eral Carleton. By these
events, Canada was entirely freed from the American arms; and General
Carleton commenced preparations for the recovery of Ticonderoga, and the
dominion of the lakes Champlain and St. George, now held by the enemy.
The American generals, Sullivan and Arnold, threw themselves upon the
isle Aux Noix, where they were secure from the enemy, but where many of
their men perished of fever.

UNSUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON SULLIVAN'S ISLAND.

While success attended the British arms in Canada, an expedition sent
against the southern states totally failed. Governor Martin had been
strenuously exerting himself to recover his lost province of North
Carolina, by means of a body of Highlanders, who had recently emigrated
to America, and another body of resolute men, called "Regulators,"
who lived principally by the chase. These two bodies were commanded by
Colonels Mac Donald and Mac Leod. They were embodied at Cross Creek, but
having attempted to open their way to Wilmington, where they expected
some regular troops were to be landed, they were circumvented by
a superior insurgent force, and beaten. Mac Leod, with most of his
Highland followers, were slain, and Mac Donald, with some of the
"Regulators," were taken prisoners; while the rest fled, and returned to
their old hunter life in the back country. The attempt which was made by
Governor Martin, indeed, seems altogether to have been premature; but he
appears to have been induced to make it from the delay of the arrival of
General Clinton and his troops, who were destined for this service.
No second attempt could be made to erect the royal standard in the
Caro-linas, till Clinton arrived from England, and then it was found to
be too late. He reached Cape Fear in the month of May, and immediately
took the command of some troops which had previously been conveyed to
those coasts by Sir Robert Parker. The general's instructions were to
endeavour, by proclamations and other means, to induce the Carolinas
to return to their allegiance; to gain information as to the temper
and disposition of those provinces; and if he found the royalists
sufficiently numerous to take up arms, to leave a part of his
forces with them, and then to repair to New York to meet the
commander-in-chief, General Howe. Clinton found no encouragement, and
met with no signs of co-operation; and he, together with Parker, tired
of doing nothing, resolved to go beyond their commission, by capturing