of Buffalo offered some slight shew of resistance to
the movement, being urged to interpose by many of the most respectable
citizens. But no real impediment was offered, and on the 13th of
December some hundreds of the citizens of the State of New York, as
an armed body under the command of a Mr. Van Rensselaer, an American
citizen, openly invaded and took possession of Navy Island, a part of
Upper Canada, situate in the Niagara River.

Not believing that such an outrage would really be committed, no force
whatever was assembled at the time to counteract this hostile movement.

In a very short time this lawless band obtained from some of the
arsenals of the State of New York (clandestinely, as it is said) several
pieces of artillery and other arms, which in broad daylight were openly
transported to Navy Island without resistance from the American
authorities. The people of Buffalo and the adjacent country continued to
supply them with stores of various kinds, and additional men enlisted in
their ranks.

In a few days their force was variously stated from 500 to 1,500, of
whom a small proportion were rebels who had fled from Upper Canada. They
began to intrench themselves, and threatened that they would in a short
time make a landing on the Canadian side of the Niagara River.

To prevent this and to keep them in check a body of militia was hastily
collected and stationed on the frontier, under the command of Colonel
Cameron, assistant adjutant-general of militia, who was succeeded in
this command by Colonel McNab, the speaker of the house of assembly,
an officer whose humanity and discretion, as well as his activity,
have been proved by his conduct in putting down the insurrection in the
London district and have been acknowledged in warm terms of gratitude
by the misguided persons who had surrendered themselves into his hands.
He received orders to act on the defensive only, and to be careful not
to do any act which the American Government could justly complain of as
a breach of neutrality.

An official statement of the unfriendly proceedings at Buffalo was
without delay (on the 13th December) made by me to his excellency the
governor of the State of New York, to which no answer has been received.
And after this open invasion of our territory, and when it became
evident that nothing was effected at Buffalo for preventing the
violation of neutrality, a special messenger was sent to your excellency
at Washington to u