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12

returned from the Expedition against Sandusky and my whole Attention was now turned on the equipment of the Detroit being fully aware of the Speedy approach of the Enemy's Squadron and the necessity of at least making a Shew to prevent their taking advantage of their superiority and assailing us by land and lake together. It will appear by Letter No. 21 to Sir James Yeo that my fears were realized as the Enemies force had chaced my look-out Vessel and by letter 25 that they had made their appearance off Amherstberg.

On my arrival at Amherstberg I sent a small Schooner to cruize to the Eastward of the Islands to apprize me of the approach of the Enemies Squadron and was soon satisfied that my apprehensions of their following me up were but too well founded as the Court will see by refering to my Letter to the Commodore on the subject -- They did not appear off this port untill the 24th and I apprized him of it again by my letter No. 25 bearing date the 25th. August. By this time our necessities were be- coming very urgent and our supplies by the Lake entirely cut off. No possibility of obtaining an adequate supply by Land for the numerous people we had to feed. Every Attention was turned to the Naval Force which the Country now looked up to, as the only defence. I now under- stood that about 50 Seamen with two Lieutts. and one Midshipman were on their way from Kingston, Not from Commodore Sir James Yeo, but from Sir George Prevost through General Proctor, to whom I had previously applied finding all applications to Sir James Yeo useless -- Anxiously indeed did all look forward for their arrival, few as they were -- at length on the 5th of September they did arrive but instead of 50 far short of three hundred the number I hoped to receive they counted only 36 with two Lieutts. one Masters Mate and two Gunners being the first division that left H. M. Troop ship Dover at Quebec.

When that division left Quebec there was no idea of any more coming and the letter I received by Lieut Pignal (first of the above Troops ship) told me that when Sir James Yeo understood that the remainder had come to Kingston he would forward the like number from the Squadron. Sir James in this communication seems to have entirely disbelieved the many representations of our approaching necessities when he writes so cooly about sending men by the mode he proposes. The remainder of the Dovers Seamen did not arrive at Kingston a distance inland from Amherstberg of 600 Miles untill after the Action. The Enemy were in superior Force between him and Kingston so as to preclude the possibility of a water communication and it must have taken at least 6 days to communicate with him by Land. 12 more must have elapsed before Men could reach Amherst- berg and at most it was but a faint hope that they would come at all. The court will now allow me to revert to our actual state at this time. There were above 14,000 Indians to Victual who had come from different Countries, accustomed to every indulgence, and prone to quarrel and turn their Arms against their friends as well as foes if their wants were not Supplied and liberally too - to this number was to be added the whole population of that part of the Country and the regular force attached to General Proctors. To the want of Provisions must be added the other privation of every kind of Military and Naval Stores