fians. The former, contending themselves for freedom, and filled with the highest notions of the natural rights of mankind, regarded with equal contempt and abhorrence, a people, whom they confidered as the most fordid of all mercenary llaves, in thus refigning

all their faculties to the will of a petty defpot, and becoming the ready inftruments of a cruel tyranny. They reproached them with the highest poffible degree of moral turpitude, in thus engaging in a domeftic quarrel, in which they had neither intereft or concern, and quitting their homes in the old world to butcher a people in the new, from whom they never had received the fmalleft injury; but who, on the contrary, had for a century paft afforded an hofpitable afylum to their harraffed and oppreffed countrymen, who had fled in multitudes to escape from a tyranny, fimilar to that under which these were now acting, and to enjoy the bleffings of a liberty moft generously held out to them, of which thefe mercenaries would impiously bereave the German as well as English Americans.

Such fentiments, and fuch reproaches, did not fail to increase their natural ferocity and rapacioufnefs; and it is faid that they continued in a courfe of plunder, until they at length became fo encumbered and loaded with fpoil, and fo anxious for its prefervation, that it grew to be a great impediment to their military operations.

However difagreeable this conduct was, and contrary to the nature of the British commanders, it was an evil not eafily to be remedied. They could not venture

in fo diftant a fituation, and fuch precarious and critical circumftances, by quarreling with auxiliaries, who were nearly as numerous and powerful as their own forces. Allowances were neceffarily to be made for a difference of manners, opinions, and even ideas of military rules and fervice. Without opening any general ground of diflike or quarrel, it required all the conftancy, and all that admirable equanimity of temper which per which diftinguish General Howe's character, to reftrain the operation of thofe picques, jealoufies, and animofities, the effects of national pride, emulation, and a difference of manners, which no wifdom could prevent from fpringing up in the two armies.

It was fcarcely poffible that the devaftation and diforders practised by the Heffians, fhould not operate in fome degree in their example upon the British troops. It would have been difficult to have punished enormities on the one fide, which were practifed without re- . ferve or apprehenfion on the other. Every fuccefsful deviation from order and difcipline in war, is certainly and fpeedily followed by others ftill greater. No relaxation can take place in either without the most ruinous confequences. The foldier, who at firft fhrinks at trifling exceffes, will in a little time, if they pafs without question, proceed, without hesitation, to the greatest enormities.

From hence fprung the clamour raised in America of the defolation which was fpread through the Jer feys, and which by taking in friends and moderate men, as well as enemies, did great injury to

the

the royal caufe, uniting the latter more firmly, and urging to activity, or detaching, many of the former. Nor could the effect be confined to the immediate fufferers; the exaggerated details which were published of these enormities, ferving to imbitter the minds of men exceedingly through all the colonies. Thefe accounts being alfo tranfmitted to Europe, feemed in fome degree to affect our national character; in France particularly, where the people in general, through the whole courfe of this contelt, have been strongly American, they were readily received and willingly credited. Among other enormities which received the cenfure of our neighbours in that country, the deftruction of the public library at Trenton, and of the college and library at Princetown, together with a celebrated orrery made by Rittenhoufe, faid to be the belt and fineft in the world, were brought as charges of a Gothic barbarity, which waged war even with literature and the fciences.

In about a month after the taking of New York, the inhabitants of that city and ifland, prefented a petition to Lord and General Howe, the commiffioners for restoring peace to the colonies, figned by Daniel Horfemanden, Oliver De Lancy, and 946 others, declaring their allegiance, and their acknowledgment of the Conftitutional Supremacy of Great-Britain over the colonies; and praying, that in pursuance of the former declarations iffued by the Commiffioners, that city and county might be reftored to his Majesty's peace and protection,

This petition to the Commiffi

oners was followed by another to the fame purpose, from the freeholders and inhabitants of Queen's County in Long Island. It was obferved of thefe petitions, that the acknowledgment of the Conftitutional Supremacy in one, and of the Conftitutional Authority, of Great-Britain in the other, were very guardedly expreffed, all mention of parliament being omitted, and the great question of unconditional fubmiffion left totally at large. It is alfo remarkable, that though the inhabitants of York Iland and Queen's County, befides raifing a confiderable body of troops for the King's fervice, and establishing a ftrong militia for the common defence, had given every other teftimony of their loyalty which could be expected or wifhed, yet thefe petitions were not attend. ed to, nor were they restored to thofe rights which they expected in confequence of the declarations, as well as of the late law for the appointment of Commiffioners.

The critical fituation of Philadelphia, which a night or two's froft would have laid open to the British forces, obliged the Congrefs, about the clofe of the year, to confult their own fafety by retiring to Baltimore, in Maryland. In this ftate of external danger, the diffentions which fprung up among themselves were not lefs alarming to the Americans. We have formerly fhewn that the declaration of independency had met with a ftrong oppofition in Philadelphia, not only from thofe who were called or confidered as Tories, but from many, who in all other matters had been among the moft forward in oppofing the claims of the crown and parliament. The

carrying

14 or 1500 men, at Trenton, upon the Delaware, being the highest poft which the royal army occupied upon that river. Colonel Donop, with another brigade, lay at Bordentown, a few miles lower down the river; and at Burlington, ftill lower, and within twenty miles of Philadelphia, a third body was posted. The corps at Trenton, as well as the others, partly from the knowledge they had of the weakness of the enemy, and partly from the contempt in which they held him, confidered themselves in as perfect a state of fecurity, as if they had been upon garrifon duty in their own country, in a time of the profoundest peace. It is faid, and feems probable, that this fuppofed fecurity, increased that licence and laxity of difcipline, of which we have before taken notice, and produced an inattention to the poffibility of a furprize, which no fuccefs or fiuation can jullify in the vicinity of an enemy, however weak or contemptible.

Thefe circumftances, if they really exifted, feem not to have efcaped the vigilance of General Washington. But, exclufive of thefe, he fully faw and comprehended the danger to which Phila delphia and the whole province would be inevitably expofed, as foon as the Delaware was thoroughly covered with ice, if the enemy, by retaining poffefion of the oppofite fhore, were at hand to profit of that circumstance, whilst he was utterly incapable of oppofing them in the field.

To ward off this danger, he with equal boldness and ability formed a defign to prevent the enemy, by beating up their quarters; intending to remedy the deficiency of

force by the manner of applying it; by bringing it nearly to a point; and by attacking unexpectedly and feparately thofe bodies which he could not venture to encounter if united. If the defign fucceeded only in part, it might, however, induce the enemy to contract their cantonments, and to quit the vicinity of the river, when they found it was not a fufficient barrier to cover their quarters from infult and danger; thus obtaining that fecurity for Philadelphia, which, at prefent, was the principal object of his attention.

For this purpofe, General Washington took the neceffary measures for affembling his forces (which confifted moitly of drafts from the militia of Penfylvania and Virginia) in three divifions, each of which was to arrive at its appointed ftation on the Delaware, as foon after dark, and with as little noise, as poffible, on the night of Chriftmas day. Two of thefe divifions were under the command of the Generals Erwing and Cadwallader, the first of which was to pass the river at Trenton Ferry, about a mile below the town, and the other still lower towards Bordentown. The principal body was commanded by Mr. Washington in perfon, affitted by the Generals Sullivan and Green, and confifted of about 2500 men, provided with a train of 20 small brass field pieces.

With this body he arrived at M'Kenky's Ferry, about nine miles above Trenton, at the time appointed, hoping to be able to pafs the divifion and artillery over by midnight, and that it would then be no difficulty to reach that place long before daylight, and effectually to furprize Rall's bri

gade.

gade. The river was, however, To incumbered with ice, that it was with great difficulty the boats could make their way through, which, with the extreme feverity of the weather, retarded their paffage fo much, that it was near four o'clock before it was compleated. They were still equally delayed and incommoded in the march by a violent ftorm of fnow and hail, which rendered the way fo flippery, that it was with difficulty they reached the place of deftination by eight o'clock.

The detachment had been formed in two divifions immediately upon paffing the river, one of which, turning to the right, took the lower road to Trenton, whilft the other, with General Washington, proceeded along the upper, or Pennington road. Notwith ftanding the delays they met, and the advanced fate of daylight, the Heffians had no knowledge of their approach, until an advanced poft, at fome diftance from the town, was attacked by the upper divifion, the lower, about the fame time, driving in the outguards on their fide. The regiment of Rall, having been detached to fupport the picket which was first attacked, was thrown into diforder by the retreat of that party, and obliged to rejoin the main body. Colonel Rall now bravely charged the enemy, but being foon mortally wounded, the troops were thrown into diforder after a fhort engagement, and driven from their artillery, which confifted only of fix battalion brass field pieces. Thus overpowered, and nearly furrounded, after an ineffectual attempt to retreat to Princetown, the three regiments of Rall, Lofsberg, and

Knyphaufen, found themselves under the unfortunate neceffity of furrendering prisoners of war.

As the road along the river-fide to Bordentown led from that part of Trenton moft remote from the enemy, the light horse, chaffeurs, a confiderable number of the private men, with fome few officers, made their escape that way. It is alfo faid, that a number of the Heffians who had been out marauding in the country, and according-/ ly abfent from their duty that morning, found the fame refuge, whilft their crime was covered under the common misfortune.

The lofs of the Heffians in killed and wounded was very inconfiderable, not exceeding 30 or 40 at the most; that on the other fide was too trifling to be mentioned; the whole number of prisoners amounted to 918. Thus was one part of General Washington's project crowned with fuccefs; but the two others failed in the execution, the quantity of ice being fo great, that the divifions under Erwingand Cadwallader, found the river, where they directed their attempts, impaffable. If this had not been the cafe, and that the first, in purfuance of his inftructions, had been able to have poffeffed the bridge over Trenton Creek, not one of those who made their way to Bordentown could have efcaped. But if the design had taken effect in all its parts, and the three divifions had joined after the affair at Trenton, it feems probable that they would have fwept all the posts on the river before them.

As things were, General Washington could not proceed any further in the profecution of his defign. The force he had with him

was