ralph attained the fummit of his wishes; by the intereft of the Earl of Bute, a pention of fix hundred pounds per annum was beftowed on him. However, he did not live to enjoy above one half-year's income. The gout had often attacked him with great violence; which carried him off, at his houfe in Chiswick, in the year 1762.

M.

Mr. Ralph had read a great deal, and was very converfant in the history and politics of this country. He applied himself, with great affiduity, to the study of all writings upon party matters; and had drawn together a prodigious number of pamphlets relating to the difputes between the two contending parties, the Whigs and Tories. His Review of the Reigns of Charles II. and James II, with his History of King William III, have been much and defervedly commended. But the author has taken effectual care to defeat the end he propofed of making his work univerfally read It is a book in two large volumes, which contains almost as much matter as Thuanus's Hiftory. It is, indeed, a noble magazine for a future hiftorian to confult; but to the general reader it is intolerably tedious and difgutting: the narrative is continually interrupted by a commentary three times as large as the text; the margin is all through loaded with extracts from a thousand pamphlets.

He has been called by fome a great political writer; an honourable title, which no hireling of a party, a man who does not write from principle, but from pay, can poifibly deferve. He was an excellent party-writer: and therefore he stands diftinguished from many others of the fame ftamp, and efpecially from Oldmixon, an author paid by the Whigs, a man who had lefs knowledge than Ralph, and whose ftyle was equally petulant and mean. Mr. Ralph was, in his converfation, agreeable and inftructive; and when not feized with an affected gravity and affumed importance, very entertaining. But could never throw off entirely a certain formality, which he acquired, perhaps, from his fift bufinefs of a school-mafter.

La Motte faid, that he afferted nothing which he could not prove; and immediately repeated the whole scene with as much animation as if he himself had been the Author of it. Those who were prefent looked at one another with astonishment, and knew not what to think. The Author himself was more efpecially difconcerted. When La Motte had for fome time enjoyed their embarraffment, he said, Gentlemen recover yourselves from your furprize.-Then addreffing himself to the Author, The Scene, Sir, is certainly your own, as well as the rest of the Play; but it appeared to me fo beautiful and affecting, that I could not help getting it by heart when you read it to me,'

Thus, unhappy, was an end put, for the prefent, to the English Government in the colony of Virginia. A convention of Delegates was foon appointed to fupply the place of the Affemby, who, hav ing an unlimited confidence repofed in them by the people, became accordingly poffeffed of an unlimited power in all public affairs. These immediately, July 18, took in hand the railing an armed force, as well as the providing means for its fupport, and purfued every other measure which could tend to place the colony in a ftrong ftare of defence. Whilft they were purfuing thefe dangerous fteps, they publifhed a declatation in juftification of their conduct, tracing the measures that led to the prefent unhappy state of public affairs, fetting forth the caufe of their meeting, and fhewing the neceffity of inmediately putting the country in a pofture of defence, for the protection of their lives, liberties, and properties. They concluded, as the Affemb y had done, with the strongest profeffions of faith and loyalty.

Whether Lord Dunmore expected that any extraordinary advantages might be derived from an infurrection of the flaves, or that he imagined there was a much greater number of people in the colony, who were fatisfied with the prefent fyftem of Government, than really was the cafe; upon whatever grounds he proceeded, he determined, though he relinquished his Government, not to lefe fight of the country which he had governed. He accordingly, being joined by thofe friends of Government, who had rendered them felves too obnoxious to the people to continue with fafety in the country, as well as by a number of runaway negroes, and fupported by the frigates of war which were upon the ftation, endeavoured to eftablish such a marine foice as would ena

ble him, by means of the noble rivers, which render the most valuable parts of that rich country acceffible by water, to be always at hand, and ready to profit, of any favourable occafion that offered.

Upon this, or fome fimilar fyftem, he by degrees armed a number of veffels of different kinds, in one of which he conftantly refided, never fetting his foot on fhore but in a hostile manner; the force, thus put together, was, however, calcu lated only for depredation, and never be came equal to any effential fervice. The Virginians pretend, that, while the depredations were confined to the procuring of provifons, the respect which they bore to the rank and office of their Governor, prevented his meeting with any resistance; but their nature was foon changed into open and avowed hoftility. In one of thefe expeditions, his Lordship destroyed a number of iron cannon, and carried off fome others, which he fuppofed were provided for the purposes of rebellion, though the Virginians affert they were fhip-guns. Thefe proceedings occafioned the fending of fome detachments of the new-raifed forces to protect the coafts, and from thence enfued a small, mifchievous, predatory war, incapable of affording ho nour or benefit, and in which, at length, every drop of water, and every neceffary, was purchased at the rifque of blood.

During this ftate of hoftility, he procured a few foldiers from different parts, with whofe affittance, on the 25th of October, an attempt was made to burn a port town, called Hampton. It seems the inhabitants had fome previous fufpicion of the defign, for they had funk boats in the entrance of the harbour, and thrown fuch other obstacles in the way as rendered the approach of the thips, and confequently a landing, impracticable on the

day

day in which the attack was commenced. The hips cut a paffage through the boats in the night, and began to cannonade the town furiously in the morning; but, at this critical period, they were relieved from their apprehenfions, by the arrival of a detachment of rifle and minute men, from Williamsburg, who had marched all night to their affiftance. Thefe, joined with the inhabitants, attacked the fhips fo vigorously with their fmall arms, that they were obliged precipitately to quit their ftation, with the lofs of fome men, and of a tender which was taken.

In confequence of this repulfe, a proclamation was iffued by the Governor, dated on board the fhip William, off Norfolk, declaring, that as the civil law was at prefent infufficient to prevent and punith treafon and traitors, martial law fhould take place, and be executed throughout the colony, and requiring all perfons capable of bearing arms to repair to his Majefty's ftandard, or to be confidered as traitors. He alfo declared all indented fervants, negroes, or others, appertaining to rebels, who were able and willing to bear arms, and who joined his Majelly's forces, to be free.

This proclamation, with Lord Dunmore's prefence, and the encouragement of the small marine force he had with him, produced some effect in the town of Norfolk, and the adjoining country; where many of the people were well affected to Government. He was joined by some hundreds both of blacks and whites, and many others, who did not chufe to take an active part, publicly abjured the Congrefs, with all its acts, and all Conventions and Committees, whatever. It is probable that Lord Dunmore now hoped, that the good difpofition which he experienced here, would have been fo general, as to enable him to raise a confiderable armed force, and thus, perhaps, without any foreign affistance, to have the glory of reducing one part of the province by the means of the other.

This pleafing hope was interrupted by intelligence, that a party of the rebels were marching towards them with great expedition. To obstruct their designs, and protect the well-affected, he took poffef fion of a poft called the Great Bridge, which lay at fome miles diftance from Norfolk, and was a pass of great confequence, being the only way by which they could approach to that town. Here he constructed a fort on the Norfolk fide of the bridge, which he furnished well with

artillery, and rendered as defensible as the time would admit. Notwithstanding the loyalty of the people in this quarter, which included two small counties, it does not appear that his force was at all confiderable, either as to number or quality; he had indeed about zoo regulars, the reft were a motley mixture of blacks and whites. The enemy, under the command of a Colonel Woodford, fortified themselves alfo, within lefs than cannonfhot of our people; they had a narrow caufeway in their front, which must be paffed to come at their works, fo that both parties feemed pretty well fecured from furprize.

In this ftate they continued quiet on both fides for fome days, until at length a defign was formed of furprizing the rebels in their entrenchments. This was undertaken, Dec. 9, before day-light. Capt. Fordyce, at the head of his grenadiers, amounting to about fixty, led the attack. They boldly paffed the caufeway, and marched up to the entrenchments with fixed bayonets, and with a coolness and intrepidity, which excited the altonishment of their enemies; for they were not only expofed naked to the fire in front, but enfiJaded by another part of the works. The brave Captain, with feveral of his men, fell; the Lieutenant, with others, were taken, and all the furvivors of the grenadier company, whether prisoners or not, were wounded.

The fire of the artillery from the fort enabled our people to retire without purfuit, as well as to carry off many of their dead and wounded. The English pri foners were treated with great kindness; the Americans who had joined the King's ftandard, with equal rigour.

The King's forces retired from the post at the Great-Bridge the enfuing night, without any other lofs than a few pieces of cannon, and fome trifling ftores which they left behind; and as all hopes in this quarter were now at an end, Lord Dunmore thought it neceffary to abandon the town and neighbourhood of Norfolk, and retired again with his people on board the fhips, which were confiderably increafed in number, by thofe which they found in that port. Many of the well-affected, (or Tories, which was the appellation now given to them throughout America) thought it prudent with their families, to feek the fame afylum.

Thus his Lordfhip formed a confiderable fleet, but the thips were without force, and contained mouths without hands fit

B

to navigate them. The rebels took poffeffion of Norfolk, and the fleet moved to a greater distance.

During these transactions, a scheme had been in agitation, for railing a confiderable force at the back of the colonies, particularly in Virginia and the Carolinas, where it was known there were many well-affected to the King's Government; it was hoped that fome of the Indian nations might be induced to become parties in this defign; and that, thus united, they not only would make such a diversion as mult greatly alarm and diftrefs the rebels, but that they might penetrate fo far towards the coafts, as to form a junction with Lord Dunmore. One Connelly, a native of Pennsylvania, an active enterprizing man, who feems to have been well calculated for fuch an undertaking, was the framer of this defign; and his project being approved of by Lord Dunmore, he with great difficulty and danger carried on a negociation with the Ohio Indians, and his friends among the back fettlers, upon the fubject. This having fucceeded to his fatisfaction, he returned to Lord Dun. more, who fent him with the necessary credentials to Bolton, where he received a commiffion from General Gage to act as Colonel commandant, with affurances of fupport and affiftance, at the time and in the manner appointed. It was intended that the garrifons which we had at Detroit, and fome other of the remote back forts, with their artillery and ammunition, fhould be fubfervient to this defign, and the adventurer expected to draw fomne affiftance, at least, of volunteers and Officers, from the nearest parts of Canada. He was to grant all commiffions to the Officers, and to have the fupreme direction in every thing of the new forces, and, as foon as they were in fufficient condition, he was to penetrate through Virginia in such a manner as to meet Lord Dunmore, at a given time in the month of April, in the vicinity of Alexandria, upon the river Potowmac, who was to bring such a naval force, and other affiftance, as was deemed neceflary for the purpose. It was also a part, and not the least comprehenfive of this plan, to cut off the communication between the northern and fouthern colonies Thus far affairs feemed to look well with our adventurer; but on his road through Maryland to the fcene of action, and when he was fo far advanced that the worst feemed nearly over, the vigilance or fufpicious temper of one of the Committees unfortunately frustrated all his hopes. Being taken up on fufpicion,

with two of his affociates who travelled along with him, his papers betrayed every thing; among thefe was the general fcheme of the defign, a letter from Lord Dunmore to one of the Indian Chiefs, with fuch other authentic vouchers as left nothing to be doubted. The papers were published by the Congress, and the undertakers fent to prison.

As it does not appear that the loyalifts were very lenient to thofe who differed with them in political opinions, during the short time of their fuperiority in the country adjoining to Norfolk, fo now, upon the turn of affairs, a plausible thew of justice, under the colour of retaliation, afforded fuch a favourable opportunity for the practice of severity, and the gratification of private pique, and natural malignity, on the other fide, as is never known to be neglected by any party in fimilar cir cumftances. For though many had taken shelter on board the hips, a much greater number remained behind, fome being willing to hazard fome danger, rather than abandon their property; others hoping that their conduct, from its moderation, would bear enquiry; and the majority, from their having no profpect of fubfiftence if they quitted home, and an expectation that their obfcurity would save them from notice.

In the mean time, the people in the fleet were diftreffed for provisions and necessaries of every fort, and were cut of from every kind of fuccour from the shore. This occafioned conftant bickering between the armed fhips and boats, and the forces that were ftationed on the coaft, particularly at Norfolk. At length, upon. the arrival of the Liverpool man of war from England, a flag was fent on fhore, to put the queftion, whether they would fupply his Majefty's fhips with provifions, which being anfwered in the negative, and the fhips in the harbour being continually annoyed by the fire of the rebels, from that part of the town which lay next the water, it was determined to dislodge them by deftroying it. Previous notice being accordingly given to the inhabitants, that they might remove from the danger, the first day of the new year was fignalized by the attack, when a violent cannonade, from the Liverpool frigate, two floops of war, and the Governor's armed fhip the Dunmore, feconded by parties of the failors and marines, who landed and fet fire to the nearest houses, foon produced the defired effect, and the whole town was reduced to allies,

The

The fituation of other Governors in America was not much more eligible than that of Lord Dunmore. In SouthCarolina, Lord William Campbell, having, as they faid, entered into a negocia tion with the Indians, for coming in to the fupport of Government in that province, and having alfo fucceeded in exciteing a number of thofe back fettlers, whom we have heretofore seen diftinguished in the Carolinas, under the titles of Regulators, to espouse the fame caufe; the difcovery of these measures, before they were fuffi ciently ripe for execution, occafioned fuch a ferment among the people, that he thought it neceffary to retire from CharlesTown on board a fhip of war in the river, from whence he returned no more to the feat of his Government. The Government of the province was lodged in a Council of fafety, confifting of 13 perfons, with the occafional affiftance of a Committee of ninety-nine. As they had intelligence that an armament was preparing in England, which was particularly intended against it, no means were left untried for its defence.

Similar measures were purfued in NorthCarolina, (with the difference that Governor Martin was more active and vigorous in his proceedings) but was attended with as little fuccefs. Upon a number of - charges, particularly of fomenting a civil war, and exciting an infurrection among the negroes, he was declared an enemy to America in general, and to that colony in particular, and all perfons forbidden from holding any communication with him. Thefe declarations he antwered with a proclamation of an uncommon length, which the Provincial Congrefs refolved to be a falfe, fcandalous, fcurrilous, malicious, and feditious libel, and ordered it to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman.

As the Governor expected by means of the back fettlers, as well as of the Scotch inhabitants and Highland emigrants, who were numerous in the province, to be able to raise a confiderable force, he took pains to fortify and arm his palace at Newburn, that it might answer the double purpose of a Garrison and Magazine. Before this could be effected, the moving of fome cannon excited fuch a commotion among the people, that he found it neceffary to abandon the palace, and retire on board a floop of war in Cape Fear river. The people, upon this occafion, difcovered pow der, fhot, ball, and various military itores and implements, which had been bu

ried in the palace garden and yard; which ferved to inflame them exceedingly. In other refpects, the province had followed the example of their neighbours in SouthCarolina, by eftablishing a Council and Committees of fafety, with other fubítitutes for a regular and permanent Government; and fhewed equal vigour and eagerness in all their proceedings.

General Gage having returned in the beginning of October to England, the command in chief of the army at Boston devolved upon General Howe, who foon after iffued a proclamation, by which fuch of the inhabitants as attempted to quit the town without licence were condemned to military execution, if detected and taken, and if they escaped, to be proceeded against as traitors, by the forfeirure of their effects. By another, fuch as obtained permiffion to quit the town were reftrained by fevere penalties from carrying more than a small specified fum of money with them. He alfo enjoined the figning and entering into an affociation, by which the remaining inhabitants offered their perfons for the defence of the town, and fuch of them as he approved of were to be armed, formed into companies, and instructed in military exercises and difcipline, the remainder being obliged to pay their quotas in money towards the common defence.

As the limited term, for which the foldiers in the army before Bofton had enlifted, was nearly expired, a Committee from the General Congress were fent thither, to take the neceffary measures with Gen. Washington, for keeping it from difbanding. This, however, does not feem to have been a work of any great difficulty, the whole army having re-enlifted for a year certain to come. Of all the difficulties which the Americans met, in their attempts towards the establishment of a military force, nothing affected them so grievously, or was found fo hard to be remedied, as the want of gun-powder. They however, left nothing undone to fupply this defect, and among other ternporary expedients had contrived to pur chafe, without notice or fufpicion, all the powder upon the coast of Africa, and plundered the magazine in the island of Bermuda, of above 100 barrels, which was carried off (as was pretended) without the knowledge of the inhabitants.

In the courfe of the depredation, threat, and hottility, which continually occurred on the fea-coafts, the town of Falmouth, in the northern part of the province of Ba

Maf