e. Brethren had
shed each other's blood. Both parties were exasperated beyond control.
The patriots felt their power; the royalists burned to wipe out the
disgrace their arms had received. General Gage now regularly fortified
Boston, which was in its turn besieged by the rebels. The whole
continent was up in arms. Another successful enterprise had been
undertaken by a leader of irregulars, who had seized the Ports of
Ticonderoga and Crown Point, which gave the patriots the command of Lake
George and the head of Lake Champlain, always recognised as the keys of
Canada.

The patriots had by this time formed a regular Government. Each of the
colonies had sent delegates to a general assembly held at Philadelphia,
to which the name of the Congress was given. The Congress had
authorised the formation of an army and had appointed as
Commander-in-chief a gentleman of Virginia of good repute, Colonel
George Washington. He was well known as a bold leader in frontier
warfare against the Indians, and had also seen service against the
French; besides this, he was a man of the highest moral qualities, which
had gained him the respect of his fellow-colonists.

The event which had induced the Government to despatch my ship and
others so hurriedly to the North American station was the battle of
Bunker's Hill, the news of which had just been received. The engagement
itself would not have been of much consequence had it not proved that
the rebels were resolved to fight it out to the last. The Americans,
besieging Boston, had fortified a height above the city called Bunker's
Hill. General Gage resolved to dislodge them and to endeavour to raise
the siege. Our troops, after much hard fighting and considerable loss,
claimed the victory, having driven the enemy from the heights; but the
Americans quickly rallied, and, many reinforcements coming up, the city
was more closely invested than ever.

I frequently heard the subject of the rebellion discussed by my friends
during my stay at home, and I cannot say that generally their sympathies
were in favour of the colonists. A few took the view of the case
entertained by Lord Chatham, Mr Burke, and a small band of enlightened
men in advance of their age; but they mostly sided with the King and the
Tories, and considered that the presumption of the colonists must be put
down with a high hand. They little knew of what stuff the descendants
of the Pilgrim Fathers--the sturdy Puritans,