"Sam": or The history of mystery./ By C. W. Webber.

376 "SAM:" OR, THE HISTORY OF MYSTERY.
not a point from which military operations could be advan tageously carried on, and, but for the deficiency of shipping,
would have evacuated that place before the setting in of
winter. Abundant supplies were sent from England at very
great expense, but many ships were wrecked, and others
were captured; and the British troops felt the want, during
the winter, of fuel and fresh provisions. Fuel was supplied
by pulling down houses. To diminish the consumption of
provisions, numbers of the poorer people were sent out of the
town. The troops on Bunker Hill remained under canvas
the whole winter, and suffered severely from the cold. The
British officers amused themselves as they could. They
got up balls and a theater. The Old South, the largest
meeting-house in the town, was turned into a ridingschool.
Lord Dunmore, after his departure from Williamsburg,
being joined by several British armed vessels in the Chesapeake, began to threaten Lower Virginia. The settlers west
of the Laurel Ridge had met at Pittsburg, had agreed to
support the American Association, and had chosen delegates
to the Virginia Convention. Dunmore, however, not without
hopes of making some impression in that quarter, gave to
Conolly, formerly his agent in that region, a lieutenantcolonel's commission, and sent him to visit Gage at Boston.
After his return, Conolly proceeded up the Chesapeake,
landed near its head, and set off with several companions on
his way across the mountains, in hopes, by his personal influence with the western settlers, to raise a regiment, and, in
conjunction with some regulars from Detroit, to operate
against the back part of Virginia. It was even said to be a
part of his plan to stimulate the Indians to hostilities. But
the whole scheme was cut short by Conolly's arrest at Fredericton, in Maryland, whence he and his companions were
sent prisoners to Philadelphia.
Meanwhile Dunmore landed at Norfolk, and seized and
carried off a printing-press, on which he printed a proclamation, which he dispersed abroad, declaring martial law, calling
upon all persons able to bear arms, to join him, and offering
freedom to all slaves and indented servants of rebels, who
would enlist under his banner. We furnish a copy of this
infamous Proclamation:
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