The health of the venerable Earl of Chatham had for some time prevented him from giving public testimony to his abhorrence of the war ; but at the risk of his life, he attended the House of Peers on the 30th of May, wrapt in flannels, and supported by a crutch in each hand. He made a motion for addressing the throne to put a stop to the unnatural contest, by redressing all the grievances of the colonies, and by putting America ex actly as she stood before 1763. The justice of uncon ditional redress he supported on the grounds of Britain having been the unqualified aggressor in the dispute. The policy of such redress, he deduced from the im possibility of conquering the colonies, and from the im mediate prospect of France interfering. " You cannot," said he, "my lords, conquer the colonies. I may as well pretend to drive them before me with this crutch. I am experienced in spring hopes and vernal promises. but at last will come your equinoctial disappointments. If it be true, as ministers say, that no engagements are yet entered into between America and France. there is yet a moment left ; the point of honour is still safe ; a few weeks may decide our fate as a nation." The peers in administration repeated their arguments against con cession of any kind, and denied any danger from France. The pacific motion, as usual, was lost. During the ses sion, a memorial was delivered by Sir Joseph York. am bassador at the Hague, to the States General, complain ing of the seizure of an English vessel, by an American pirate, within cannon shot of the Dutch island of St Eustatia,and of a salute given by the fortress to a rebel flag. The memorial was couched in haughty and pe remptory language, and denounced immediate vengeance If satisfaction should be denied. The Dutch, though they declined giving an answer to our ambassador, and complained, through their resident in London, of the tone of menace which pervaded his majesty's memorial, disowned the conduct of the governor of St Eustatia, and recalled him ; but the utmost coolness from this time subsisted between the courts of London and tire Hague.
The gloomy state of American affairs, as they appear ed at the close of the former year, was gradually re trieved by Washington, after his retreat behind the Dela ware. Perceiving the cantonments of the British widely extended, "Now is the time," said that sagacious gene ral, " to clip their wings, while they are so spread." On the morning of the 26th of December 1776, he crossed the Delaware above Trenton, and marching with his whole force, not exceeding 3000 men, in the midst of a storm of hail and snow, he surprised three regi ments of Hessians, and made them prisoners. In the evening he repassed the Delaware, and _having entered Philadelphia in triumph, took possession of Trenton. Here he was menaced by the advance of the British from Princetown ; hut in the dead of the night, (January 2d, 1777,) he silently withdrew his troops, leaving fires burning in his camp, to deceive the enemy, and reach ing Princetown by a circuitous route, surprised a bri gade of British infantry, (17th, 40th, and 55th regiments,) whom he repulsed with considerable loss. Lord Corn wallis retreated precipitately to Brunswick, and the fortune of the war seeming to turn, the militia through out the Jerseys, encouraged, by recent success, and enraged at the oppression of the soldiery, rose by gene ral consent, and regained possession of the most impor tant quarters. The early part of the campaign of 1777
was marked by no events of more importance than the mutual destruction of stores and magazines. At Court land Manor, and at Danbury, the British detachments were successful in these objects ; and at Saggs harbour in Long Island, the enemy made severe retaliation. After a long delay, General Howe entered the Jerseys in full force, in the month of June, and endeavoured, by every feint that he could practise, to bring Wash ington to action. But he found it impossible to entangle the American Fabius. Washington, indeed, once ad vanced as Howe retreated ; and, leaving his strong camp at Aliddlebrooke, came forward to Quibbletown, to be near his enemies for the sake of observation : but when the British returned to the charge, he fell back im mediately to the former strong position ; and Lord Cornwallis, who had come round by the right, in hopes of surprising him, found the passes of the mountains fortified, and was obliged to retire. Howe, in despair, once more abandoned the Jerseys, making his retreat with havock and ruin, and fully acquitting himself of any suspicion of partiality to the enemy. Another pro ject was yet to be tried. On the 23d of July, the whole army was embarked, leaving only a small force behind at New York, and was brought round, after a tedious voyage, to the head of Chesapeake Bay. Washington, contrary to his usual policy, chose to hazard a battle, and to dispute the passage of the river Brandywine, which lay in the intended route of the British towards Philadelphia. The action was favourable to the British ; but the approach of night prevented them from pur suing its advantage. Thirteen hundred of the Ameri cans were killed, wounded, or taken ; among the wound ed was the young Marquis de la Fayette, who had recently entered as a volunteer in the service of the commonwealth. In consequence of this victory, General Howe entered Philadelphia, and passed the Schuylkill without opposition. The American general, at the dis tance of sixteen miles, held a strong position on the same river, and keeping a watchful eye on the enemy, thought he could surprise them by a nightly march to Germantown. At this place he risked another battle on the 3c1 of October ; he failed in the attack, but the British sustained a loss of 500 men. Philadelphia was now in our hands ; but the possession of it was rather dangerous than advantageous, without the command of the river Delaware ; and the navigation of that river was impeded, both by machines which the Americans had sunk, and by a fort at the junction of the Schuylkill and Delaware, called Redbank, which a body of Hes sians, in endeavouring to storm, were repulsed with great slaughter. As Lord Howe, however, had come round with the fleet, in order to act in conjunction with the army, the shipping were employed, though after many disasters, with more effectual force, the enemy evacuated their works, and the river was at last cleared. But it was by this time the middle of November, and the season for action had elapsed.