him in person immediately, but did not join him till the sixth. General Washington hoped to have made a stand at Brunswick, but was disappointed in his expectation of the militia; on the day he quitted it, the service of the Jersey and Maryland brigades expired, and neither of them would stay an hour longer; he wrote thefore to general Lee, " hasten your march as much as possible, or your arrival may be too late." On the 7th, lord Cornwallis's corps marched to Princeton, which the Americans quitted the same day. The next day the corps marched in two divisions; the first advanced to Trenton, and reached the Delaware, just as the rear guard of general Washington's army, under colonel Henly, gained the opposite shore, about twelve o'clock at night.

Lord Cornwallis, who halted with the rear division within six miles of Trenton, intended crossing a body very early the next morning, near two miles below Corriel's ferry; and got the troops in readiness, and the artillery prepared to cover the fanding; for at that place it was only eight and twenty rod to a spit of sand on the Pennsylvania side, on which a sufficient number were to have landed, and then to have marched up to Corriel's ferry, and to have taken the boats that had been collected there by the Americans, and left under a guard of only about ten men; with them it was meant to carry over the main body. In the vicinity of this place, a large sunken Durham boat (which came down three days before, laden with flour, and which could carry 100 men) lay concealed under a bank. This had been discovered and taken away by Mr. Mersereau, so that the British were disappointed in their expectation of finding it. They hailed one Thomson, a quaker, who lived on the other side of the Delaware, and enquired what was become of the boat, and were answered it was carried off. They continued reconnoitring up and down the river till ten o'clock, but finding no boats, returned to Pennytown. Men had been employed in time for taking off all the boats from the Jersey side of the Delaware; but Mir. Mersereau's attention would not admit of his confiding wholly in their care and prudence. He therefore went up the river to examine whether all the boats were really carried off or destroyed; upon discovering the above sunken one, which had escaped the observation of the men, and enquiring of a person in the neighborhood concerning her, he was told that she was an old one, and good for nothing; but not relying upon the information, he found her to be new, had the water baled out, and sent her off. The importance of this affair to the Americans,

* Loyalift's letter, Nov. 10, 1777.

+ Mr. Merfereau, afterward an American deputy commissary of prisoners, was my informer.

prevents the relation of it from being triffing. Had lord Cornwallis crossed into Pennsylvania as he proposed, the consequence would probably have been fatal to the Americans. Gen. Washington, when he crossed, had about 2200 men; but the time of their service expiring, they left him in such a manner, that the second day after crossing he had but seventeen hundred.

The militia of Jersey had timely notice given them; and had they stept forth in season, might have enabled gen. Washington to have prevented lord Cornwallis crossing the Hackinsack; but either disaffection, or the want of exertion in the principal gentlemen of the country (through depression of spirit at the threatening appearances that existed) or a fatal supineness and insensibility of danger, increased the actual evil, and made it absolutely necessary for gen. Washington to quit the Jerseys, and seek security on the other side of the Delaware. To whatever cause it was owing, the inhabitants, almost to a man, refused to turn out, so that he could not at any time bring more of them -together than 1000 men, and even on these very little dependence was to be put. The proclamation issued the 30th of November, by lord Howe and gen. Howe, as the king's commissioners, added to gen. Washington's difficulties. In that, they commanded all persons assembled in arms against his majesty's government, to disband and return to their dwellings; and all general or provincial congresses, &c. to desist from all their treasonable actings, and to relinquish all their usurped power. They declared that every person who, within sixty days should appear before the governor, lieutenant-governor, or commander in chief of any of his majesties colonies, or before the general or commanding officer of his majesty's forces, &c. and claim the benefit of the proclamation, and testify his obedience to the laws by subscribing a certain declaration, should obtain a full and free pardon of all treasons, &c. by him committed, and of all forfeitures and penalties for the same. Numbers who had been provincial congress-men, committee-men, justices and the like, though out of the way of immediate danger, ran to take the advantage of the proclamation. Many of the whigs shifted about. Only a few of fortune stood firm to the cause. It was the middle rank of people in general that remained stedfast in the day of trial. The success of the royal army extended its influence also to Pennsylvania. Mr.. Galloway, the family of the Allens, with some others, repaired to the commissioners to claim the benefits of the general pardon.

General Lee, with more than 3000 men, though repeated expresses were sent to him, continued in the rear of the royal forces, marching so slowly that Washington could not account for VOL. II. it.

R

it. It at length proved fatal to his personal liberty. While he lay carelessly and without a guard at Baskinridge, some way disu tant from the main body, he was made prisoner. The circum stances of his situation were communicated to col. Harcourt, commanding the light horse, and who had then made a desultory ex-' cursion at the head of a small detachment, to observe the motions of that body. [Dec. 13.] The colonel conducted with such address and activity as to captivate and carry off the general. The capture was considered by the British officers as a matter of the greatest consequence. Their words were, "We have taken the American palladium;" such was the opinion they had of the general deficiency of military skill among the Americans, and the inexperience of their officers. The command of the troops, after Lee's capture, fell to gen. Sullivan, who soon after crossed the Delaware and joined gen. Washington. The general needed this reinforcement, notwithstanding his having been joined by the Philadelphia militia. He had sent gen. Mifflin to Philadelphia, while retreating before lord Cornwallis, and on the 27th of November, there was a large and general town-meeting, when the inteiligence of the probability of gen. Howe's invading the state was communicated, as also the request of congress that the mi litia of the cities and counties might march to the Jerseys. Gen. Mifflin, who was detained by congress for the purpose, enforced it by a spirited, animating and affectionate address to his fellowcitizens; who expressed their approbation of the measure proposed, and soon marched forward some hundreds of militia to jom the commander in chief. After that, gen. Mifflin left Philadelphia by the direction of congress, who knew of what im portance his influence was, and repaired to the back counties, where his exertions were equally successful, so that they poured in their yeomanry in support of the common cause.

[Dec. 14.] The royal forces lay much scattered in the Jerseys, and to all appearance in a state of security. Gen. Washington wished to strike them; sensible that a lucky blow in that quarter would be fatal to them, and most certainly raise the spirits of the people, which were quite sunk by the late misfortunes; but prudence would not admit of it. The Pennsylvania militia were ordered to Bristol, and the remainder of the troops were cantoned along the Delaware, so as to oppose any attempts of the royalists to cross it.

Should it be true, as reported, that the American general once wept while he fled through the Jerseys, that will not prove the want of personal fortitude. He is neither less nor more than man. Agitation of mind, occasioned by the threatening state of public liberty, and a reflection on the horrid calamities that would follow

follow the loss of it, to the present and future generations, might produce that event, without any mixture of private concern for his own safety.

During the royal successes in the Jerseys, gen. Clinton, with two brigades of British and two of Hessian troops, with a squa dron of men of war under Sir Peter Parker, was sent to attempt Rhode Island. The American forces, being incapable of making effectual resistance, abandoned it on his approach; so that, on the day when gen. Washington crossed the Delaware, the British took possession of it without any loss, and at the same time blocked up commodore Hopkins's squadron and a number of privateers at Providence.

Let me now offer you a summary account of the captures made by gen. Howe and the forces under his command, during the campaign, down to the total evacuation of the Jerseys. Of privates there have been made prisoners, 4101 - of officers 304--and of staff 25-in all 4430. The catalogue of ordnance and military stores stands thus Brass ordnance, I thirteen inch mortarI ten ditto-4 five and a half inch howitzers-5 six pounders 1 three ditto. From ordnance-2 thirteen inch mortars-1 ten ditto-1 eight ditto-30-thirty-two pounders-6 twenty-four ditto-8 eighteen ditto-24 twelve ditto-26 nine ditto-40 six ditto-55 four ditto-16 three ditto--26 dismounted. Brass ordnance 12. Iron ditto 235. Shells empty, 210 thirteen inch1255 ten ditto-1535 eight ditto-1908 five and a half ditto19,071 four and two-fifths ditto-total 23,979. Shells filled, with fusees drove, 5 thirteen inch-12 ten ditto-30 eight ditto-53 five and a half ditto-35 four and two-fifths ditto-total 145. Shot-2052 thirty-two pounders-9300 twenty-four ditto-548 eighteen ditto-3979 twelve ditto-332 six ditto-911 three ditto-total 17,122. Double-headed shot of all sorts, 2684-grape quilted, 140 thirty-two and twelve pounders, besides 42 boxescase of all sorts 813, with powder 44-muskets of all sorts 2800cartridges 400,000-barrels of powder 16-iron frize of four hundred weight each, intended to stop the navigation of the NorthRiver 200-bar iron 20 tons-rod 5-entrenching tools of all sorts 500-sets of armourers tools 6-breast-plates for engineers armour 35-waggons covered 4-hand-barrows 200-1 gwyn complete-2 sling carts-iron crows 6-mantelets 52-chevauxde-frize complete 81-besides 4000 barrels of flourat forts Washington and Lee-baggage, tents, long pikes, ammunition carts, and a large quantity of other stores of various kinds. These losses to the Americans are very considerable; but to the British are of small advantage. The civil affairs of New-York may now engage our notice. On the 16th of October, the inhabitants of the

the city and island presented a petition to lord Howe and gena. Howe, signed by David Horsemanden, Oliver Delancy, and 946 others, declaring their allegiance, and their, acknowledg-: ment of the constitutional, but not absolute supremacy of GreatBritain over the colonies, and praying that the city and county may be restored to his majesty's peace and protection. This pe tition was followed by another to the same purpose, from the freeholders and inhabitants of Queen's county, on Long-Island. It is observed of these petitions, that they are guardedly ex pressed, all mention of parliament being omitted, and the great question of unconditional submission left totally at large. Let it be remarked, that though the inhabitants of York island and Queen's county, have given every testimony of their loyalty, their petitions have not been attended to, nor they restored to the rights expected in consequence of the declarations, as well as of the law for the appointment of commissioners.

Let us pass to the southern states; and from thence traveli northward, gathering up as we return, all the intelligence that

offers.

In the month of July an invasion of East-Florida was pro jected, with the double view of securing Georgia and South Carolina from the depredations of their more southern neigh bors, and of drawing the attention of the British from their northern conquests. General Lee was entrusted with this busi ness soon after the repulse of the British under Sir Peter Parker.. After the troops had proceeded as far as Ogeechee, in Georgia, the general received orders to join the northern army, on which the expedition was given up.

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While the general was at Savannah, he wrote a letter, on the 28th of August, to the French minister, which was committed to Sieur de la Plaine. In that letter he held up these ideas-That it was the exclusive commerce of the colonies which empowered Great-Britain to cope with France-gave to her a decided superiority in the marine department, and of course enabled her, in the frequent wars between the two nations, to reduce her rival to the last extremity-that if France can obtain the monopoly, or the greatest part of this commerce, her opulence, strength and prosperity, must grow to a prodigious height, and that if Americ ca is enabled to preserve the independence she has now declared, the greatest part of this commerce must fall to the share of France -that without the colour of injustice, but on the contrary, only assuming the patronage of the rights of mankind, France has it now in her power to become not only the greatest, but the most glorious monarchy which has appeared on the stage of the world-her possessions in the islands will be secured against: a

all