and twenty-three wounded. On the 4th, general Jackson was joined by 2,500 men from Kentucky, under general Adair; and on the 6th, the British were reinforced by 4,000 troops, commanded by general Lambert. The army under sir Edward Pakenham, thus augmented, amounted to upwards of 14,000 veterans; that under general Jackson to something more than 10,000, the greater part of them militia and volunteers.

The British general now prepared for a serious attempt on the American position. With great labour he had completed by the 7th, a canal from the swamp to the Mississippi; by which he was enabled to transport a number of boats to the river: it being his intention to make a combined attack on the main force of general Jackson on the left bank, and crossing the river, attack the batteries on the right. The works of the American general were by this time completed; his front was a straight line of 1,000 yards, defended by upwards of 3,000 infantry and artil lerists. The ditch, which had been the water-course of a saw-mill, contained five feet water. Eight distinct batteries were judiciously disposed, mounting in all twelve guns of different calibres. On the opposite side of the river there was a strong battery of fifteen guns, and the intrenchments were occupied by general Morgan, with the Louisiana militia, and a strong detachment of the Kentucky troops.

On the memorable morning of the 8th of January, general Pakenham, having detached colonel Thornton with a considerable force to attack the works on the right bank of the river, moved with his whole force, exceeding 11,000 men, in two divisions, under major-generals Gibbs and Keane, and a reserve under general Lambert. The first of these officers was to make the principal assault, and both columns were supplied with scaling-ladders and facines: during these awful preparations, the Americans anxiously waited the attack, which would decide the fate of New Orleans, and probably of Louisiana. The British gallantly advanced in solid columns, over an even plain, in the very front of the American intrenchments; the men carrying, besides their muskets, facines, and some of them ladders. A dread silence prevailed, until they approached within reach of the batteries, which commenced an incessant and destructive cannonade: they, notwithstanding, continued to advance in perfect order, closing up their ranks as fast as they were opened by the fire of the Americans. When they came within reach, however, of the musketry and rifles, these, joining with the artillery,

produced such dreadful havoc that they were thrown into the greatest confusion. Never was there a more tremendous fire, than that kept up from the American lines; it was a continued stream; the men behind loading for those in front, enabled them to fire with scarcely an intermission. The British columns were literally swept away, whole ranks falling at every discharge; while the officers were gallantly making the utmost efforts to rally their men ; and in one of these attempts their brave commander, general Pakenham, was killed, Generals Gibbs and Keane succeeded in pushing forward their columns a second time; but this approach was more fatal than the first: the advancing columns broke, and no effort to rally them could avail; a few platoons only advanced to the edge of the ditch, and met a more certain destruction. An unavailing attempt was made by their officers to bring them up a third time; and the determined bravery of those leaders deserved a better fate: the two generals, Gibbs and Keane, were carried away severely wounded; the former mor tally. The plain between the front of the British and the American lines was strewed with dead; so dreadful a carnage, considering the shortness of the time, and the numbers engaged, was perhaps never witnessed. During the engagement on the left side of the river, the detachment under colonel Thornton succeeded in landing on the right bank, and immediately attacked the intrenchments. of general Morgan. At first the Americans shewed a spirited resistance; but their right wing supposing itself to be outflanked, shamefully fled, and the left being deserted, soon followed the example, leaving the redoubts and batteries, with sixteen pieces of cannon, and the colours of the New Orleans militia, in the hands of the victors. Colonel Thornton was severely wounded, and the command devolved on colonel Gobbins; who having witnessed the fate of the assault on the left bank, and receiving orders from general Lambert, re-crossed the river, and joined the main army. The loss of the British in the different actions, from the 12th of December to the 8th of January, according to general Lambert's returns, amounted to 386 killed, 1,516 wounded, and 552 missing. The American loss, during the same period, by general Jackson's official report, was forty-nine killed, 150 wounded, and seventyfour prisoners. The severe loss on the part of the British extinguished all hopes of success, and general Lambert, after holding a consultation with admiral Cochrane, came to the decision to re-embark the troops, and to abandon the enterprise.

The concluding operation of the war in the gulf of Mexico, was the capture of fort Bowyer, on Mobile-point, which had been unsuccessfully attacked about five months before. On the 7th of February, the fort was invested by captain Ricketts, of the Vengeur, and in the course of a few days the trenches were pushed within pistol-shot of the works. Lawrence, the American commander, finding it impossible much longer to resist the overwhelming force by which he was assailed, consented to capitulate, and on the 11th, the garrison, consisting of 366 men, surrendered themselves prisoners of war.

Except the transactions at New Orleans, and the capture of fort Bowyer, no military operations occurred after the conclusion of the treaty of peace between Great Britain and America; which had been signed at Ghent the very day after the British forces had invaded Louisiana. Two naval actions, however, took place subsequent to that period; the first of which added the President frigate to the British navy. On the 14th of January, the President, commodore Decatur, sailed from New York on a cruise; but from the negligence of the pilot, having struck on the bar, where she remained two hours, her ballast was deranged, and her sailing trim totally lost. The wind preventing him from returning into port, he put to sea, trusting to the excellence of his vessel. At day-light the next morning, he fell in with a British squadron, consisting of the Endymion, Tenedos, and Pomone, frigates, and the Majestic, razee. In spite of every exertion they gained upon him, and the foremost, the Endymion, got close under his quarter, and commenced firing. The commodore determined to bear up and engage her, with the intention of carrying her by boarding, and afterwards escaping in her, and abandoning his own ship. In this he was frustrated by the manoeuvring of the enemy, who protracted the engagement for two hours, until the rest of the squadron was fast gaining upon them. On the approach of the other frigates, the President surrendered, being considerably damaged, and having twenty-four men killed, and fifty-five wounded; the Endymion had eleven killed and fourteen wounded.

The next engagement by sea had a different termination to that we have just related. On the 28th of February, the American frigate Constitution, captain Stewart, while cruising off Madeira, fell in with the British ship Cyane, of 34 guns, captain Falcon, and the Levant, of 21 guns, captain Douglas; both of which she captured after a severe action of forty minutes. The Constitution had four men

killed and ten wounded; the Cyane seven killed and seventeen wounded; and the Levant nine killed and seventeen wounded.

The last naval action between the two contending nations, was fought on the 23d of March. On the morning of that day, the United States sloop of war Hornet, captain Biddle, then on the coast of South America, descried the British brig Penguin, captain Dickenson, which immediately bore down, and ran along side the Hornet, with the intention of carrying her by boarding. A warm engagement now ensued, in which the British vessel was repulsed, and her captain killed; when, after a severe contest of twenty-two minutes, she struck her colours, having had fourteen men killed and twenty-eight wounded; the loss of the Hornet was one killed and eleven wounded.

The momentous intelligence of the defeat of the British before New Orleans, had scarcely ceased to operate upon the people of the United States, when they received the welcome news of a treaty of peace having been concluded between the British and American commissioners, on the 24th of December, 1814.* Both these events were celebrated by illuminations, and other demonstrations of joy throughout every part of the Republic.

Thus terminated an eventful and memorable war of two years and six months-a war pregnant with important admonition to Great Britain and to America. Both countries had to experience the mortifying reflection, that all the blood and treasure expended in the contest, had been

This Treaty, which consists of eleven articles, was ratified at Washington on the 17th of February, 1815, and is in substance as follows:

Article 1. Provides that there shall be a firm and universal peace between his Britannic majesty and the United States; and that all territory, places, and possessions whatsoever, taken from either party by the other during the war, shall be restored without delay.

Article 2. Prescribes the times within which hostilities shall cease in certain latitudes.

Article 3. Directs that all prisoners of war taken on either side, as well by land as by sea, shall be restored as soon as possible after the ratification of the treaty. Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Regard the appointment of commissioners, for the purpose of deciding upon the boundary lines between the British American provinces and the United States.

Article 9. Declares, that his Britannic majesty and the government of the United States, shall immediately put an end to hostilities with all the Indians, with whom they may be at war at the time of the ratification; and forthwith restore to them all the possessions, rights, and privileges, which they enjoyed before the war; provided, that such Indians agree on their parts to desist from hostilities.

Article 10. Denounces the traffic in slaves, as irreconcilable with the principles of humanity and justice; and both the contracting parties agree to use their best efforts to promote its entire abolition.

The last Article provides, that this treaty shall be binding on both parties; and that the ratifications shall be exchanged in the space of four months from the 24th of December, 1815, or sooner if practicable.

lavished in rain; none of the objects, which were the Ostensible cause of hostilities, having been finally obtained. The effects of the war had compelled the American people to turn their attention to the manufacturing system; and Great Britain had to witness the best market for her manufactures greatly diminished, and for some particular branches, nearly annihilated. She has likewise seen, that the mode of warfare pursued by her, has produced an union of parties among the Americans, which effectually precludes any future hope of being able to separate the eastern from the other states; and has for ever placed the republic far beyond the grasp of any European power. The people of the United States have also acquired, by dearly bought experience, a knowledge of their weakness and of their strength. By their repeated and disastrous attempts to conquer Canada, they have discovered the unfitness of a free government and free people for offensive warfare; and that their best policy is peace, commerce, and agriculture; preferring the ploughshare to the sword, and justice to aggrandizement. This salutary lesson, if wisely improved, will be worth the whole sum they have expended on the war; by evincing to them their true na tional character-weak in the pursuit of conquest, but all-. powerful in defence.

Since the termination of hostilities, the United States have proceeded in a career of prosperity unparalelled in the history of nations. The progressive improvement of their agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, with the annual increase of their exports, both before and after that period, will be found detailed, under their respective heads, between pages 77 and 113 of this Work. The return of peace, by opening the ports to the introduction of foreign articles, has given a temporary check to some of the manufacturing establishments; but the system in general is now placed upon a much surer foundation than at any former period, and is proceeding by moderate but certain degress to ultimate perfection. Agriculture is in a highly prosperous state, and rapidly improving throughout the Union; to which the judicious plan adopted by govern ment for disposing of all the public lands (see page 103) has not a little contributed. The mechanic arts have kept pace with agriculture; and those two important branches have been mutually subservient to each other. Those employed in them, unlike the same classes in many other countries, are recognised as most useful citizens, and have their equal rights, civil and religions, guaranteed by con-stitutions of their own choice; and the laws enacted and