and barbecue it over a slow fire. During the war, salt, sugar, and many other articles, could only be procured by capture from the enemy.

On the 14th of April, captains John Howell and John M'Cleur entered one of the southerninlets, unperceived by the enemy, and received intelligence that the British ship Britania lay in the harbour at the mouth of Ogechee river. Under cover of a dark night, with vars muffled, the privateers were towed alongside and grappled with her; before the crew were aware of any danger, the assailants sprung upon the deck, and demanded a surrender; the ship was accordingly delivered up, without opposition. Captain Wade, of the Britania, and a boat's crew, had gone on shore to pass the night, and escaped capture. The ship was laden with rice, bound to the West-Indies, and only waited for a fair wind to go to sea. A pilat boat was also taken, and a pilot by the name of Saunders was put on board of the Britania to take her over the bar. On the 18th, the ship and privateers passed out at Ossabaw, with the intention of taking in a supply of water, at Jekyl island. On the 24th, about eight o'clock in the morning, off Doboy sound, the ship Cormorant, captain M'Evoy, hove in sight, and gave chase to the prize. Finding that the Britania could not escape, she struck her colours and dropped anchor. The boats were manned from the Cormorant to take possession, but before this could be effected, captain Howell ran down to the

prize, fired upon the boats, and compelled them to retire to the Cormorant. The cable of the prize was ordered to be slipped, her sails and colours hoisted, and the vessel ran in close to the shore, until she reached the south end of Blackbeard's island, where she was land-locked and brought to anchor. The advantage of shoal water, enabled the privateer to defend her until five o'clock in the afternoon. Apprehensive that an advantage might be taken, under cover of the night, by a force so superior, captain Howell ordered the ship to be abandoned and burned. The prisoners were landed on the island and paroled, and the American crew and prize-master, taken on board the privateer: after this was effected, the Cormorant put to sea. In this contest, captain Howell had one man killed, and one slightly wounded. The damage sustained by the Cormorant, if any, was not known.

Howell, M'Cleur, Spencer, and many others, continued to hover along the coast, and whenever any British merchant vessels attempted to go to sea without a convoy, they were almost certain to be captured; and in that event, were either burned or sent into a northern port. Many British vessels, from the West-Indies, laden with salt, and other articles in great demand, were captured by these privateers and taken into North Carolina. The numerous inlets along the coasts of SouthCarolina and Georgia, affording no great depth of water, enabled these privateers to escape capture when chased by large armed vessels.

The effects of this policy were severely felt by the British West-India islands, where great dependance was placed upon the southern states for supplies: disappointed in these expectations, they frequently suffered for want of subsistence; and there is no doubt of its having a share, in bringing the war to a conclusion.

On the morning of the 4th of June, captain Howell entered the inlet of Sunbury, where he found a negro man fishing. The negro informed him, that he had been sent out to catch fish for Mr. Kitchins, the collector at Sunbury, with whom a party of British civil and military officers were to dine, it being the king's birth-day. Kitchins' house was not more than four hundred yards from the fort, and the execution of the plan to capture the party, required caution and courage. Supposing that they would be completely off their guard, and that they would indulge in the free use of the glass, upon such an occasion, until a late hour; Howell selected twelve men, and proceeded up the river, under cover of the night, with muffled oars, and landed undiscovered: he surrounded the house, about eleven o'clock, and took twelve prisoners; among the number was colonel Roger Kelsall, who had insulted and otherwise ill-treated Howell, while he was a prisoner of war. The feelings of resentment, which actuated How. ell at the first moment, determined him to carry off Kelsall and drown him: but the influence of the lady of the house, who begged that his life

might be spared, induced him to change his deter mination, and the whole party were paroled upon the beach, who pledged themselves not to take up arms until they were regularly exchanged. Howell retired to his privateer unmolested, and without sustaining any loss. When, Kelsall returned to the fort, he observed, that he expected nothing short of death, when he found himself in captain Howell's power; and that he had no right to look for such mild treatment as he had received.

On the 14th of July, captain M'Cleur took the sloop Brier, captain William Roberts master, laden with West-India produce, within full view of the British armed ships, lying in Charleston harbour, and carried her into North-Carolina. The next day after this capture, the crew of the Brier were paroled, and landed on Evans' island.

On the 12th of July, captain Antony manned his boats with twenty men, from his privateer, and proceeded up the Ogechee river, with the intention of bringing off a schooner, laden with rice; and succeeded in gaining possession of her, but the tide was too far spent before he could get her out, and his retreat was cut off by captain Scallan, in a British galley. Antony landed in his boats, and was obliged to take to the woods, with the loss of one man killed and one wounded. The next night he reached his privateer in a boat with the remainder of his party.

On the 18th of September, the brigantine Dunmore, captain Caldeleugh, mounting twelve

guns, sailed from Sunbury for Jamacia: so soon as she crossed the bar, she was pursued and attacked by two American gallies, one of which was commanded by captain Braddock: a close fire was kept up from ten o'clock until two: several attempts were made to board the brigantine, but the enemy was favoured by the roughness of the sea. In one of these attempts, one of the gal lies, which had sustained some injury in her rigging, had like to have been run down. At two o'clock, the rigging of the other galley sustained some injury, which enabled the brigantine to escape. It was imagined that the hull was much injured, and that she would be obliged to put back to Savannah for repairs. Braddock repaired damages and shaped his course for that port, where he again fell in with and attacked her; but she had the advantage of wind, and escaped into port with six feet water in her hold.

On the 20th of October, the American galley Tyger, captain M'Cumber, was lost off Hiltonhead, in a gale of wind: two of her crew were drowned, and the remainder, thirty in number, were saved in the boat. The next day they joined captain Howell, and took two schooners laden with rice, in which were thirty negroes, bound to the West-Indies; but before they could be carried off, they were attacked by an enemy's galley and two boats, with sixty men, commanded by captain Scallan. Howell set fire to the schooners and escaped with the negroes in his boats, but the