VOL. III.] THE [NUMB. V. WORCESTER MAGAZINE. For the first Week in May, 1787. HISTORY of the late WAR in AMERICA. From the BRITISH ANNUAL REGISTER, for 1779. S the northern Colonies, particular do not produce wheat in any proportion at all equal to their own confumption, and that through the continual loffes and dangers which their fupplies from the fouthern experienced in their passage, together with fome local caufes, provifions of all forts had for fome time been fo unusually scarce and dear in the town and neighbourhood of Boston, as nearly to threaten a famine, it was generally expected, and undoubtedly apprehended by himself, that D'Estaing would have en countered great difficulties, if not ac, tual diftrefs, from the impracticability of victualling, and the doubt even of fubfifting, his fleet at that port. He was, however, relieved from thefe diffi culties and apprehenfions by a fingular fortune. The New-England cruizers happened at that very period to take fuch a. number of provifion veffels on their way from Europe to New-York, as not only abundantly fupplied the wants of the French fleet, but furnished fuch an overplus, as was fufficient to reduce the rates of the markets at Bolton, to fomething about their ufual moderate ftate. This fortunate fupply was a matter of great triumph to that people. Thus was D'Estaing enaNov. 3d. bled to quit Bofton, and to profecute his defigns in the Weft-Indies, with a fleet thoroughly repaired, clean, well victualled, and his forces in full health and vigour. And thus it may be faid, without any extraordinary stretch of licence, that to all appearance, a royal fleet owed its prefervation, at least in a very great degree, to the industry and fortune of a few privateers. Previous to his departure, D'Estaing had published a declaration, which was to be difperfed among the French Canadians, and was addreffed to them in the name of their ancient mafter, the French King. The defign of this piece, and an object which was much laboured in it, was to recall the affection to their ancient government, and to revive all the national attachments of that people,thereby to prepare them for an invasion either from France or America, and to raite their expectation and hope, to no diftant change of mafters. For thefe purposes they were applied to and called upon, by all the endearing and flattering ties of country, blood, language, common laws, customs, religion, by their former friendships, ancient glory and fellowship in arms, and even by their common participation in the dangers and misfortunes of the last war. To touch the vanity of a people exceedingly prone to it, they were flattered by reminding them, of thofe peculiar military honours, diftinctions, and royal decorations, which would have been the glorious rewards of their prowess in the French fervice; from which they had been fo long, de barred, and which were held fo dear by all their countrymen. They were taught to confider the French and Americans as equally friends, and almost as one people whofe invafion of Canada, whether jointly or feparately, inftead of conveying hoftility or defolation to them, would be undertaken only to free them from the yoke of foreigners, dwelling in another hemifphere; a people differing wholly from them, in religion, manners, in language, and every thing; whofe jealous and defpotick government, would fooner or later treat them as a conquered people, and undoubtedly much worse, than they had done their own late countrymen the Americans, to whom they owed their former victories. Their fu ture condition, in the event of this propofed emancipation from the government of Great-Britain, was left almos war, as well as the mode of conducting it, were now greatly altered from what they had been at former periods, and General Sir Henry Clinton being fenfible that no effential fervice could be undertaken by the army at New-York dur entirely in the dark; although fome faint and diftant allufion was held out, to a fimilar tate of freedom with that poffeff, ed by the British Colonies. This was a tender and jealous fubject, and the French commander thought it prudent to leave it involved in obfcurity. Heing the winter, and being alfo apprehenfeemed not altogether authorized to give up the idea, of the restoration of Canada to the dominion of France, but he was aware, that an avowal of those sentiments, might have been yet imprudent with refpect to that people, and would have been difgufting and alarming in the highest degree to the Americans. He, however, affured the Canadians, in the name of the French King, that all his former fubjects, who should relinquish their dependence on Great-Britain, might depend on his fupport and protection, Admiral Byron had arrived at NewYork from Halifax in the middle of September; but fo much had his fquad ron fuffered in their unfortunate voyage from England, that although the greater part of them had arrived iong before him at that port, yet it was a full month before he was enabled to fail again, in order to obferve M. D'Eftaing's mo tions. The fame unfortunate difpofition of the weather, which had already produced fuch unhappy effects, feemed ftill to profecute that commander. He had fcarcely appeared before Bofton, when he was driven off the coaft by a violent hurricane, in which the fhips a gain fuffered fo much, that they were glad to get into fhelter at Rhode-Island. This afforded the opportunity to D'E ftaing, which he immediately embraced, of quitting Bolton; whilft the damage now fuftained, together with the continuance of bad weather, agam cramped the operations of the British fquadron in fuch a degree, that it was not until the 14th of December, that Admiral Byron was able to fet out in purfuit of him to the Weft-Indies. In the mean time, as the ftate of the five of the danger to which our WeftIndia islands were expofed, determined upon fending fuch a force to that quarter, as would be at once equal to the protection of our friends, and to the annoyance of the enemy. He accordingly dispatched feveral regiments of those veteran, and perhaps unequalled troops, who had fo long braved every variety of climate and danger in America, to encounter along with a new enemy, all the rage of the tropical funs in the Weft-Indies. This detachment, confifting of about sooo men, was placed under the command of Major General Grant ; and the tranfports, amounting to fixty, were convoyed by Commodore Hotham, with five men of war, a bomb-veffel, and fome frigates. It was remarkable, that they failed from Sandy Hook, on the very day that D'Estaing departed from Bofton, and that the two fleets were very near each other, both steering the fame course, and in parallel lines, during fonie part of the paffage, without any knowledge, on either fide, of their relative fituation. A violent gale of wind, in which both fleets were equally involved, and the French greatly difperfed, probably faved the British convoy from the danger of encountering founequal a force. Commodore Hotham had the fortune and ability, to keep his fleet, which was fo much more numerous, whole and together during the ftorm; to get the start of D'Eftaing; and to arrive without the smalleft lofs at Barbadoes; where Dec. 1oth. he joined Admiral Barringten, before Mr. Byron had been able to depart from Rhode Island. (To be continued.) JOURNAL, printed at Bofton. likewife," I should be fully paid for relating my experience. Some years ago, I manured an acre of land, fowed it with flax-feed; and, after it came off, ploughed the ground, and fowed nearly a bufhel of wheat on it. I had about two hundred weight of flax from the fwingle, and rather more than ten bushels of feed; and of wheat, twenty-four bushels and an half. I gained by the two crops, feven pounds clear of the rent of the land, and every expence and trouble attending it. A FARMER, From the MASSACHUSETTS CENTINEL, printed at Bofton. Mr. PRINTER, MDAMS, who embraces every oc Y very valuable friend, Mr. A canon to promote the intereft, as well as the honour of his country, has tranfmitted to me the inclofed letter, from Mr. Hartley, to the Commiffioners of the British Navy, refpecting Mr. CORT'S Procefs for converting Caft Iron into Malle able Iron. The fubject is important to this country, and the procefs is intercfting, I therefore recommend it, for a publication in your paper, as a means of diffusing a very useful discovery. I am your very humble fervant, JAMES WARREN. "Golden-Square, June 19, 1786. "GENTLEMEN, "I BEG your permiffion to tranfmit to you fome obfervations upon Mr. Cort's method of converting pig iron into good and malleable metal. I understand that your Board has inftituted an enquiry into the proof of the facts, and that is my apology for prefuming to offer to you the following obfervations upon the fame subject, which were made upon the spot. The inquiry cannot be lodged in better hands than yours. I fhall be very glad if the following remarks may in any degree contribute to illuftrate the principles of this important difcovery. The comparison of facts and principles together, is in every cafe, the fureft and fafeft road to proof. "Having heard laft fummer at Portfmouth yard, that Mr. Cort had difcovered a method of making the very best of iron out of common iron ballast, by a fhort and fimple procefs, and that your Board was difpofed to give encourage ment to him, I went to his works, and as far as I could judge, his invention appeared to me to be founded on fimple principles, for reducing iron, to its na tural and beft ftate, by the expulfion of all heterogeneous and unmetallick particles; the fundamental principle being, that iron is in itself a fimple homogeneous metal, and that all iron is equally MILTON, April 19, 1787, " good when purified from heterogeneous and unmetallick particles. "The ordinary mode of converting caft iron into malleable iron, is by the ufe of a very great quantity of charcoal, which contains what the chymifts call the phlogifion, and which has the quality of remetallizing demetallized particles, which are mixed up with iron while in fufion. The method ufed by Mr. Cort is not by charcoal. He uses fea-coal entirely, because it is not his principle to remetallize any of the demetallized particles, but to expel them. "The process as I faw it three or four times over, is fomething to this effect:- Between two and three hundred weight of common iron ballaft is metled in an air furnace with fea-coal. When melted, it fpits out in blue fparks the fulphur which is mixed with it. The workman keeps conftantly stirring it a bout, which helps to difengage the fulphurous particles; and when thus dif engaged they burn away in blue sparks. In about an hour after melting, the fpitting of thefe blue sparks begins to abate, (the workman stirring all the time) and the melted metal begins to curdle, and to lofe its fufibillity, just like fodder when it begins to fet. The cause of which I take to be this: The stirring not only disentangles the fulphur, but it gives opportunity for like to meet with like; by which means metallick particles meet and coalefce, never to separate again, and then they become unfufible. The unmetallick particles, which, being of a vitrifiable nature, contribute to flux the whole mafs, are partly calcined, and partly burnt away. The whole màfs at the end of the first part of the process confifts of metallick particles and drofs flicking together, but not incorporated. The clotting of the metallick particles by the stirring about, may be compared to churning. As the ftirring of cream instead of mixing and uniting the whole together, feparates like particles to like, fo it is with the iron what was at first melted, comes out of the furnace in clotted lumps, about as foft as welding heat, with metallick parts and drofs mixed to gether, but not incorporated. Thefe Jumps, when cold, resemble great cinders of iron. They are called loops. "The next part of the process is to heat these loops to the hotteft welding heat in an air furnace, and put them under a great forge hammer, which by a few strokes at the very highest point of the welding heat, confolidates the metallick parts into a flab of malleable iron, about three feet and a half long and three inches fquare. The hammer at the fame time expels and fcatters the unmetallick drofs. These flabs are brought to a wedge point at one end. They are malleable iron, but ftill with a confiderable mixture of drofs. "The last part of the process is to heat these flabs to the hotteft welding heat in an air furnace, and then to pafs them through the rollers of a rolling mill: The flabs being extremely soft at the highest point of welding heat, the force of the rollers confolidates the metallick parts into bar iron, and the drofs isqueezed out, and falls under the rol. lers. This is the whole procefs; and thus in about fix hours I have feen a piece of common iron ballast rolled into a fhip's bolt. I have then seen this bolt laid hollow acrofs the eye of a large forge hammer, and receive two hundred and fitty ftrokes of the heaviest fledge hammei; and thus bent double, but without breaking, or fuffering the least appareat injury. "I conceive the two principles of this invention to be, firt burning off and calcining the fulphur and the demetallized particle of ballaft iron, instead of endeavouring to restore the demetallized parts with charcoal, at a great expence, and still leaving the business undone; and fecondly, expelling the drofs, and confolidating the metal by fqueezing it through the rollers, inftead of the common mode of hammering, which requires a confiderable length of time, during which time the metal looses the foftness of a welding heat, and becomes too hard to fuffer the expulĥon of the unmetallick parts. The common mode therefore, operates with much less effect than Mr. Cort's mode, because it operates upon a lefs degree of heat and foftnefs. It confolidates heterogeneous particles into the body of the iron, instead of expelling them by the expeditious and forcible impreffion of the rollers in the fofteft ftate of welding heat. It is to be obferved, likewife, that the common blooms, as they are called, in ordinary forges of iron, are nearly three times as thick, and folid as the flabs in Mr. Cort's procefs, and therefore much lefs affected by the blow of an hammer than his flabs are under the effects of the rollers. His flabs are fmall, foft and ductile, and therefore easily suffer the expulfion of the drofs by the fqueezing of the rol lers. "Thefe appear to me to be the principles of Mr. Cort's discovery. They appear to be conformable to chemical reafoning, and to the general principles of metallurgy. The demetallized particles of bailaft iron, fo démetallized by the fulphur in the ore, from the alloy of iron; when the fulphur is carried off by the fire, and by stirring the metal about while in fufion, and when the alloy of unmetallick particles is expelled by the application of the hammer and rollers of welding heat; the metallick parts thus kneaded and confolidated together, form the refined and homogeneous metal iron. Mr. Cort may therefore be faid to have difcovered for this country, an immense iron mine above ground, as all pig iron, and common ballaft iron, may by his procefs be purified into good metal. It is not improbable that this discovery may produce a great revolution in iron matters between imported and homemade iron. "The proof of facts which are stated to your Board, from the proper officers employed by you in this inquiry, form the bafis of the cafe. The illuftration which flows from the difcuffion of principles confirms the interpretation of the facts into proof of the merit of the invention; because thofe facts proceed through every stage of the procefs coherently with the principles which conftitute the invention, and consistently with the general and acknowledged principles of metallurgy, and because the perfiction of the metal refults from the strict adherents in the operation of the principles of the process. I have the honour to be, Your most obedient. humble fervant, "D. HARTLEY. To the principal Officers, and Commiffioners of his Majefty's Navy.” Wednesday laft was the day on which the General Court, pursuant to the Governour's Proclamation of the 12th inftant, were to meet at the State-House, in this town: Many Members accordingly attended, but not a fufficient number to form a quorum of both Houfes until the next day, when his Excellency, at twelve o'clock, met the two Branches in the Senate-Chamber, and addressed them as fol. lows: Gentlemen of the Senate, and A Gentlemen of the House of Reprefentatives, T the time of your laft recefs, there was no expectation of any further meeting of the prefent General Court: But another meeting has been thought neceffary, in confequence of the death of Thomas Ivers, Efq; by which the office of Treafurer had become vacant. As there is no w authorifing the Governour and Council, in fuch a cafe, to make a temporary appointment; and it being apprehended the Conftitution would not warrant it, the Counci! advised, that the General Court should be convened, as foon as might be, for the purpots of fupplying the vacancy: And accordingly you are now convened for that purpose. An interruption of bufinefs at the treafury,must be at all times inconvenient to the publick; but especially fo, at the prefent time, when there is fuch a multiplicity of it to be tranfafted, and the fulfilment of the engagements of Government depends upon its being speedily done. It is probable, therefore, you will proceed to the choice of a Treasurer, as foon as you can obtain fufficient information and fatisfaction, respecting the perfons, who may be candidates for that office. The character of Mr. Ivers's fucceffour, fhould be like his-diftigguished by an induftrious application to bufinefs-by a happy facility in tranfacting it, and by the strictest integrity. This defcription (at the fame time, it fhews what ought to be the character of fuch an officer) is but a just tribute to the memory of the deceased. There are feveral other matters, which alfo require the confideration of the General Court. You are fenfible, Gentlemen, that the facilities, allowed by Congrefs, to discharge a part of the requifition of Septemtember, 1785, are not now receivable at the Treasury: The time of receiving them, having expired the first day of the prefent month. A letter has therefore been written to our Delegates, recommending a (peedy application to that honourable body, to lengthen out the time for receiving those facilities. You will confider, Gentlemen, what is proper to be done in regard to them. of thofe regiments, at the expiration of their time of fervice. But Congress have thought proper to difcharge thofe t oops, excepting two companies of artillery, who are ordered to be ftationed at the F deral Arfenai, in Springfield; as you will obferve by feveral refolutions of theirs, dated the ninth inft. With respect to those two re iments, General Lincoln informs me, that the feveral companies, of which they are compofed, are completed; and that they are ftationed as the nature of the fervice made necessary. The Supreme Judicial Court are proceeding in their bufi efs, in thofe counties; and the Commiffioners, empowered to promife indemnity to a certain defcription of criminals, have been going on with theirs. The proceedings of each, contained in their respective letters to me, will be laid before you. ! Having thus made the neceffary communications, I would fo far bring back to your recollection, the late measures of government, efpecting the rebellion, as to congratulate you upon the fuccefs of them; and upon the hopeful profpect there is, if thofe meafures are continued, that the western Counties will, in a thort time, be reftored to a ftate of tranquillity. This is the happy refult of your cordial and spirited Co-operation with the executive, in those measures; which were planned and executed pursuant to your recommendations; and have been honoured with your repeated approbation. It has been my lot to pass through the feveral grades of po litical life, during a period the moft interesting, that America ever faw; and it is with real fatisfaction, I take a review of it, in the folitary hour of reflection. As I have been to long verfant in it, and have had fo larges thare of the honours of my country, it is certainly decent to with for retirement, that younger men, and of more ability, might fucceed to the chair of government. I am happy, that with this with, the voice of the people co-incides; as in the contrary cafe, I could not have indulg Another matter for your confideration,refpects the jurifdiced it, without the imputation of deferting them in the prefent tion line between this State and New-York. I tranfmitted to Governour Clinton, with my letter of the ad of March, an authenticated copy of our late act, allowing the Commiffioners further time for fettling that line, and informed his Excellency, that the Maffachusetts Delegates, to whom I wrote upon that head, would, in concert with the Agents of New-York, fettle the neceffary preliminaries, and jointly request the Commiffioners to appoint a time for finithing that business. Soon after tranfmitting that act, and fince the prorogation of the General Court, I received, through the hands of our Delegates, a new act for the fame purpose, paffed by the Legiflature of that State; repealing their former acts, and making the appointment of two additional Commiffioners neceflary. As there was then no expectation of a meeting of the General Court for feveral months, and the Legifla ture of New-York continued fitting, I apprehended it would expedite the fettlement of the line, if they fhould pafs an act, Conformable to ours, for that purpofe: And accordingly on the 15th of March, I wrote to, and defired our Delegates to reprefent this matter to Governour Clinton, for his confideration. But I have not fince had any information upon the fubject.-The aft of the Legiflature of New-York, will be laid before you, for your confideration. As a confiderable part of the federal troops, ordered by Congress, in October laft, to be raifed in this State, have been enlifted, and clothing was preparing for them, they would have been foon fit for fervice; in which cafe, they might have relieved a like number in our two regiments, employed in the Western Counties; or, if needful, have fupplied the place T critical fituation of their affairs. 1 Permit me, Gentlemen, to thank you for the confidence, with which you have honoured me; and for the favourable opinion you have, on feveral occafions, expre:fed, of my administration; and be affured, that the recollection of them in future, will be to me a fource of real pleasure. You will have the goodness to accept of my fincere and ardent wishes for your welfare and happiness; and will, I am perfuaded, with equal ardour, join with me, in the further with-that the people of this Commonwealth, may have juf ideas of liberty, and not loose it in licentio nefs, and its natural confequent-defpotifm: That they may revere ti e Contitution of their own framing, and govern their conduct by the principles of it, especially in the choice of men, to whom, when chofen, the Conftitution has delegated the powers of government: That their Delegates, actuated by the fame principles, may be, not the violaters, but the giardians of liberty and property; may ever pay a faci ed regard to publick faith; and by all their acts, in the best manner, promote the publick happiness. Under the uniform influence of fuch principles, the Commonwealth will rife fuperiour to its prefent embarraifments, and evince to the world the mistake of thofe politicians, who deciare, that a Republican Government, founded like ours, on the principles of equal liberty, cannot long fubfift. May this Commonwealth, and the United States in general, be lasting monuments of the truth of a counter-declaration. JAMES BOWDOIN, Council-Chamber, Äpril 26, 1787. Artificial method of hatching Chickens. HE following account of the artificial incubation of eggs, as practiced in Egypt, is extracted from Savary's letters:→→→ "The building appointed for the purpofe confits of two stories, the first of which is under ground, and the fecond very little elevated. A narrow corridor, which divides each story into two equal parts,runs the whole length of it. To the right and left are little cells, where the eggs are depofited. The vaper ftory is vaulted with an ox eye at the top. There is a fimilar aperture in the floor, by which the heat is communicated below: Both have a fmall window, which is carefully blocked up. The door of entrance is ve ry low, and serves for a communication with the whole building. The eggs are first ranged in heaps in the lower ftory. The fire is then lighted in the upper ftory, for an hour in the morning, and an hour in the evening. Cows dung, dried in the fun, ferves for fuel. This operation lafts eight days. When the |