ions, four carriage guns, and the same number of the
principal persons in the town as hostages; that they should engage not
to unite with their country in any opposition to Britain; and he assured
them that on a refusal of these conditions he would lay their town in
ashes within three hours. Unprepared for the attack, the inhabitants by
entreaty obtained the suspension of an answer until morning, and
employed this interval in removing their families and effects.
Considering opposition as unavailing, they made no resistance. The next
day, Captain Mowat commenced a furious cannonade and bombardment; and a
great number of people standing on the heights were spectators of the
conflagration, which reduced many of them to penury and despair; 139
dwelling-houses and 278 stores were burnt. Other seaports were
threatened with conflagration, but escaped; Newport, on Rhode Island,
was compelled to stipulate for a weekly supply, to avert it." (Holmes'
Annals, Vol. II., pp. 219, 220.)

Mr. Bancroft's account of this transaction is as follows: "In the
previous May, Mowat, a naval officer, had been held prisoner for a few
hours at Falmouth, now Portland; and we have seen Linzee, in a sloop of
war, driven with loss from Gloucester. It was one of the last acts of
Gage to plan with the Admiral how to wreak vengeance on the inhabitants
of both those ports. The design against Gloucester was never carried
out; but Mowat, in a ship of sixteen guns, attended by three other
vessels, went up the harbour of Portland, and after a short parley, at
half-past nine on the morning of the 16th of October, he began to fire
upon the town. In five minutes several houses were in a blaze; parties
of marines had landed, to spread the conflagration by hand. All
sea-going vessels were burned except two, which were carried away. The
cannonade was kept up till after dark. St. Paul's Church, the public
buildings, and about one hundred and thirty dwelling-houses,
three-fourths of the whole, were burned down; those that remained
standing were shattered by balls and shells. By the English account the
destruction was still greater. At the opening of a severe winter, the
inhabitants were turned adrift in poverty and misery. The wrath of
Washington was justly kindled as he heard of these 'savage cruelties,'
this new 'exertion of despotic barbarity.'" (History of the United
States, Vol. VIII., Chap. xlvii., p. 113.)]

[Footnote 367: Bancroft's History United States, Vo