A remarkable instance of lord Dunmore's humanity ー

A ship from Cameron, in North Britain, with about 250 Highlanders, consisting of men, women and children, was bound to Newbern in North Carolina, but forced, by bad weather, and other accidents, to put into Norfolk, in this colony. Lord Dunmore, whose troops had a few days before been defeated in the battle at the Great Bridge, forced these poor people on shore, seized their ship for accomodating history friends, who after the battle fled from Norfolk on board the ships, and other vessels, lying in the harbour, and left his other countrymen, with their wives and children, to perish, for want of subsistence, in a strange land. In this wretched condition, they petitioned colonel [William] Woodford to take them under his protection. This petition was transmitted by that brave officer to the general convention, sitting at Williamsburg, who immediately gave orders that the colonel should take them under his protection, relieve their immediate wants, and afford them all necessary assistance, to conduct them to North Carolina, the place of their first destination. In consequence of these orders, colonel Woodford sent the Highlanders in waggons, under a proper escort, to Suffolk, from whence, by order of the committee of safety, they are to be conducted to North Carolina, agreeable to the order of the convention. The committee of safety of this colony have wrote to the committee of safety of North Carolina, informing them of the distresses of these poor people, occasioned by Lord Dunmore's cruel treatment, and requesting them to give directions for their relief and accomodation, till they shall arrive among their friends in that province, amongst whom they intended to settle. Lord Dunmore had forced about 160 of these unfortunate people into his service; but upon being informed of the humane intention of this colony, they deserted him and joined their wives and children, except two maidens, who were detained as bedmakers to his lordship.

Notwithstanding the convention had a return from colonel Woodford after the battle of the Great-Bridge, from which, besides from the colonel's own declaration in his letter to them, it appeared that not one of our men was killed, and but one slightly wounded, and add to these convincing proofs of the truth of this, we have seen officers of veracity that were in the action, who declare the same thing; yet we hear that it was reported in Norfolk that we lost [150] men; and we have pretty good reason to believe that lord Dunmore has propagated a report amongst the few tories now left in his interest that 50 of the grenadiers, of the 14th regiment, had fallen into an ambuscade a[nd] 1200 rebels, that they fought bravely, killed 150 rebels, and retreated, leaving behind them 33 killed and wounded; that their loss was heavy, but that they sold their lives dearly; that the shirt-men have nothing to boast of, having with difficulty forced the 17 surviving grenadiers to retreat, although they had 50 to 1. We may therefore expect when the news of this affair arrives in England that lord Dartmouth will publish lord Dunmore's letter, which will probably contain a more rational account, and may be to this effect: That finding the rebels had closely besieged a fort he had built to obstruct their passage to Norfolk, that a large reinforcement was daily expected by them from Carolina, and that they were procuring cannon, he thought it best to attack them before they could receive such assistance; especially as he was informed by a deserter that they were but 300; that he found that a favourable opportunity, having just pressed into his service some Scotch Highlanders, who had come over to settle in America, and this circumstance giving rise to a report, which he had taken care to propagate, that he had received a reinforcement of 500 Highlanders, he thought it adviseable to make an attack as soon as possible; that he ordered captain [Samuel] Leslie, with a company of eight infantry, and captain [Charles] Fordyce, with his company of grenadiers of the 14th regiment, to take with them all the volunteers and slaves that were well armed, to march in the night of the 8th of December to the fort, and to sally out by day-break, and attack the rebels; that captain Leslie did so, but being in a great measure deserted by the slaves and several of the volunteers for they could not be prevailed upon to advance, and the rebels having near three times the number he had been informed they had, and behaving, indeed, on that occasion, with more resolution than they ever had done, and captain Fordyce and the advanced Grenadiers being cut off by the rifle-men, and captain Leslie being unable to rally the negroes, who could not stand the severe fire from hundreds of marksmen, retreated into the fort, and that night abandoned it; that he, finding the people of Norfolk were not to be relied on, in case of an attack, thought it prudent to retire to the ships, and wait for a reinforcement, which he hourly expected. Some such account as this we may expect to see in some future English paper, unless this anticipation of it should happen to be read or republished in England before their lordships have patched up their story.