The Statesman.
London, England, 1814-09-07 00:00:00

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advance on the ridge-road towards Burlington, or in-
vest the forts at the outlet of Niagara river. The
adoption of the first of these would be attended with
extreme hazard, so long as the enemy occupies the
country in his rear; and should he attempt to ad-
vance to the head of the Lake, the garrisons of Forts
George and Niagara would probably intercept his
supplies, and totally cut off his communication.
It is presumed that afterthe experience our armies
have had of leaving a fortified post in the rear, and
advancing witheart stationing before it a sufficient
force to keep it in check accordia to
_the novel and
Ingenious system of i• Old General," General
j3rown will not advance to Burlington without ,firat
providing a force to remain in the vicinity of Fort
George. It is questionable whether, considering
the aggregate of his present force, a detachment suf.
ficiently large can be spared from his army ; for,
judging from present information, there is little
doubt but the British forces at the head of the Lake
and the intermediate posts, together with the rein.
forcements which they daily receive, will form an
army which must be met in the field by a very re-
spectable force. Delay on the part of our army is
certain destruction, for no doubt exists that by the
late arrivals of troops from France and England,
General Brown, unless he immediately acquires pos-
session of the fortress in the peninsula, will he com-
pelled to evacuate the British territory altogether,
or clobe his career by a Christmas dinner at Quebec.
Had our army been in readiness to cross the Niagara
in the month of April, every thing might have been
effected wh'clr is proposed at this time to do ; but
by some strange fritality, our armies have generally
found themselves in November performing what
ought to have been done in May. From present ap-
pearance, General Brown is pursuing the track of
Hull, Winchester, Wilkinson, and our other mili-
tary heroes. He has been in the enemy's territory,
with an army of 6000 men, ten day, has fought one
drawn battle against an inferior force, and advanced
24 mites!!! It is probable that he will send a con-
siderable force in the direction of Burlington ; but it
is equally probable that they will be met half way
with a force abundantly competent to insure their
safe arrival at the British head-quarters.
Should he invest Fort George, it will be remem-
bered, that during the whole of the last campaign
the American army was occupied in strsngthening
that post. The fort was reduced to one-third of its
size when under the British ; and it was confidently
said by all the American officers that with a garrison of
800 men we might hid defiance to an assault by any
force whatever. The British also hold Fort Nia-
gara, which entirely commands the works on the
opposite side of the rivet., An assault on Fort George
could, therefore, he induced by no object but the
capture of prisoners, at an ezpence of probably three
times the number of lives of oar own army. It
mould be impossible to hold it as a post, unless
Niagara was reduced also. To etfect the last, the
army, or at least a considerable part of it, must cross
over to the American shore. This would place all at
still greater hazard.
We must patiently wait the event of the ulterior
movements of General Brown, and shall, doubtless,
at the catastrophe, admire the military science of an
American General, who will astonish with his won-
derful powers the nations of Europe, and put Wel-
lington). Blucher, and Schwartzenberg to the blush.