LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR; AND SOLD BY CHARLES DILLY, IN THE POULTRY; AND M DCC LXXXVIII. [Entered at Stationers hall.] PREFACE. HISTORY has been stiled, "The evidence of time-The light of truth-The school of virtue-The depofitory of events." It is calculated for the purposes of showing the principles on which states and empires have risen to power, and the errors by which they have fallen into decay, or been totally diffolved: and of pointing out the fatal effects of intestine divifions and civil wars, whether arifing from the ambition, weakness, or inattention of princes; or from the mercenary difpofition, pride, and falfe policy of minifters and statesmen; or from mistaken ideas, and the abuse, of government and liberty. It should oblige all, who have performed any distinguished part on the theatre of the world, to appear before us in their proper character; and to render an account of their actions at the tribunal of pofterity, as models which ought to be followed, or as examples to be cenfured and avoided. The inftructions that events afford, are the foul of history; which doubtless ought to be a true relation of real facts during the period it respects. An effential requifite in an historian is the knowledge of the truth; A 2 and as in order order to perfection he ought to be fuperior to every temptation to disguise it, fome have faid, that "he fhould have neither country, nor particular religion." The compiler of the prefent hiftory can affure the public, that he has paid a facred regard to truth, conscious of his being answerable to a more awful tribunal than that of the public; and has labored to diveft himself of all undue attachment to every perfon, country, religious name or profeffion: whenever the reader is inclined to pronounce him partial, let him recollect, that he alfo is fubject to the like human frailty. A regard to truth has often restrained him from the use of strong and florid expreffions, that he might not impose upon the reader a pleafing delufion, and lead him into falfe conceptions of the events undertaken to be related. The following work is not confined to the conteft between Great Britain and the United States of America, but includes all the other parts of the war which originated from that conteft. In the beginning of the firft letter, the reader is acquainted with the reafons that produced an hiftorical account of the first fettlers in the Thirteen Colonies, and of their fucceffors, down to the clofe of 1771. The infertion of what followed to the commencement of hoftilities, was neceífary for the connecting of the two periods. The The form of letters, instead of chapters, is not altogether imaginary, as the author, from his arrival in America in 1770, maintained a corref pondence with gentlemen in London, Rotterdam and Paris, answering in general to the prefixed dates. He apprehended, that by keeping to fuch form, and making the narrative agree with the moment to which it related, and by introducing the various infertions neceffary for the authenticating of facts, a prefent ideal existence of past events might be produced in the mind, fimilar to what is felt when a well-executed hiftorical painting is examined. The better to fecure this point, feveral parts are written in the prefent tenfe. If the author has failed in the execution, it is hoped that the candid reader will admit of the good intention as an apology. He has kept, as far as he could, to a chronological order. This has neceffarily interrupted the narrative of particular parts; which, though a disappointment to fome, may prevent the tediousnefs that might otherwife have been felt by persons of a different tafte. It may at least ferve to prevent or correct the too frequent mistakes of afcribing prior events, partly or wholly to fubfequent facts. The author regrets his not having placed the year at the top of the page, together with the month and day at the |