ness of those made by major Pinckney, was too variant for them to come to a speedy conclusion. The negociation was prolonged for five days; but Provost was inflexible, and finally observed, that he wished for a speedy answer, as the transports were ready to sail with the prisoners on board, either to New-York or the West-Indies, as might be most convenient to Sir Hyde Parker. This determination, left with major Pinckney an embarrassing choice of evils: to leave the wretched prisoners to continue under their sufferings, or to establish a precedent, unjust in principle, and ruinous in its consequences to the cause of his country. He adhered to his propositions, and the negociation terminated in a disagreement.

The failure of the negociation for the exchange of prisoners on the British propositions, which would have been so favourable to them, and so injurious to the Americans, determined Sir Hyde Parker to add to the punishment of the American prisoners who refused to enlist in the British service, by sending them to New-York. Nine of these unfortunate people had already died in one day, and seven had been the daily average of deaths for a week. Their refusal to enlist into the ranks of their enemy, and fight against their countrymen, occasioned the loss of one third of their lives.

The British chiefs had their emissaries busily employed in the back settlements of South-Carolina and Georgia. In the former, a man by the

name of Boyd, with others of inferior rank; and in the latter, a man by the name of Thomas, and others who were subordinate to him. Boyd was an Irishman by birth, and had been several years an inhabitant of South-Carolina: he was bold, enterprising, and famed for acts of dishonesty: he had some time previously been at New-York, where he was invited to an interview with Sir Hen ry Clinton. During their conferences, the scheme of insurrection in the back country of SouthCarolina was planned, and to be executed so soon as the British troops should gain possession of Savannah; and on receiving information of that event, Boyd was to assemble his troops and repair to the royal standard in Georgia. Boyd was early apprised by Campbell, of the success of the British arms in Savannah, and commenced the execution of his part of the plan, which had been concerted.

The position which general Lincoln had taken at Purysburg, was well calculated to observe the movements of general Provost, and wait for reenforcements: the freshets in Savannah river, at that season of the year, overflowed the swamps to the extent of two to four miles in breadth, and upwards of one hundred miles in length from the sea, so that neither general could assail the other with any prospect of advantage. By a field re turn on the 1st of February, general Lincoln had three thousand six hundred and thirty-nine men, composed of about six hundred continental troops, five hundred new levies, and one thousand three

hundred effective militia: the residue were invalids, and without arms. If the American troops had been all effective and veteran, general Lincoln would have been about equal to his antagonist; but his numbers were principally made up by militia, on whom no dependance could be placed, when opposed to a veteran army. From the equality of the militia with their officers, and independence at home, they were unwilling to submit to the requisite discipline of a camp: they must know where they were to go, what they were going to do, and how long they were to be absent, before they would move; and if not satisfied on these points, and permitted to do as they pleased, they would be off, knowing that their punishment for desertion would be but a trifling pecuniary mulct.

The duties assigned to general Lincoln were difficult and embarrassing; but such difficulties and embarrassments were not assigned to him alone; they were in common with every general officer in the American army. If it should be enquired, how such a state of things originated? It might be answered, that it had its source in the unreasonable jealousy, that a majority of the mem. bers of congress entertained of a regular army, which could have been easily enlisted for and during the war. If the army had been engaged for the war at an early period, the wisdom of the measure would have been apparent, the œconomy great, the duration short, and the issue

certain; but by the mistaken policy of short enlistments and reliance on militia; thousands of lives were sacrificed, millions of dollars worth of property destroyed and expended, the war prolonged, the liberties of America jeopardised, and the well appointed armies of Great Britain, under experienced generals, were to be driven away by shadows like the birds and beasts of prey from the farmer's field, by the twirling of his rattle.

Early in February, a party of the enemy, com. manded by major Gardiner, embarked in boats at Savannah, and proceeded by the inland passage, to take possession of Beaufort, on Port-Royal island, and establish a post; they effected a landing, but were soon after attacked and defeated by general Moultrie with an equal force, nearly all militia of Charleston. In this engagement, which lasted about one hour, forty of the enemy were killed and wounded. The victory would have been more complete, if the scarcity of ammunition had not arrested the fire from the field pieces, and the infantry generally, at the time of the enemy's retreat; they fled to their boats, and returned to Savannah.

When lieutenant-colonel Campbell was advancing on Augusta, he detached colonels Brown and M'Girth, with four hundred mounted militia, to make a forced march to the jail in Burke county, where he had ordered colonel Thomas to meet them with a party of loyalists. Colonels Benjamin and William Few, assembled

some militia and joined colonel John Twiggs, who had assembled a small force, making in the whole about two hundred and fifty. Colonel Brown advanced and attacked them, and was defeated with the loss of five men killed, several others wounded, and nine were made prisoners by the Americans. Twiggs and Few retreated the ensuing day, expecting that Brown would be re-enforced by Campbell. Brown's troops were rallied in the night, and were re-enforced by two majors and a party of refugees from SouthCarolina, and a detachment under major Sharp. Thus re-enforced, Brown determined to renew the attack. Twiggs and Few met him, and defeated him with greater loss than he had sustained before, and himself was among the wounded. In this skirmish, captain Joshua Inman of the Americans commanded a troop of horse, and at the first onset, killed three of the enemy with his own hand.

General Elbert who had been ordered by general Lincoln, to proceed to the upper part of Carolina; crossed the river Savannah, and joined colonels Twiggs and Few: they advanced to Brier creek and skirmished with Campbell's front, and aftreward, occasionally, to impede his progress toward Augusta; expecting to be re-enforced by colonel Andrew Williamson, from Carolina, and colonel Elijah Clarke from Wilkes county; but those officers with their troops, were too much engaged in a different quarter to afford relief. Elbert and Twiggs retired, and Campbell took pos