1782.

The fuccefs of Sir Samuel Hood's. bold adventure produced very flattering profpects. The admiral had no doubt, but that Brimftone hill would hold out, till the marquis de Bouille and count de Graffe would be glad to retire. But therein he was miftaken. The inhabitants of the island, on the first arrival of the French, adopted a seeming neutrality. Governor Shirley indeed proceeded with 350 militia to reinforce gen. Frafer's fmall garrison, and continued bravely to encounter all the dangers, and patiently to endure all the hardships of the fiege. The French closely invested the hill on all fides, on the night of their landing and the following morning. The artillery deftined to ferve in the attack on Barbadoes was attempted to be difembarked. But the veffel which conveyed the most heavy and effective part of it, ftruck on the rocks and funk. The enemy however were not discouraged by this lofs, or the fubsequent one of the frigate from Martinico. By perfevering industry they fished up no fmall part of the artillery, fhells and ftores which had been funk; and the men of war brought a fresh quantity of heavy ordnance from Martinico. Moreover, the very means provided for the defence of the garrifon, were unhappily for them employed in their deftruction. Eight brass 24 pounders, with 60co balls, together with two 13 inch brafs mortars and 1500 fhells, which had been fent out by government to furnish the fortrefs, inftend of having been removed up to the works, were all found by the French at the foot of the hill, and proved a moft feasonable and neceffary fupply. The hill was naturally ftrong, but the works at the top were not anfwerable to its ftrength; and were little calculated to withstand the batteries,

which the poffeffion of the adjoining country, and the 1782. weakness of the garrifon enabled the enemy to erect in the most advantageous pofitions. The British were moreover totally deftitute of intrenching tools.

The marquis de Bouille commenced and carried on a regular fiege; but was incommoded during the whole of it, by a moft vigorous fire from the garrifon. The toil and fatigue of the French was exceffive in fuch a climate, as they had no fubftitute for human labor in removing their artillery and heavy ftores. The trenches however were opened in the night between the 16th and 17th of January. Sir Samuel Hood took the earliest opportunity, on his arrival off the ifland, of fending an officer to Brimftone-hill, accompanied by one from gen. Prefcott, who in answer to the offer fent to gen. Fraser, brought back the following meffage-" That as he had taken the trouble to come with troops to his afsistance, he fhould doubtlefs be glad of the honor of feeing him ; but that he was in no want either of him or his troops.' Prefcott being very defirous notwithstanding, to be put on fhore with his Antigua troops, they were accordingly landed on the 28th, together with the 69th regiment, and 28. immediately got into action, and drove the enemy with confiderable lofs to the latter; but as no folid purpose could be answered by the continuance of the troops on fhore, they were taken off in the evening of the 29th, without the lofs of a man. All communication being now cut off with Brimftone-hill, the general with his back for Antigua on the 1ft of February.

troops failed

The French profecuted their works and attack with unremitting induftry. During the last three weeks of the fiege, they were conftantly, night and day, canno

Jan.

Feb.

I.

12.

1782. nading and bombarding the garrifon; who though continually thinned by the numbers killed and wounded, bore the inceffant fatigue of being alway under arms, and the increasing danger, with admirable patience and fortitude. At length, the works on one fide being fo deftroyed as to form an entire and complete breach, and there being not more than 500 men left able to go through duty, and Sir Samuel Hood not having it in his power to afford the leaft relief, both the governor Feb. and gen. Frafer concluded upon propofing a capitulation; which the marquis de Bouille eagerly embraced, as the acquifition of time for further operations was important, and as fecurity from interruption by the arrival of a British admiral to reinforce Sir Samuel was of the first consequence. Every condition they propofed was agreed to, whether in favor of the garrifon or island. The former were allowed all the honors of war in the fulleft fense; and the island was upon the best footing it could be, under a capitulation. The marquis de Bouille, with his ufual elevation of foul, by the last article discharged gov. Shirley and gen. Fraser from being confidered as prisoners of war, out of refpect to their courage and determined conduct; and declared that the first might return to his government of Antigua, and the latter continue in the fervice of his country.

The furrender of Brimftone-hill, and the capitulation of the island, rendered the longer ftay of Sir Samuel Hood in Baffe-Terre road equally ufelefs and dangerous. Befide, the French had been joined by two ships of the line from Europe; fo that count de Graffe poffeffed the fuperiority of 34 to 22 fhips of the line. The count 14. anchored off Nevis on the 14th, the day on which that

1

ifland followed the fate of St. Kitt's and furrendered. 1782. Sir Samuel left Baffe-Terre road the fame night, unperceived as he imagined, for not one of the French ships was to be seen in the morning; though when his fleet flipped their cables, the other lay within five miles and with their lights full in view. The furrender of Montserrat on the 22d, neceffarily fucceeded the lofs of the two before-mentioned; fo that of all the former numerous British poffeffions in the West Indies, there remain only Jamaica, Barbadoes and Antigua. Notwithstanding the reduction of Brimftone-hill might coft the French 1000 foldiers, and count de Graffe might lose full 1000 failors by engaging the British fleet, their remaining ftrength was fo great, that the defign against Jamaica must have been revived, efpecially as the Spaniards had a powerful fleet, and a great body of land forces, in the islands of Hifpaniola and Cuba, ready to join de Graffe in an attack upon it.

After mentioning en paffant, that the marquis de la Fayette and viscount de Noaille arrived at Paris on the 20th of January from America, and that commodore Johnstone returned to Portsmouth from the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope, on the 28th of February; I fhall relate what has paffed in the United Provinces of Holland, and in the dominions of the emperor of Germany.

You will recollect the circumftance of Mr. John Adams's presenting a memorial to the States General în April 1781. The French minifter would have hindered his prefenting it, but could not prevail. Mr. Adams was determined at all hazards to follow his own judgment; which he did in the moft independent manner,

1782. in oppofition to refiftance, remonftrance, and other endeavours to produce a different conduct. You must understand, that the gentlemen at the Hague, who are called their high mightineffes, are not the fovereign. They are only deputies of the States General, who compofe the fovereignty. Thefe joint deputies form a diplomatic body, not a legislative nor executive one. The States General, are the regencies of cities and bodies of nobles. The regencies of cities are the burgomafter, fchepens or judges and counfellors, compofing in the whole a number of four or five hundred men, fcattered all over the republic. Mr. J. Adams had no way to come at them, but by the prefs. He therefore employed it, and by his publications fucceeded.

9.

The quarter of Ooftergo in the province of Friefland, was the firft public body that propofed a connection with the United States of America, in December Jan. Laft. On the 9th of January, Mr. Adams waited on the prefident Van Den Sandheuvel, and demanded a categorical anfwer, that he might be able to transmit it to Feb. his fovereign. On the 26th of February, Friefland preceded the other confederates by a refolution for opening negotiations with America, and admitting Mr. J. Adams forthwith as the minifter of congrefs. The new minifters of the court of London attempted to bring forward a negotiation for a feparate peace with the state of Holland. Propofitions for a particular peace, with an offer of an immediate fufpenfion of hoftilities, on the part of Great Britain, were made to that ftate by the mediation of the Ruffian ambaffador. The merchants had the greatest averfion to fuch offers, as artful and dangerous. Holland and Weft-Friefland agreed to admit