no credit for either. In both battles Arnold was the leading
spirit, and in the second he was severely wounded at the moment of
victory. In the first battle the British were simply repulsed, in the
second they were totally defeated. This settled the fate of Burgoyne,
and on the 17th of October he surrendered his whole army, now reduced to
less than 6000 men, as prisoners of war. Before the final catastrophe
Sir Henry Clinton had sent a small force up the river to relieve him,
but it was too late. The relieving force succeeded in capturing some of
the Highland forts, but turned back on hearing of Burgoyne's surrender.

CHAPTER VII.

THE FRENCH ALLIANCE.

[Sidenote: Lord North changes front, and France interferes,
Feb., 1778.]

This capture of a British army made more ado in Europe than anything
which had happened for many a day. It was compared to Leuktra and the
Caudine Fork. The immediate effect in England was to weaken the king and
cause Lord North to change his policy. The tea-duty and the obnoxious
acts of 1774 were repealed, the principles of colonial independence of
Parliament laid down by Otis and Henry were admitted, and commissioners
were sent over to America to negotiate terms of peace. It was hoped that
by such ample concessions the Americans might be so appeased as to be
willing to adopt some arrangement which would leave their country a part
of the British Empire. As soon as the French government saw the first
symptoms of such a change of policy on the part of Lord North, it
decided to enter into an alliance with the United States. There was much
sympathy for the Americans among educated people of all grades of
society in France; but the action of the government was determined
purely by hatred of England. While Great Britain and her colonies were
weakening each other by war, France had up to this moment not cared to
interfere. But if there was the slightest chance of a reconciliation, it
was high time to prevent it; and besides, the American cause was now
prosperous, and something might be made of it. The moment had come for
France to seek revenge for the disasters of the Seven Years' War; and on
the 6th of February, 1778, her treaty of alliance with the United States
was signed at Paris.

[Sidenote: Untimely death of Lord Chatham, May 11, 1778.]

At the news of this there was an outburst of popular excitement in
England. There was a strong feeling in favour of peace with America a