Both sides prepared seriously for action. On the 26th of August, the whole British army being rehnbarked, landed on the south-western extremity of Long Island ; on the opposite side of which, in view of the island and city of New York, was stationed a large body of the Americans under General Sullivan. An engagement took place, in which the Americans were driven back to their lines at Brooklyn, their commander Sullivan ta ken prisoner, and 1000 of their men killed or captured. The British troops, whose ardour to storm the enemy's lines could scarcely be restrained, broke ground at 600 yards distance from the nearest redoubt, and the ships in the bay waited only for a fair wind to enter the east river, and thus completely cut off the Americans from all retreat to the continent. In this situation, the geni us of Washington enabled him to make an admirable re treat. He effected it on the succeedirig night, under cover of a thick fog, with such silence, order, and se crecy, that a British army, only a quarter of a mile dis tant, knew nothing of it till the last boats of the Ameri cans were seen passing the river, out of reach of the batteries. General Howe, next morning, took posses sion of the deserted works of Brooklyn, the only fruits of his victory. An interview took place, at the desire of Lord Howe, after this affair, between his lordship and some members of the congress, (Franklin, Adams, and Rutledge,) upon Staten Island. The British com mander, though he promised that the authority of con gress should be subsequently acknowledged, to substan tiate an accommodation if it should be made, declared that he could only receive the gentlemen of congress as individuals, not as members of a legal body : but it was wholly unnecessary to institute any such distinction ; for the American deputies declared, that his lordship's commission contained no new authority, and that his power of inquiring into the situation of America, held out no distinct advantage that could induce the colonies either to treat or to disarm.
Having taken possession of New York island and of the city, with little opposition, General Howe endea voured to bring his antagonist to a general action: a cri sis which Washington had sufficient sagacity and choice of positions to succeed in avoiding. From the environs of New York the American commander retreated to Kingsbridge, and from thence to a new and strong po sition on the White Plains, with the deep river Brux in his front, and the North River behind his rear. Here the incessant rains of October prevented Howe from at tacking him, or discouraged the dilatory disposition of the British general, till he withdrew to the high woody lands bordering on North Castle district. Howe, thus despairing of bringing him to a general engagement, determined to attack Fort Washington, a strong post which the Americans still retained on the North River. It was carried by assault, and 2700.men were made pri soners. Fort Lee, on the opposite or Jersey side of the same river, was soon after abandoned to General Corn wallis without a struggle. Washington, with diminish ed numbers, continued his retreat before the van of Lord Cornwallis, to Brunswick, and from thence to Princetown. On the 8th of December Lord Cornwallis reached the banks of the Delaware, just as the rear guard of the Americans gained the opposite shore ; but a cessation of the pursuit became indispensable for want of boats. Washington at this period trembled for the fate of America, and talked of retiring to the recesses of the Alleghany mountains ; but the British troops, in the full career of success, were ordered into winter canton ments. Amidst these successes, Rhode Island was seized by the British ; and General Lee, an active Arne: rican commander, whose talents were equal in value to a province or a fortress, was taken prisoner at Basken ridge. Nothing could seem, indeed, more forlorn than
the aspect of American affairs at this period, to those who forgot, that it was still more difficult for Britain to retain than to make those conquests, painfully as they had been made.
That the Spirit of freedom had not been subdued in the new commonwealth, appeared from the acts of their congress. Though obliged to retreat from the seat of war into Baltimore, they adopted the most vigorous measures : They voted an army of 88 battalions, and gave enlarged, ahnost dictatorial, powers for six months to their chief general. Far from lowering their tone to Britain, or meeting her indefinite proposals of revis ing the acts of parliament obnoxious to the colonies, they sent Franklin, and other commissioners to treat for alliance and assistance at the court of Versailles.
The intelligence of the successes of our arms on Long Island and at New York reached England before the meeting of parliament in October 1776, and gave scope to the most boastful predict ions of those who an ticipated a forcible subjugation of the colonies. By the minority a different use of these advantages was recom mended; and the ministry wel•e exhorted rather to con cede, while they could with dignity, such terms as would -,onciliate the vanquished, than drive them to despair.
A moment of success, however, was as inauspicious for the arguments of the minority to prevail, as for the claims of America to be admitted. The motions of the Rock ingham party being uniformly rejected, the most of its members absented themselves trom parliament, and supplies for the future campaign were voted with scarce ly the spew of a debate. The members of the secession justified their conduct by declaring, that it was too de grading to be the ineffectual instruments of resisting a system supported by majorities and not by reason, and that they would reserve their exertions for a season, when the national delirium had so far subsided as to af ford some hope of advantage. Their secession, however, was but of short duration : they returned soon after the recess, and with a success to which they had been little accustomed, obliged the minister to limit the suspension of the Habeas Corpus act to America, by altering the contents of a suspending bill ; a bill which was originally framed with such latitude, that it would have equally subverted the rights of the subject within and without the realm. A vehement contest arose towards the close of the session, when the debts of the civil list, amount ing to 600,0001. were submitted to the house, and a claim for that sum, and 100,0001. per annum, made upon the generosity of parliament. The minister prevailed in this motion ; but when the speaker, Sir Fletcher Nor ton, addressed the king on presenting the bill, he con veyed a bold and free advice to his majesty in the name of the house, stating their expectations, that what had been liberally granted would be wisely applied. The zealous friends of loyalty, fired with indignation at this freedom, contended, that the speaker had not conveyed the sense of parliament. At Mr Fox's instance, the question was put, (in defiance of this charge,) whether the speaker had spoken the sense of his constituents or not : and here, once more, the minority had a short tri umph ; for the house, though they would never have voted such an address, chose to support the dignity of their speaker ; and a vote of thanks was carried to Sir Fletcher Norton.