ricane of fo peculiar and dreadful a nature, as had not been frequently experienced in this climate and country, it will afford no caufe of wonder, that Jamaica fhould partake deeply of the common calamity. The hurricane in Jamaica was, however, different in many refpects from the others. It was earlier in point of time by a week, than that at Barbadoes; and was more complex, being accompanied by an earthquake, and a most extraordinary fwell of the fea, which rendered it ftill more terrible, as well as fatal. But its effects were happily more confined; and it seems to have been only the tip of its eaftern wing, which fwept the weftern point of that ifland. The two large diftricts, which are called parithes, of Weftmoreland and Hanover, which include the whole breadth of Jamaica in its western extreme, were accordingly the principal victims of its rage; although their nearest eastern neighbours, in the parishes of St. James and Elizabeth, felt no fmall share of its fury. Whilft the unhappy inhabitants of Savanna la Mar (then a conderable trading town on the fouth fide of the island, in Oct. 3d. Weftmoreland parifh) were gazing with aftonishment, at fuch a fwell of the fea and agitation of its waves, as had never been before beheld; on a fudden, at once, bursting through all bounds, and furmounting all obftacles, it overwhelmed the town; and fwept every thing away fo completely upon its retreat, as not to leave the smallest veftige of man, beaft, or habitation, behind, About 300 perfons, of all colours, perifhed in this dreadful irruption. The fea flowed up half a mile beyond its ufual fixed limits; and fo fudden and unavoidable was the deftruction, although it took place at noon day, that of the inhabitants of one gentleman's house, confifting of ten whites, and about forty negroes, not a foul of either fort efcaped. This was only the prelude to immediate and more extenfive calamity. Where the fea, in its prefent degree of force, could not reach, the business of deftruction was nearly as effectually carried on by the fucceeding earthquake and hurricane. Between both, fcarcely a houfe or building of any fort was left ftanding in the two first parifhes we mentioned, any more than in a confiderable part of the two others; particularly that of St. James, which stood in the next degree of fuffering. A great number of the white inhabitants, and of neceflity, a much greater of the negroes, perifhed during the courfe of the hurricane. The provifions were entirely deftroyed; and the live ftock escaped little better. But the calamity was not confined to the fruits of the earth, nor to its immediate inhabitants. The rich and cultivated foil, was in many places covered with heaps of fterile matter, which could not be removed by any profitable labour, and which it was not in the power of culture to reclaim. Thus a people, who had generally been in a ftate of high affluence, were in an inftant reduced to the extreme of want and mifery. Their remote fituation rendered their condition the more deplorable. [C] 2 There There was no friend or kind neighbour to fly to for an afylum, where all were equally wretched. The damage in the parish of Weftmoreland only, was eftimated at 950,000l. Jamaica currency, amounting to near 700,000l. fterling. In that of Hanover, one fourth part of the abfolute property, was faid to be loft for ever. The damage in the other two parishes was very confiderable. from the one, and had pretty well escaped the other. Admiral Arbuthnot ftill continued his ftation about Gardner's Bay and Block Ifland, to watch the motions of M. de Ternay; whilft the industry of the French was quickened, in completing the fortifications, and increafing the defences of the harbour, at Rhode Island, from an apprehenfion of the great fuperiority of naval force, which the arrival of Sir George Rodney had thrown into the scale on the British fide. Whether it proceeded from a knowledge that the fortifications at Rhode Island were now in fuch ftrength on the land fide, as to bid defiance to any force which Sir The merchants of Kingfton, the metropolis of the island, generoufly fubfcribed 10,000l. for the immediate relief of the unfortunate fufferers; the value of which was speedily tranfmitted to them, in those articles of cloathing and provifion which were moft urgently-Henry Clinton could with fafety neceffary. But the bounty of the crown, and parliament of Great Britain, would afford a lafting tes timonial of the beneficence, liberality, and grandeur of this country, if all other memorials of its generofity and greatnefs were forgotten. In the height of a lofing and moft unfortunate domeftic and foreign war; a war, not lefs diftinguished from all others by the greatness of its loffes, than by its unparalleled expences; yet, in this ftate of public and private calamity, the house of commons inftantly granted 80,000l. for the relief of the sufferers in Barbadoes, and 40,000l. for thofe in Jamaica. The generous benefactions of individuals kept pace with the public munificence. Whilst the Weft-India iflands were doubly fuffering, under all the evils of war, and under fome of the greatest calamities of nature, the continent of North America enjoyed fome tolerable refpite draw from New York; whether the harbour was fo well fortified as not to admit the approach of the fleet; or whether the feafon was fo far advanced, that it would not be prudent to expose the ships to the dangerous uncertainty of the weather, we do not know; but, however it was, no attempt was made to derive any advantage from the prefent naval fuperiority. The critics upon military affairs, with whom New York, nearly from its firft coming into our hands, peculiarly abounded, were as bitter in their cenfures, and reviled the commanders with as little mercy and decency upon this occafion, as they had both themselves and their predeceffors upon many others. During this apparent calm, and a fort of tacit ceffation of hoftility, produced only by the peculiar fituation and circumftances of the parties on both fides, a scheme of the utmost importance was in agita} tion, tion, calculated, if it could have taken effect in its full extent, totally to change the face of affairs in America, and to bring the war to a speedy, if not immediate conclufion. Every reader is fufficiently acquainted with the figure which the American general, Arnold, made, during the whole courfe of the war. In peaceful occupations he was not fo happy, Retired from the army, on account of the wound he received in the cause of America, and which endeared him to that whole continent, he foon loft the affections of his countrymen, which he had purchased at fo dear a rate. His conduct in the government of Philadelphia, to which he had been appointed upon the retreat of the British army, was of fuch a nature, or fo reprefented by his enemies, as drew upon him, not only the odium of the inhabitants of that city, but of the province in general. He was charged with oppreffion, extortion, with exorbitant and enormous charges upon the public in his accounts, and with applying the public money and property to his own private ufe. Many of the particulars appear in the publications of the time. He appealed from the judgment of the commiffioners who had been appointed to infpect his accounts (and who had rejected above half the amount of his demands) to the Congrefs; and they appointed a committee, of their own body, to examine and fettle the bufinefs. The committee not only confirmed the report of the commiffioners, but were of opinion, that they had allowed him more than he had any right to expect or demand. Mr. Arnold fhewed himself highly ir ritated by this determination; and uttered invectives against the Congrefs, not lefs violent than thofe that he had before thrown out against the commissioners. He was, however, foon obliged to abide the judgment of a courtmartial, upon the various charges of malverfation in office, exhi bited against him by the executive government of Philadelphia, as well on the grounds we have mentioned, as on fome others. This court found his conduct (in general terms) highly reprehenfible, and ordered that he should be reprimanded by General Wafhing.. ton. This fentence gave no fatis faction to the accufers. They faid, that the confideration of General Arnold's former services had rendered his judges too favourable. On the other fide, the party accufed attacked them as giving a general cenfure, because they were refolved to find him guilty, and yet could fix on nothing fpecific. He who had held fo large a fhare of popularity, could not but feverely feel, that lofs of public opinion and private esteem which he now experienced, He was not of a difpofition to be filent in fuch circumstances. He complained loudly; and made as little fcruple of charging his countrymen in general with ingratitude, as their governors of injuftice. A calm, however, on all fides, feemed to have fucceeded to these violent ftorms. His favour with General Washington feems to have continued; and he was foon after his reprimand taken again into actual fervice in the principal army, in a fituation of "confiderable [C] 3 rank rank and trust. In the temper of mind defcribed, and in that fituation, he carried on a negociation with Sir Henry Clinton for the purpose of returning to his allegiance, and of delivering up the poft and part of the army which he commanded to that General. How the ice was first broken, the negociation conducted, or how long it had been in agitation, are matters which do not appear, and are of little confequence. Its failure was marked by the unhappy fate of Major André, adjutant-general of the British army; a rifing young officer of great hope, and of no common merit. This was the gentleman employed, at least, in the completion of the measures taken in concert with Gen. Arnold. Objects of vaft importance, will neceffarily occafion a deviation from all general rules, if not from the principles of action. That now in view, was the moft momentous that could well be offered. It held out, along with the conclufion of a doubtful and dangerous war, no lefs than the final fubjugation, without condition or treaty, of the revolted American Colonies. It is. not then to be wondered at, that the near apparent grafp of fo great a prize, fhould banish all letter confiderations; and prove fuch a fpur to enterprize, as no rifque, danger, or poflible confequences, could be capable of counteracting. André, who by his open bravery, high ideas of candour, and difdain of duplicity, was not fo fit for an employment, which along with great mechanical boldness, required a proportionable degree of diffimulation and circumfpection, yet poffefied other qualities, which feemed fully to counterbalance that deficiency. His fidelity and honour were fixed and unalterable; and these were qualities not much to be expected in thofe, who in other refpects might feem much fitter for the purpose. Besides, his place, character, and the confidence of the commander in chief, which he was known fully to poffels, afforded a weight to his negociation, the want of which in meaner agents would have been attended with many difficulties. The failure of the French fleet with refpect to the attack on New York, having overthrown all the schemes of active operation on the fide of the Americans for the prefent feafon, Washington ftationed his army (which was now confiderably reduced in number and ftrength) in the strong holds of the Highlands, on both fides of the North River, for the winter; where its fituation, befides fecurity, afforded an opportunity of watching the motions of the British forces, and of repreffing the incurfions from New-York. In this arrangement of the American forces, the ftrong and very important poft of Weft Point, with its neighbouring dependencies, and a wing, or very confiderable divifion of the army, were entrusted to the cuftody and conduct of Major-General Ar nold. Washington's abfence in Con-. necticut, was probably deemed a favourable opportunity for the final completion of a negociation, which it is evident had for fome time been in hand. The Vulture floop of war had been previously ftationed in the North River, at fuch adiftance from Arnold's pofts, as, without exciting fufpicion, would, would, however, ferve for carrying on the neceffary communication. It appears likewife that a written correfpondence, by other means, and through other channels, had been carried on, between Arnold and Major André, at New York, under the borrowed names of Guftavus and Anderson. The outlines of the project were, that Arnold should make fuch a difpofition of the wing of the army under his command, as would enable Sir Henry Clinton completely to furprize their flrong pofts and batteries, and throw the troops fo entirely into his hands, that they must inevitably either lay down their arms, or be cut to pieces on the fpot. Befides the immediate poffeffion of thofe ftrong holds, thus cheaply obtained, and the cutting off fo great a part of the enemy's beft force, without lofs or difficulty, the confequences would have reached much farther; for the remainder of Washington's army, would then have been laid open in fuch a manner, to the joint exertion of the British forces by land and water, that nothing lefs than flaughter, rout, difperfion, and final ruin, could have been the refult with refpect to the Americans. Such a ftroke could not have been recovered. Independent of the lofs of artillery, magazines, and ftores, fuch a deftruction of their whole difciplined force, and of moft, if not all of their beft officers, must have been immediately fatal. The neceffary arrangements being made, Major André was landed at night from the Sept. 21. floop of war, without the American pófts, where he found Arnold waiting for him on the thore. The latter convey. ed him into camp; where he continued with him, during that night and the following day. In that time it was very unfortunately found neceffary to change the British uniform of his regiment, which he had hitherto worn under a furtout coat, for fome common drefs. From fome alarm, apprehenfions, or causes, which do not appear, Arnold could not fulfil his promile to André, of fending him back, by the fame way that he came, in order to get on board the Vulture. On the contrary, he was conveyed the fecond night, through a remote part of the camp, and then left to purfue a journey of fome length, and alone, to New York. He was, however, furnished with a horfe, and with paffports from Arnold; and being now quite clear of the different guards and pofts of the camp, all of which he had paffed under the name of Anderfon, he could not but think himself in tolerable safety. But fortune was not in fo favourable a mood. In paffing through a place called Tarry Town, on the following day, he was ftopt by three young volunteers or militia men, who do not feem to have been upon any particular fervice or duty. His paff port feemed at firft to produce its intended effect; and after a perufat, they fuffered him to proceed without farther trouble. But he had not paffed many yards, when one of them, upon a little recollection, was fo forcibly ftruck, by the impreffion of fome particu larity, which he conceived he had perceived in the stranger's manner or countenance, that he peremp [C] 4 torily |