occasion of important victories, the king wrote to the archbishop of Paris, directing that a Te Deum should be sung in the metropolitan church. The count d'Estaing pretended, in effect, to have been victorious; he alleged in his favor that he had kept his lights burning during all the nights subsequent to the engagement; that Byron had for several hours refused to renew it, though all the while he had the advantage of the wind; that the British had made no movement to preserve the Lion, when retiring with difficulty towards the west; that the French fleet had captured one of the enemy's ships, conquered Grenada, and baffled the project of Byron for its recovery; and, finally, that it had secured the empire of the sea in the West Indies. It is indeed true, that the British admiral, in consequence of the disabled condition of his fleet, had found it necessary to take shelter at St. Christophers, where he was decided to remain until the enemy should become weaker, or himself stronger. His retreat spread consternation among the inhabitants of all the British islands, who had not for a long time, nor perhaps ever before, seen the French masters at sea. A short time after the action, d' Estaing, having repaired his ships, set sail afresh, and paraded with his whole force in sight of St. Christophers. Byron lay safely moored in the harbor of Basse Terre; the French admiral sought in vain to draw him out to combat. Finding him obstinate in his immobility, he shaped his course for St. Domingo, where he assembled the merchantmen of the dif ferent islands, and despatched them for Europe, under convoy of three ships of the line and three frigates.

In this state of things, there being much of the season for operations still unexpired, the count d' Estaing deliberated upon the course to be pursued, with most advantage to the interests of his sovereign. But in the meantime, he received letters from America, advising him of the extreme dissatisfaction with which the republicans observed that the alliance with France had hitherto produced nothing, upon the American continent, that corresponded either to the greatness of their ally, or to the general expectation of the Americans. It was represented to the French admiral that the enormous expenses incurred in the expedition of Rhode Island, had been worse than fruitless; that the zeal with which the French fleet had been equipped and victualled by the Bostonians, had produced no better effect than its immediate desertion of their coasts upca distant expeditions; that the benefits of the alliance were a nullity for the Americans, since the loss of Savannah and all Georgia, which had resulted from the retirement of the French, was not compensated by the recovery of Philadelphia, even throwing that event into the scale, as an indirect consequence of their cooperation, and supposing that the American arms would not otherwise have compelled the British to abandon that capital; that the occupation of Georgia by the enemy was fraught with consequences still more alarming, since it opened him an easy

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entrance into the Carolinas; that he was already established in the heart of America, and drew his sustenance thence; that meanwhile, the French commanders were cruising the West Indian seas, enriching theinselves with the conquest of British possessions, and leaving the Americans to sustain by themselves the whole burthen of this desperate war; that it ought not therefore, to be wondered at, if the number of the discontented increased every day in proportion to the rapid diminution of the partisans of France. These complaints were concluded with the most earnest instances and obsecrations that he would not abandon a faithful ally in the midst of surrounding perils.

The count d'Estaing could not but listen to these representations, although he had received instructions from his court, to return immediately to Europe with the twelve ships of the line and four frigates which composed the fleet of Toulon. He was directed by the same instructions, to detach three sail of the line and two frigates, under the conduct of La Motte Piquet, for the station of St. Domingo, and to leave eight other ships of the line to winter at Martinico, under the command of the count de Grasse, who was to cooperate with the marquis de Bouille, for the reduction of other English islands. Such were then the intentions of the French ministers; their negotiations with the court of Spain were in full activity, and they wished the Americans to feel all their distress, in order to obtain in the treaty they were about forming with his catholic majesty, more favorable stipulations for each member of the family compact. But d'Estaing thought it better to obey the generous impulses of his heart, than the orders of the ministry. To deprive the Americans of all pretext for doubting the sincerity of his good dispositions towards them, he set sail with twenty-two sail of the line and eight frigates. He had two objects in contemplation, both of the bighest importance; but he could come to no decision until he had first advised with the generals of Congress. The first was the destruction of the force under general Prevost, and thus freeing the province of Georgia from the presence of the English, and South Carolina from the danger of their vicinity. The second was more decisive, and likely to be attended with more difficulties; and that was, to attack, conjointly with Washington, the British force at New York, by sea and land at the same time. The success of these two enterprises would have sufficed to put an end to the war upon the American continent.

his

It was on the first of September that the count d'Estaing made appearance upon the coasts of Georgia, with twenty ships of the line. He had detached two to Charleston of South Carolina, to give notice of his arrival in those waters. It was totally unexpected to the English; their ship, the Experiment, of fifty guns, commanded by captain Wallace, was obliged, after a stubborn resistance, to surrender to the French. Three British frigates shared the like fate, as well as five transports loaded with provisions. This prize was highly

acceptable to the victors, who were much in want of supplies. General Prevost was then at Savannah, with only a part of his troops; the remainder were still in their cantonments, on the island of Port Royal, near the coast of Carolina. At sight of so pressing a danger, he sent orders by express to colonel Maitland, who commanded in that island, to rejoin him with all possible celerity. He likewise recalled the detachment that occupied Sunbury. The vessels at anchor in the Savannah were removed higher up, to secure them from the fire of the enemy, or sunk to obstruct his passage. Other impediments for the same purpose were planted in the river. The British also destroyed the batteries they had erected in the island of Tybee, and compelled the blacks to work without intermission at the fortifications. The seamen, who had been put ashore, joined the land troops, and were especially employed for the service of the artillery.

The news of d' Estaing's arrival excited transports of exultation at Charleston. General Lincoln immediately commenced his march for Savannah at the head of a strong detachment. A great number of small craft were despatched to the French admiral, to facilitate the debarkation of troops upon the coast, which large vessels cannot approach very near. With the assistance of these light vessels, d' Estaing, who had anchored off the bar which lies at the mouth of the Savannah, was enabled to land his troops at Beaulieu, about thirteen miles from the town of Savannah. At the same time his frigates were occupied in taking possession of the lower river, and of the different inlets; approaching as near to the town and lines as the circumstances of water and defence would admit. On the fifteenth of September, the French appeared under the walls of Savannah. They were accompanied by Pulaski's legion, who had made a forced march to join them. After some slight skirmishes, general Prevost contracted all his posts within the cover of the artillery on the works. Colonel Maitland not being yet arrived, the garrison, far from being sufficient for acting offensively, were scarcely competent to the defence of the works.

D' Estaing imperiously summoned Prevost to surrender the place; he announced in high language, that he commanded the same troops, a detachment of whom had recently taken the Hospital Hill, in Grenada, by storm; that he owed it to his humanity to remind him of it, after which, it could not be imputed to him, if he should not be able to restrain the fury of his soldiers, in the event of a fruitless resistThe Americans observed with extreme displeasure and jealousy, that the summons was made exclusively in the name of the king of France.

General Prevost reflecting that his reenforcements had not yet joined him, and that his lines were still in a very imperfect state of defence, thought it prudent to gain all the time that was possible, by pretending a willingness to negotiate a capitulation. He accordingly

answered the French admiral, that he neither could nor should surrender without being first made acquainted with the conditions, and that he begged him to be more explicit on that head. Messages passed backwards and forwards; and at length, so shrewd was Prevost, and so simple or so confident was d'Estaing, that a truce of twenty-four hours was agreed upon, to afford time for deliberation. During this interval, colonel Maitland arrived with the troops from Port Royal, after having surmounted a variety of obstructions, and made his way through almost impassable swamps and morasses. On the junction of this reenforcement, upon which depended, in truth, the principal hope of defence, Prevost gave the French admiral to understand, that he should hold out to the last. Two days before, however, general Lincoln had joined the camp of the besiegers with about three thousand men, among regular troops and militia. The French amounted to between four and five thousand. The garrison, including sailors and loyalists, consisted of about three thousand men; the French established their quarters to the right, and the Americans to the left of the place. After the refusal of the British commander to surrender upon the first summons, the allies could not expect that a mere assault should triumph over a formidable garrison, intrenched behind works which they strengthened every day. It was, therefore, resolved to commence a regular siege. The trenches were opened immediately, and were carried on with so much vigor, that by the twentyfourth of September, a sap had been pushed to within three hundred yards of the abattis, on the left flank of the town. The besieged were active in their endeavors to interrupt the works; but their efforts were ineffectual. Finally, the trenches being completed, and the batteries armed, the bombardment commenced in the night of the third of October; the fire became still more violent at daybreak on the morning of the fourth, when thirty-seven pieces of cannon and nine mortars were unmasked; while sixteen other pieces of cannon enfiladed the works from the shipping. To increase the terror, the besiegers lanched carcasses into the town, which burned several houses. Five entire days of this tempestuous fire caused infinite mischief to the town, but made little impression upon the fortifications, which the besieged repaired with diligence, wherever they were at all damaged. It even seemed, that amidst the storm of balls and bombs, they daily acquired new strength and solidity. The garrison, and such of the inhabitants as joined the troops in defending the ramparts, received little injury. But the fate of the women, children, and unarmed multitude, was indeed worthy of pity. Their lives were continually threatened by the fall of their burning roofs. Many perished, others, more unfortunate, were miserably crippled. Touched by their distress, general Prevost wrote to d' Estaing, requesting permission that they should be sent aboard ships down the river, and placed under the protection of a French ship of war, in

which state they were to continue until the business of the siege should be decided. At the same time acquainting him, that his own wife and family should be among the first to profit of the indulgence. The anticipation of such a request was more to have been expected from a generous enemy than its refusal; since the reduction of the place depended on force, and not on famine. But the French admiral, whether he acted of himself or at the instigation of general Lincoln, who, like all the inhabitants of Massachusetts, carried the spirit of party to the extreme, after a delay of three hours, returned a haughty answer to this demand. He objected that Prevost had deceived him by the truce, and that his present proposition very probably concealed a new artifice. He suspected him of intending by this stratagem to cover the rich spoils of Carolina. He assured him, finally, that he sincerely lamented the unhappy condition of the individuals for whom he petitioned, but that general Prevost must impute it wholly to himself, and those illusions which had darkened his understanding.

Whatever was the ability of the British engineers, and especially that of captain Moncrieffe, who rendered eminent services in this sicge; whatever was the valor with which the garrison defended the breaches, incessantly repaired by their exertions, the British general could have had little hope of holding out long, and still less of a successful defence, if the enemy had persevered in his gradual approaches. But d' Estaing experienced great difficulties. Far from expecting to encounter so obstinate a resistance under the walls of Savannah, he had calculated with such confidence on a prompt surrender, that he had come to anchor with his fleet of heavy capital ships, upon an inhospitable coast, and in a most critical season of the year. He had even signified to the Americans, that he could not remain on shore more than eight or ten days. Twenty were already elapsed since the siege had commenced, and still there appeared no immediate prospect of its termination. The season was growing worse every day, and the naval officers were continually representing to their admiral the perils to which he would expose the ships and troops of the king, if he persisted any longer in the prosecution of this expedition. It might also happen, that a British fleet would arrive with every advantage united, and force the French squadron to engage, at a moment when a part of its crews and artillery were thus employed in the siege of Savannah. Under these considerations, although the trenches were not yet carried to the requisite perfection, and though no considerable breach had been opened, the count d'Estaing resolved to attempt the assault. Necessity now urged him to this extreme counsel, after having delayed to embrace it when at his landing he had found the works not yet completed, and the garrison not yet reenforced by colonel Maitland.