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the honor of an independent nation. The acts of the British parliament, the commiffion from your fovereign, and your letter, fuppofe the people of thefe ftates to be fubjects of the crown of Great Britain, and are founded on the idea of dependence, which is utterly inadmiffible.

I am further directed to inform your excellencies, that congrefs are inclined to peace, notwithstanding the unjuft claims from which this war originated, and the favage manner in which it hath been conducted. They will therefore be ready to enter upon the confideration of a treaty of peace and commerce, not inconfiftent with treaties already fubfifting, when the king of Great Britain fhall demonftrate a fincere difpofition for that purpose. The only folid proof of this difpofition will be an explicit acknowledgment of the independence of these -ftates, or the withdrawing his fleets and armies.-I have the honor to be, your excellencies moft obedient and humble fervant." Before this letter could be received by the commiffioners, a movement took place at Philadelphia, which must have completely frustrated all negotiation, had the fame been even in a train answering to the wishes of the British agents; for it indicated an apprehenfion of great danger to the royal forces fhould they continue in the city.

Mr. Eden brought with him fecret orders for the fpeedy evacuation of Philadelphia: they were fo fecret as not to be made known either to himself or gov. Johnftone. Whether the earl of Carlisle met with the like treatment is not yet afcertained. It has been publicly afferted, that the orders were dated exactly three weeks before the commiffioners failed from England, which carries the date back to the laft of March. On their

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delivery, Sir Henry Clinton immediately applied him- 1778. felf to the putting of them into execution. By the 18th June every thing being ready, the British army evacuated the city, at three o'clock in the morning. They proceeded to Gloucester Point, three miles down the river, and before ten the whole had paffed in fafety across the Delaware into New Jersey. Atten they began their march to Haddonfield, which they reached the fame day. Your curiofity may make you defirous of knowing in what condition the British left Philadelphia, An American fon of liberty, who visited it the beginning of July, wrote to his friend-" The whole north fide of the city, before you enter, is a promifcuous scene of ruin. Upon getting into the city, I was furprised to find it had fuffered fo little. I queftion whether it would have fared better, had our own troops been in poffeffion of it, that is, as to the buildings." The neceffary preparations for its evacuation could not be concealed from gen. Washington; and when the appearance of their intending to march through Jersey became ferious, he detached gen. Maxwell's brigade, in conjunction with the militia of that state, to impede the progrefs of the royal troops, fo as to give the American army time to come up with them, and take advantage of any favorable circumstances that might offer. Some time before, gen. Lee having been exchanged, had joined the army at Valley Forge. The evening preceding the evacuation, the principles of the operations proper to be adopted were taken up and fully difcuffed by his excellency and the general officers, when it appeared to be the common sentiment, that it would be highly criminal to hazard a general action with the enemy at prefent, as by it they

1778. might lose every advantage which a three years war, combined with many fortunate circumftances, had given to America. The next day his excellency after obferving, "near 11,000 men would be able to march off the ground in a condition for fervice," propofed in writing a fet of queries to the feveral general officers, in order to learn the particular opinion of each, as to "what is to be done?" which was to be returned on paper. The anfwers were in common the fame with the prevailing fentiment of the council on the preceding day. Gen. Mifflin was not of the number confulted. He would have gloried in being prefent to have taken an active part upon this occafion; but by fome fecret manœuvres was thrown at a diftance. He defired and obtained leave of congrefs, on the 14th of May, to join the army, and repaired to Valley Forge. Some of the general officers were difgufted at the thought of his returning to his command, now the campaign was opening, to fhare in the honors it might yield, when he had not fhared with them in the peculiar diftreffes of their winter quarters. When their fentiments came to be known to certain members of congrefs, measures were taken to produce and perfect the following motion on June the 11th, "That gen. Washington be directed to order an inquiry to be made into the conduct of major gen. Mifflin, late quartermafter general, and the other officers who acted under him in that department; and if it fhall appear that the ́extraordinary deficiencies thereof, and the confequent diftreffes of the army, were chargeable to the mifconduct of the quarter-mafter general, or any of the faid officers, that a court martial be held on the delinquents." When this inquiry was ordered to be made, he was with the

army, and in a fair way of obtaining a juft proportion 1778. of his countrymen's confidence. He clearly faw the meaning of the stroke: but the order made it neceffaryfor him to obtain leave of abfence for fome weeks, to collect materials for his juftification.

When intelligence of Sir Henry Clinton's having evacuated Philadelphia and marched to Haddonfield, reached the American head quarters, the next meafure to be taken by gen. Washington was apparent. Gen. Greene, by his conduct and induftry, as quarter-mafter general, had effected fuch a happy change in the line of his department, as enabled his excellency with great facility. to move with the whole army and baggage from Valley Forge in purfuit of the enemy. The troops proceeded to, and crossed the Delaware at Corriel's ferry; when a felect corps of 600 men were immediately detached under col. Morgan to reinforce gen. Maxwell. The flow advance of Sir Henry led his excellency to fufpect, that he had a design of bringing on a general action, could he draw the Americans into the lower country. This confideration, and a defire of refreshing the troops after the fatigues they had endured from rainy and exceffive hot weather, determined the American general to halt about five miles from Princeton. While there he stated June 24. to the general officers the following facts-" The enemy's force is between 9 and 10,000 rank and file-the American army on the ground is 10,684 rank and file, befide the advanced brigade under gen. Maxwell of about 1200, and about 1200 militia"-on which he pro posed the question, "Will it be advisable to hazard a general action ?" The answer was" Not advisable, but a detachment of 1500 to be immediately fent to act as

1778.occafion may ferve, on the enemy's left flank and rear, in conjunction with the other continental troops and militia already hanging about them, and the main body to preserve a relative pofition, to act as circumstances may require-Lee, Stirling, Greene, Fayette, Steuben, Poor, Paterfon, Woodford, Scott, Portail, Knox." The detachment was immediately made under gen. Scott. The fame day Sir Henry, concluding that gen. Washington, who had alway hitherto avoided a general action, would not now give into it against every dictate of policy, and that the American views were directed against his baggage, in which part he was indeed vulnerable, determined to take the right hand road leading to Sandy Hook, instead of making for the Rariton, where he fufpected gen. Gates with the northern army might join that under gen. Washington. Gates arrived at Fishkill about the middle of May to take the command in that quarter. The troops under him were fo few, that he could not answer for the defence of the pass through the highlands with which he was intrufted; and was perfuaded, that if the enemy made a fudden and determined push to carry it, the militia would not come in time to fave it. On the 17th of June draughts arrived, and militia were hourly expected; after mentioning this in a letter to congrefs, he exclaims-"Thank heaven for the precious time the enemy have fo foolishly loft!" He had no idea of marching for the Rariton: but his cavalry, and a confiderable body of infantry, was at this period fo pofted, as to give the alarm of an attack upon New York: and he propofed moving the main body of his army to White Plains, and taking a strong camp in that neighbourhood, to keep up the alarm; which

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