of the abatement of the State tax on list 1778, for which the sufferers in the conflagration, tendered them their unfeigned thanks.

Many of the suffering farmers had not sufficient wheat to support their families until the next harvest, though they would have had large quantities to have supplied others, had it not been destroyed. So many buildings were burnt, that it was impossible to rent houses, so as to be comfortably located to use their farms; and many of them were obliged to build small houses, and disposed of all they could spare, to re-settle upon their farms, and most of them left in debt, and obliged to live without barns to preserve their grain, because they were unable to build them; and many who had built their houses were unable to finish them, and lived in them through the following winter, cold and half finished, for want of money and materials for building, while labor was exceedingly high, and it appeared to many of them as if it was impossible ever to settle themselves again in any tolerable manner. In addition to the burden of building, they were destitute of the necessary utensils for keeping house; town, state, and society taxes to pay; taxes for re-building public buildings that were burnt; the provision tax then lately laid; the expense of raising soldiers from time to time to fill the continental army: In all which, with their misfortunes, they were obliged to suffer with their neighbors, which appeared insupportable to many of the sufferers, in their then distressed situation; and yet declared they would exert themselves in assisting to discharge all public demands, as far as possible, willingly and cheerfully, and only regretted that they were not of the same ability to do, as they had been before they had been burnt out.

The memorialists closed by asking the Assembly to abate their State taxes, laid on list 1779 and 1780.

[Col. Benjamin Hinman, Nehemiah Beardsley, and William Heron were appointed a committee to go to Norwalk, to examine and report to the Assembly.] Said committee reported in May, 1781, that the State tax of 123 persons in said Norwalk, on list of 1779; and that said tax, on list 1780, on 119 persons in said town, should be abated-which was accepted.

DEPOSITION OF CAPT. STEPHEN BETTS.

NORWALK, July 26, 1779.

Capt. Stephen Betts, of Col. Butler's regiment, in the continental service, personally appeared and made solemn oath-That on the 11th inst., while the enemy invaded Norwalk, he, with about 50 continental troops, and some militia, engaged a superior number of the enemy, which obliged them to give way to an unequal force. As they retreated, John Waters, a continental soldier fell into the enemy's hands, delivered up his arms, and begged for his life; but the enemy notwithstanding, assaulted him with their bayonets, with which they stabbed him in sundry places, and then one of them presented his peice, and aimed (as the captive supposed) at his body, but missing that, the ball shattered his arm; whereupon finding no quarters, he made a strong effort to escape, which he happily effected. Soon after the above accident, John Rich, another continental soldier, was shot so as to fall, and as the enemy were nigh, and crowded fast on over our people, he desired Capt. Betts to leave him, as they could not take him off without the greatest hazard. Capt. Betts saw Rich no more, but says Capt. Eclls, of Col. Wyllys' regiment, told him, he saw Rich after the enemy had retreated

about two hours after Capt. Betts saw him; he was then dead, and the top of his skull torn off, supposed to be blown off by a musket to despatch him. And further saith not, before me. THADDEUS BETTS, Justice of the Peace.

LETTER FROM SAMUEL C. SILLIMAN, ESQ., TO COL. ST. JOHN. It appears by a letter from Samuel C. Silliman, Esq., of Norwalk, dated 1778, to Col. St. John, then a member of the General Assembly, that Col. St. John issued a writ in favor of a Mr. Comstock, against two of Sheldon's light horsemen, taken by constable Lockwood, for taking property not their own, who were taken before said Silliman for trial; but before the trial had began, the captain of the two light horsemen, (i. e. Capt. Stoddard of Col. Sheldon's regiment) came in, in great fury, with a party of his light horsemen, all armed, and their swords drawn, and pointed at the breasts of the court and by-standers, and wrested the offenders from them, and defied the authority; laid violent hands on Mr. Comstock the prosecutor, and dragged him from the house. The court, when attempting to quell the riot, was accosted by one of said light horsemen, with his sword pointed at the breast of the court, swore he would run him through, if he offered the least resistance. They then forced Mr. Comstock and one of his sons, on to horses and carried them off, and swore they would take them to their quarters and keep them under guard. They drove them two or three miles, constantly threatening them, in the most abusive language, and then dismissed them.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON DAMAGES SUSTAINED IN WEST HAVEN BY THE INCURSION OF THE BRITISH.

It was represented to the Legislature, held at Hartford, January 10, 1782, that on the 30th day of August, 1781, a party of British troops and refugees, made an incursion into the parish of West Haven, in New Haven, and destroyed much of the property of the inhabitants. Whereupon, the Assembly appointed Gen. Andrew Ward, Col. Edward Russel, and Gideon Buckingham, a commit. tee to estimate the losses of each individual, by the enemy, and abate such part of the State taxes of said sufferers as said committee should judge proper, and report thereon to the next session of said Assembly. The committee met at West Haven on the 13th day of March, 1782, and examined the sufferers on oath, and reported to the Assembly each sufferer in said parish, and the amount of loss found by them annexed to his name, together with a list of names of such as should be abated on said taxes, to the amount of £30:15:2, together with £365:18: 6, aliowed the sufferers in said parish; which report was accepted by the Assembly, and ordered to be lodged on file, with liberty of a bill to make said abatement.

MAY, 1787.

At the General Assembly holden in May, 1787, the sufferers in different parts of the State united in a petition to the Assembly, for remuneration; in which they stated, they had twice before petitioned the Assembly, and had received no answer; which petition was signed by Daniel Taylor for the sufferers in Danbury; Thomas Fitch for those in Norwalk; Jonathan Sturges for Fairfield; John Mead for Greenwich; Ebenezer Ledyard for Groton; John Deshon for New London; Charles Chauncey for New Haven; Philip B. Bradley for Ridgefield; and Andrew Ward and Daniel Leete for the sufferers of Guilford; which petition was continued to the next General Assembly.

LANDS GIVEN THE SUFFERERS FOR LOSSES SUSTAINED DURING THE WAR.

Upon a memorial in 1791, of the inhabitants of the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk, in Fairfield county, the great losses occasioned by the devastations of the British during the war, were shewn to the General Assembly; on which they prayed for remuneration from the State. A committee was appointed by the Legislature, in May, 1791, to ascertain from documents in the public offices, the losses, not only of the memorialists, but of others who had been sufferers under similar circumstances, that had been estimated in conformity to previous acts of the Assembly, such as had been occasioned by incursions of the enemy during the war. The Assembly, therefore, in May, 1792, by a resolution, released and quit-claimed, to the sufferers, named on the State record, or to their legal representatives, if deceased, and to their heirs and assigns forever, 500,000 acres of land, owned by Connecticut, situated west of Pennsylvania, bounded north on lake Erie, beginning at the west line of said lands, and extending eastward to a line running northerly and southerly parallel to the east line of said tract of land owned by this State, and extending the whole width of said lands, and easterly so far as to comprise said quantity of 500,000 acres,* (exclusive of former grants to sufferers, if any) to be divided among said suffer. ers and their legal representatives, in proportion to the several sums annexed to their names on record, (which land is located in Huron county, in the State of Ohio.)

The following sums were allowed to the sufferers in the several towns here. after named, viz. :-Sufferers in Greenwich, £12,291:14:04; sufferers in Nor. walk, £26,066: 0:1; sufferers in Fairfield, £23,893: 12: 8.

Additional losses sustained by several inhabitants of Fairfield, in the enemy's expedition to Danbury, viz. :-£1,436:10:11; in Danbury, £8,303 : 17:10; in New Haven and East Haven, £16,912: 16:6; in New London, £42,0)62:13:7; in Ridgefield, £1,730: 1:10.

The sums advanced to Ridgefield by grants of the Assembly, were deducted, and the net balances allowed.

To sufferers in Groton, £7,719:12:2.

Whole amount of losses allowed to the sufferers by the grant of said lands, being £251,606: 8:84.

GALLANT CONDUCT OF CAPT. HILLYER.

In 1779, one Bearmore, a famous cow boy chief or tory, was eminently suc. cessful in plundering and committing depredations on his countrymen about the lines, and as a spy for the British troops in that vicinity.

Captain Andrew Hillyer, (late Col. Hillyer, of Granby, Conn.) was then sta. tioned at Horse Neck, with his troop of light horse, and was ordered to "beat up" Bearmore's quarters, and if possible make him prisoner. Accordingly Capt. Hillyer mustered his troop in the evening, and marched in the night, with all caution to Bearmore's rendezvous; but he in some way was alarmed, and leaped from his bed, through a window, naked, escaped in the darkness of the night, leaving his clothes, sword, and some plunder, in the hands of the continentals. The troop then being in the vicinity of the enemy, it became necessary they should make a hasty march for their own quarters, which they did, keeping out scouts in all directions, to avoid surprise. About day break, the troop overtook

a company of infantry, numbering about 50 men, commanded by Capt. White, who had been out through the night on some special service. At this moment, two scouts that had covered the rear of the light horse, came dashing in among them, one of which, was covered with blood, his hand hanging by the skin, having been lopped off at the wrist by a British dragoon; and reported that a squadron of British cavalry were close upon them. Capt. White exclaimed, I am lost, my infantry cannot escape. Capt. Hillyer said no, that must not be ; follow my directions, we will make a stand, and fare alike; divide your men and throw them over the stone wall on each side of the road, in a quartering direction, that the fire of one party may not injure the other; be deliberate, and when you have the word "charge," do what you can.

The light horse were formed across the road, out of the fire of the infantry, and displayed as large a front as their numbers would warrant. The arrange. ment was barely completed, when the British cavalry in large force, was discovered sweeping along with great speed, apparently intending to ride down the small troop of continentals, who, with swords loosened, and pistols cocked, were drawn up to receive them.

When the British had reached the mark, about four rods from the light horse, and against the spot where the infantry were posted, and who had not been discovered, Capt. Hillyer gave the signal "charge them, my lads." The troopers discharged their pistols, drew their swords, and spurred against the enemy; at the same time, the infantry rose from behind the wall and poured in such a deadly and well directed fire, that a considerable number of the enemy were killed, while the ranks of the light horse were much embarrassed by the rush of horses, without riders, among them. The British were completely surprised, and immediately faced about and retired beyond the reach of the infantry, when they again formed, and advanced to the attack, but before they were within reach of shot, the infantry could not be restrained, and commenced firing. The British then wheeled, and retreated in good order; the light horse highly excited, urged their commander to allow them to follow and cut the red coats in pieces.

The Americans kept their ground until the British had crossed Byram river. Capt. White then made for the woods. The light horse, after securing what was valuable on the field, and the horses that had lost their riders, with all speed made their own head quarters. The plunder taken from Bearmore and the British on that occasion, was sold for more than $20,000 continental money. Capt. Hillyer was presented with a beautiful Yager's Rifle, as testimony of his gallant conduct.

Bearmore soon after received his deserts; while robbing a dwelling house, in Bloomsbury, New Jersey, he attempted to take a string of gold beads from the neck of a lady, (Mrs. Eunice Die,) who had at her side, a pair of long, sharp pointed scissors, which she plunged into his body, and killed him instantly.

THE END.