of good English Cavalry with American Horses, is a cheap and most essential requisite for its maintenance.

I am still in hopes to prevent the Indians of the Six Nations from giving way to the Arts of the People of the States & admitting them to possess themselves of Presqu'Isle-I enclose some late Communications for your Information.

Í have not hesitated to state to Lord Dorchester "that if Wayne be permitted to establish himself at the Detroit, It may occasion the loss of both Canadas." It will not escape you, Sir, nor I should hope, His Lordship, that if the Indians are detached from our Interests, and the road by which Wayne has proceeded, be opened for the unmolested March of the Southern States, that of the Cayahoga and Presqu'Isle must immediately follow, and an inundation of Settlers from the back Country, as formidable in the woods, as the New Englanders, will be found on the Lakes, will immediately combine in overwhelming this ProvinceI beg to conclude this Dispatch with the same Observations that I lately made to Lord Dorchester, "I need not represent to your experience that it is almost impracticable to form any kind of satisfactory system in War, but it is peculiarly so, where the powers to be combined are a scanty and divided Army, indefensible Fortresses, unprovided Arsenals, an untried Militia and Indian Allies, in such difficulties all that a zealous Servant of His King has to offer, is the exertion of his best Abilities."

I have the honor to be with great Respect, Sir,

Your most Obedient and most humble Servant,

The Right Honorable Henry Dundas, &c., &c., &c.

J. G. SIMCOE.

Endorsed:-Upper Canada, 23d Aug. 1794. Lt. Govr. Simcoe. R. 13th Decr. No. 33. (Five Inclosures.)

FROM J. G. SIMCOE TO R. G. ENGLAND.

NAVY HALL, August 23rd, 1794.

Sir:

I have been duly favoured with your letters by the Beaver and the Nancy and their enclosures, dated Aug. 15th and 17th. Captain Pratt is sent in the Nancy for the sake of dispatch with the detachment of the 5th Regiment. He is to proceed immediately to Detroit, or in case of adverse winds to Turtle Island, placing himself under your command. This detachment with Captain Bunbury's will amount to one hundred rank and file proportionately officered. I have in contemplation to make a further detachment from that Regiment so soon as circumstances shall permit.

I hope to be ready to embark a sufficient number of the Queen's Rangers to complete the men of that Corps now under your command to two hundred Rank and File so soon as Vessels shall arrive at Fort Erie. It is possible that Captain Seward will also embark with as many of the Royal Artillery as can possibly be spared from this place.

I shall pay every possible attention to your request relative to Provisions, but I shall be glad on my arrival to know what quantity of fresh Provisions can be procured for the Soldiers, and at what price, it most certainly being advisable to exhaust the Country between Detroit and the Miamis so soon as possible. You

will be so good as to purchase what flour you can procure. I recommend you to provide against disaster to consult with Colonel McKee whether it might not be prudent to point out to the Indians the course in which they should retreat, and to consider whether the King's territory between the Chanail Ecarté and the Thames or higher up beyond our Settlers on that former River may not be a proper situation.

It is possible that Mr. Wayne's message to the Indians, which with the papers annexed, I have read with considerable attention, may with other circumstances have in your opinion, rendered it expedient to transmit Lord Dorchester's protest to that Gentleman.

I believe Brant, with all the Force he can muster, means to proceed to the Miamis. The people of the States are cajoling the Six Nations and reinforcing Le Boeuf. Pray think on obtaining a Militia Company of Batteaux Men. The Militia, if called out, must be victualled, and I should suppose that paying them the stated allowance, as settled by the Commissary General for a ration, would be more satisfactory to them and useful to Government.

Previous to my being honored with your Excellency's commands of the 17th inst., I took upon me to assemble the Militia of the Counties of Essex and Kent in consequence of the rapid advance of the Army under General Wayne, and the repeated information I received of his intentions being hostile to this Post and Settlement, all the particulars of which I have had the honor to communicate to your Excellency by different expresses. And now I enclose for your inspection the instructions and orders issued by me to the Honorable Colonel Baby and the Senior Officer of the Essex Militia. I was at the time perfectly sensible that the measure was not legal until authorized by your Excellency, but considered myself justifiable from the existing circumstances. Should any part of the instructions and orders I issued not meet with your approbation, I will feel myself obliged to you to point them out that they may in future be avoided.

The Militia of this town very readily offered their service, and now assist in part of the duties of the Garrison. The Militia on both sides of the River Thames came down here by Companies to the number of sixty-seven immediately on the receipt of the first order with great alacrity and cheerfulness. I have armed them all and given them provisions and propose to detain them until I am more informed of General Wayne's intentions. Fortunately the Attorney General brought here the Amendment to the Provincial Militia Act which enabled me to direct a draught to be made of thirty men from the Canadian Militia to serve on Board His Majesty's Armed Vessels and Gun Boats on Lake Erie, which with much difficulty was accomplished by the exertions of the Honorable Colonel Baby, to whose assistance in all Militia arrangements I feel myself much indebted. If this measure had not been adopted, the Gun Boats and some one of the large Vessels must have been

laid up as many of the seamen have been discharged in consequence of their time having expired, and the Officers and men on Board the Gun Boats are to a man seized with the same fever which prevails among the Officers and Troops at Miamis Bay, which I am concerned to report, has proved fatal to some and I apprehend will to many more. The two Gun Boats are now once more manned and gone out to Turtle Island to be stationed as Captain Bunbury may direct agreeably to your orders. A small one is yet here in readiness for service, and I have written to Commodore Grant, who is stationed in the Chippawa in Miamis Bay, as before reported, to send me some person to navigate her that I could venture to entrust therewith. The Commandant's Boat shall be fitted with a six pounder as directed, but except I put one of the field pieces now mounted in her, there is not a Gun here of that Calibre that is not by far too heavy for her. The Proprietors of the Detroit Sloop which you have seen and know, have very handsomely offered me the use of her and her crew, to be converted into any purpose that Government may require, without any charge on their part. She is unluckily at Mackinac, but her return is expected every day. Our assistant builder went on board the Chippawa to the Miamis Bay and was sent up with some stores to the Fort, where Lieutenant Pilkington seized on him and three more ship Carpenters and has unluckily detained them. The assistant builder' is a fine, active, gallant fellow and too great a prize to be parted with from such a situation, however necessary his services may be here.

I have not received any other official accounts of the action between the Indians and the Army under General Wayne than what I have transmitted your Excellency, but I am concerned to hear that so many worthy men have fallen, among the number Mr. Charles Smith, clerk of the Court here, and Captain McKillop, formerly of Butler's Rangers and lately appointed a Captain of the Essex Militia in the New Settlement on Lake Erie. That very very odd but very gallant fellow, Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell, who early went out to Fort Miamis with nearly sixty men from the new settlement, was in the action, I believe, with all his people, and as I am informed very gallantly with the Wyndots only, covered the Indians when retreating, and bore the heaviest part of the action against the Light Cavalry without moving for a long time, and my information states that Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell lost five of his people, besides Captain McKillop, who has left a very large family and was a thriving, rising, industrious man and of very great use in his settlement. I request you will be pleased to give me your orders relative to paying the Militia draughted on Board His Majesty's Armed Vessels which I observe the Act is silent about, and also your orders about paying the Militia from the River Thames now here and the other Militia from distant Districts that I may have occasion to assemble.

I think it right to apprise your Excellency that there is no kind of dependence to be placed in the French Militia, they have manifested upon every occasion a shameful and disgraceful backwardness and such a mutinous conduct as to oblige Colonel Baby to enter proceedings against them which he means to pursue at the approaching Court of Oyer and Terminer. I endeavour by fair words to make friends of them at the same time I feel it my duty to support Colonel Baby in his authority over them and threatening to enforce the Militia Laws. They are to a man stubborn and mutinous and their conduct so very improper as hitherto to prevent me from giving them arms. I have armed all the town Militia, as exceptions in so small a body could not well be made, particularly as they now take part 1 William Baker.

of the duty. The hundred and eight Canadians which I sent to assist at the work at Fort Miamis all deserted at the first alarm.

I beg leave to suggest to Your Excellency the propriety of increasing the quantity of provisions for this Post as I apprehend we shall have a great number of Indians to feed during the Winter and probably some Militia and the demand hitherto made on the stores has been excessively heavy.

I omitted reporting that the fever the men brought with them from the Miamis is now running among the officers and men of this Garrison. There are but three Artillerymen fit for duty or likely to be for some time and in the 24th Regiment there are but 78 effective duty men. Your Excellency's orders relative to the recruits of the Queen's Rangers, and other detachments of that Corps shall be attended to when circumstances will admit.

His Excellency Lieut. Govr. Simcoe.

I have the honor to be, &c.

R. G. ENGLAND.

Sir:

DETROIT, August 23rd, 1794.

I had the honor to forward to your Excellency early yesterday morning by express by land the information I that moment received from a Canadian that ran away from his work at Fort Miamis, and also copies of letters that I immediately after received from Major Campbell and Colonel McKee, and now send your Excellency by the Felicity duplicates of this information and those letters.

I also have the honor to enclose herewith copies of letters I this day received from Major Campbell and Colonel McKee, accompanied with copies of a letter from Major Campbell to General Wayne, and his answer. Some days since I sent Major Campbell some instructions which from the difficulty of getting to the Fort did not reach him or I am certain he would not have commenced a communication with General Wayne, and his letter when he did write would have been fuller. I have the honor to be, &c.

His Excellency Lieut. Gov. Simcoe.

R. G. ENGLAND.

Sir:

FROM R. G. ENGLAND TO J. G. SIMCOE.

DETROIT, August 23rd, 1794.
Four o'clock.

In a former letter I had the honor to report to your Excellency that I had sent Mr. Montigny to Fort Miamis, and instructed him to return from thence to the River raisin for the purposes I then mentioned, and I have now the honor to enclose herewith copies of my instructions to him and also his letters to me. I have not failed on receipt of his last letter to immediately inform him that it was by no means my intention or any part of my instructions to him to burn or destroy the Barns or habitations or even the Mills, except the Inhabitants chose to abandon their Settlement immediately.

I imagine General Wayne has not much Provision with him, and he must therefore make a dash with his Cavalry and Militia to endeavour to get some, now

that the Indians are partly dispersed. I should not be surprised if he shortly advanced his Light Troops to the neighbourhood of this Settlement, though it would be a very bold measure.

As no opportunity will probably offer for Mackinac till it is too late in the season for Le Dru, the Missionary Priest, to leave, I feel puzzled what to do with him. He has proposed to me going by the way of Sandusky to Fort Pitt, which I would not consent to till I had your approbation. The unfortunate creature is so poor that I am obliged to give him rations.

I hope I shall soon be honored with Commands from your Excellency. You will perceive by my letters that this Country is at present in such a state as to require your orders and directions on many occasions.

I have the honor to be, &c.
R. G. ENGLAND.

I have not suspended the Transport more than the Service of the Vessels became necessary here. The Dunmore and Ottawa returned in ballast from Fort Erie.

To His Excellency Lieutenant Governor Simcoe.

R. E.

Dear Sir:

FROM WILLIAM CAMPBELL TO ALEXANDER MCKEE.

I wrote you a few lines last night, written in a hurry, I hope it has reach'd you, and that you hastened the Express on to Detroit.

A Deserter has this moment arrived in the Fort, who made his escape from your Island, I refer you his examinations which I now enclose, and as I consider it may be of great consequence to you to be inform'd as soon as possible, I lose not a moment in forwarding it to you. You are of course the best judge what use to make of it, but I should not be surprised if the firm language I held yesterday has occasion'd his making this retrograde movement if true.

Could you forward this intelligence to Detroit, it might relieve their minds there, from much anxiety.

Believe me Dear Sir,

with truth, your very obedt. Servant.

Fort Miamis, 23rd August, 1794. 12 Past 2 o'Clock Noon.

WM. CAMPBELL.

I leave it to you to forward the Deserter's information to Col. England, as soon as possible, as I think it of too much consequence to you to delay have one instant to copy it.

W.C.

Col. England never had a copy of the answer the Indians sent Genl. Wayne, he supposed you forgot it by accident perhaps you will send it to him now.

W.C.