obliged Hyler to put ashore on the Island, where, after a smart combat, he was obliged to leave one of his boats and make the best of his way home with the other two.

"John Althouse, with 12 men, was on board a guard-boat at anchor in Prince's Bay, when two whale boats were descried under South Amboy shore. It was calm. The cable was sprung and a 24-pounder brought to bear, which sent a shot through Hyler's boat. The crew were taken in the other boat, (Dickey's), and all made off for New Brunswick with Gen. Jacob S. Jackson, whom they had captured in South Bay, and kept prisoner till he was ransomed."

The war was now drawing to a close, first because of the repeated failure of the British arms, and, second, because of its unpopularity in England. Affairs on Staten Island remained about the same, however, to the end. Sir Guy Carleton had relieved General Clinton as the Commander-in-chief of the British forces in America, and we find in the New York Morning Post the following orders issued by his command:

"Adjutant-General's Office, New York, 7th June, 1783. "All persons who have returned their names to the Adjutant-General for Passages from this Place, agreeable to this Notice in the Public Papers, are desired to apply to the Gentleman appointed by his Excellency the Commander-in-chief, to examine the several claims, who will attend for that purpose at the City Hall, from eleven o'clock, until Two every Day, Sundays excepted.

"(Signed)

66

OL. DE LANCEY, Adj. Gen." Headquarters, New York, June 16, 1783. "Orders. The proprietors of home lands lately evacuated, will apply to Lieutenant-General Campbell for possession of land, on Long Island; to Brigadier-General Birch, for those on New York Island; and to Brigadier-General Bruce for those on Staten Island. These general officers will be pleased to cause all such estates to be immediately delivered up to the Proprietors or to their attorneys, unless where there may be sufficient reasons for retaining them some time longer, which reasons they will report to the Commander-in-chief. In like manner all estates which shall hereafter be evacuated, are to be surrendered up to the Proprietors.

"(Signed)

OL. DE LANCEY, Adt. Genl." "Headquarters, New York, Sept. 4, 1783. "The officers Commanding Regiments which are embarked, will take care that no officer under their command is permitted to fail, who has not satisfied his creditors.

"(Signed),

6 The mantle of Captain Hyler appears to have fallen on other shoulders after his death. The New Jersey Gazette, of November 13th, 1782, says: "The brave Captain Storer, commissioned as a private boat-of-war, under the States, and who promises fair to be the genuine successor of the late valiant Capt. Hyler,

OL. DE LANCEY, Adt. Genl.”

has given a recent instance of his valor and conduct in capturing one of the enemy's vessels, and in cutting out a vessel lying under the flag-staff and within pistol shot of the battery of fourteen guns, at the watering place, Staten Island."

"By their Excellencies Sir Guy Carleton, K. B., General and Commander-in-chief of all his Majesty's forces within the Colonies, lying

and destroying her colors, in a riotous and disorderly manner, which behaviour is not only a breach of the peace of the city, but has a mischievous tendency to prolong animosities, which it is the design of the Provisional Articles to assuage and extinguish:

"This is therefore to warn all persons whatever, from offering any insult to the colors of any foreign nation within this harbour, under penalty of being severely punished.

"And as the persons concerned in this outrage have not yet been discovered, the officers of the Police, and of His Majesty's Navy and Army, are hereby strictly charged to cause all persons who have been guilty of this offense to be apprehended, that they may be brought to trial, and upon conviction, be punished with the severity due the offense.

"Given under our Hands and Seals, at the City of New York, the 27th day of October, 1783.

"By command of their Excellencies.

"FREDK. MACKENZIE,

"THOS. M. PALMER."

On the 25th day of November, 1783, the British finally evacuated New York and Staten Island, thus ending eight years of the most cruel warfare known to the world at that time. Not more than a thousand troops were left on Staten Island at the closing scene. These embarked at the landing in the Narrows, and rejoined the army as it passed down from the city. The scene of the departure of the King's army is said to have been most impressive. "Several days before the 25th," says an eye witness, "had been occupied in conveying the troops, cannon, tents, etc., from the land to the vessels, both in New York and on Staten Island. When all was ready they passed through the Narrows silently; not a sound was heard save the rattling of the cordage." The same witness continues:

"We stood on the heights at the Narrows, and looked down upon the decks of their ships as they passed. We were very boisterous in our demonstrations of joy; we shouted, we clapped our hands, we waved our hats, we sprang into the air, and some few, who had brought muskets with them, fired a feu-de joie. A few others, in the exuberance of their gladness, indulged in gestures, which, though very expressive, were neither polite nor judicious. The British could not look upon the scene without making some demonstration of resentment. A large seventy-four, as she was passing, fired a shot which struck the bank a few feet beneath the spot upon which we were standing. If we had had a cannon, we would have returned it; but as we had none, we ran away as fast as we could. A few rods from us stood another group, composed of men and women, who gazed silently, and some tearfully, upon the passing ships, for some of the females had lovers, and some husbands on board of them, who were leaving them behind, never, probably, to see them again. It was long after dark when the last ship passed through the Narrows."

CHAPTER XXVI.

SIMCOE AND THE "QUEEN'S RANGERS."

IT is certain that no organization in the British army, during the Revolution, became more familiarly known in this section of the country than the "Queen's Rangers," which were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Graves Simcoe, who may consistently be called "the Mosby of the Revolution," so strongly did those men resemble each other in their service in the field.

Colonel Simcoe was a son of Captain John Simcoe, of the English navy, who served with distinction in the expedition against Quebec, in Canada, in 1759, and in which he lost his life, at the age of fortyfive years. He was a native of Northamptonshire, England.

Colonel Simcoe was a mere child at the time of his father's death, and he was liberally educated by his mother. At the age of nineteen he obtained an ensign's commission in the 35th regiment of the British line. He did not embark with his regiment, but landed at Boston on the day of the battle of Bunker Hill. He served for a time as adjutant, but soon purchased a captain's commission in the 40th regiment, which he commanded at the battle of Brandywine, where he was wounded, on the 11th of September, 1777. On the 15th of October following Captain Simcoe was promoted to Major of the Queen's Rangers.

The Queen's Rangers were originally raised in Connecticut and the vicinity of New York, by Colonel Rogers, and their duties were principally those of scouts or light cavalry. They were all Americans, and called in those days, "Loyalists." When Major Simcoe joined the regiment it had by hardships and neglect been reduced in numbers; many gentlemen of the Southern colonies, who had joined Lord Dunmore, were appointed to supersede those who were not considered competent for the commissions they had hitherto borne. To these were added some volunteers from the army, the whole consisting of young men, anxious to enter the British service.

The Queen's Rangers consisted of two companies of dragoons, one

of Highlanders, a company of Yagers, two troops of cavalry, one company of artillery, and five companies of light infantry, a large part of one company being native Staten Islanders. Colonel Rogers, the first commandant, was succeeded by Colonel French, he by Colonel Mawhood, he by Major Weys, he by Major Weymess, and he by Lieut. Colonel Simcoe.

The following served as officers in this regiment during its exploits on Staten Island and vicinity:1

Lieutenant-Colonel-John Graves Simcoe.

Majors-Armstrong, Grymes, Ross, Waymess, Weys.

Captains-Aulthause, Agnew, Beckwith, Blucke, Bronson, Cooke, Diemer, Ewald, Hanson, Hutchinson, Kerr, McCrea, McGill, James, McKay, Moncrieffe, McRae, Murray, Sandford, Saunders, Shank, Shaw, Smyth, Stevenson, Thomas, Whitlock, Wickham and Wreden. Lieutenants Allen, Dunlop, Fitzpatrick, Holland, Lawler, MeNab, McLeod, Murray, Rynd, Spencer and Wilson.

Surgeons-Kellock and McCauley.
Adjutant-Ormond.

Quartermaster-McGill.

Chaplain-Agnew.

Ensign Proctor.

Sergeants-Adams, McDonald, McLaughlin, McPherson, Ritchie and Wright.

Corporals-Burt and Franks.

Cornets-Jones, Merrett, Ficker and Wolsey.

Trumpeters-Barney and French.

Immediately after Colonel Simcoe took command of this regiment, he issued the following advertisement in Rivington's Royal Gazette, of New York City:

ALL ASPIRING HEROES

have now an opportunity of distinguishing themselves by joining
THE QUEEN'S RANGERS HUZZARS,

commanded by

Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe.

Any spirited young man will receive every encouragement, be immediately mounted on an elegant horse, and furnished with clothing, accoutrements, etc., to the amount of Forty Guineas, by applying to Cornet Spencer, at his quarters, No. 1033 Water street, or his rendezvous, Hewett's Tavern, near the Coffee House, and the depot at Brandywine, on Golden Hill. Whoever brings a Recruit shall instantly receive Two Guineas. Vivant rex et regina.

We have compiled from the works of Colonel Simcoe his own accounts of his service on Staten Island, keeping strictly to his own language, believing that, as an historical record, it would be unjust to the original writer as well as the reader of to-day to cause a change in either form or phrase. We quote from Simcoe's Military Journal:

"On the 9th of October, 1778, [the Queen's Rangers being at Oyster 1 These names were gleaned from "Sim- County," and other works bearing on the coe's Military Journal," Rivington's Ga- subject. zette," Bolton's "History of Westchester