tion, it was negatived by 62 votes against 37. Under the
overpowering influence of these feelings, war was declared against
England on the 18th of June, 1812; our own declaration was not issued
until the 13th of October following.

"Our American cousins," did not wait for this joinder of issue; they had
invaded Canada early in July. On the 11th of that month, the American
General Hull, with a body of 2,500 men--regulars and militia--crossed
the river above Detroit with most disastrous consequences to himself. He
was speedily forced to retreat, and on the 16th of August to surrender
the important fort of Detroit itself, with his 2,500 men and
thirty-three pieces of artillery. Although this disaster seriously
disconcerted the American plans of invasion, the design was by no means
abandoned. A considerable force was assembled in the neighbourhood of
Niagara, and on the 13th of October, the American General Wadsworth,
with some 1,400 men, made an attack on the British position of
Queenstown, on the Niagara river. Wadsworth, with 900 men and many
officers, was speedily compelled to surrender to British forces not
exceeding the number of his own following.

AMERICAN NAVAL SUCCESSES.

On the other hand, the losses of the Americans on land were to some
extent balanced by their naval successes. On the 19th of August, the
English frigate _Guerriere_, Captain Dacres, was forced after a gallant
but (as we shall see) unequal fight, to strike her colours to the
American frigate _Constitution_, Captain Hull. Under similar conditions,
the English frigate _Macedonia_, Captain Carden, was forced on the 25th
of October, after an hour's hard fighting, in which the English lost 104
men killed and wounded, to yield to the American frigate _United
States_, Commodore Decatur. These successes were due to the following
causes: the rate of the American frigates corresponded to the largest
British; but in size, weight of metal, and number of men, were almost
equal to line-of-battle ships; the American navy too, at this time, was
manned by sailors many of whom were unfortunately British tars, while
many more had been trained in British service.

THE ENGLISH ASSUME THE OFFENSIVE.

Although we do not profess to give a history of the Anglo-American war
of 1812-14, some slight sketch of its more remarkable incidents seems
necessary for the purpose of enabling the reader to understand what has
to follow. Having named some of the American na