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$779. arms by furprising the pofts, and immediately retiring with fuch prifoners as the major could conveniently make. Did it appear too hazardous, either in the exe cution or the difficulty of effecting a retreat, he was at liberty to abandon it. The neceffity of making a timely and fafe retreat, was ftrongly inculcated by the commander in chief, and the major was defired to lofe no time in attempting to remove or destroy any stores, or even in collecting ftragglers. The major, with a party of 300 Virginians, a troop of difmounted dragoons, and one company from the Maryland line, proceeded on the July 19. fervice, and very early in the morning, before day light, completely surprised the poft. Major Sutherland the commandant, with a number of Heffians, had the good fortune to efcape, by reason of the darkness, to a fmall block houfe on the left of the fort. Major Lee killed about 30 of the enemy, and took 161 prifoners, including 7 officers, at the expence of about half a dozen men killed and wounded. In conformity to his orders, he made an immediate retreat without tarrying to deftroy either barracks or artillery. The approach of day, and the vicinity of the enemy's main body, rendered it absolutely neceffary. Lord Stirling took judicious measures to forward the enterprife, and to fecure the retreat of Lee's party. This affair for the fize of it, may be ranged with the most heroic actions of the war; confidering the peculiar pofition of Powle's-Hook, and its being garrifoned by 200 men.

The expeditions carrying on against Penobscot by the Maffachusetts, and against the Mohawks by the United States, will be related when brought to a clofe, Gen. Sullivan being called away to command-the latter,

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gen. Gates left Bofton and went to Providence: In. May a number of the troops under him, mutinied and were upon the point of marching off for want of bread: he prevailed upon them to stay a few days.. During that period, he by exprefs ordered flour immediately up from Boston, which however could not have been procured, had it not been from the captures juft brought in by the cruifers. The American privateers, the ftate and continental veffels, have been very fuccefsful in capturing and getting fafe into port a number of Weft India fhips and others of great value, more than fufficient to counterbalance by much the loffes the United States have fuftained in a fimilar way. It was computed, on the 15th of July, that within fix or feven weeks preceding, upward of 20,000. barrels of provifions, defigned for the use of the enemy, had found their way into the Maffachusetts ports. But for thefe and fuch like captures, the inhabitants would have been under the greatest difficulty through a prevailing fcarcity. One while there was fuch a want of bread in Boston, that families who had lived well were without it many days. The price however of all articles, is rapidly rifing in a continual fucceffion, occafioned chiefly by the enormous quantity of paper currency, genuine and counterfeit, that is in circulation. This rife of commodities, and the affociated depreciation of continental money, has spread fuch an alarm, that at Philadelphia and in the Maffachusetts, the inhabitants are attempting afresh to remedy both, by a regulation of prices-which, like Sifyphus's ftone, will never reach the fummit of the evil.

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We have heard within thefe few days, by a letter from Martinico of June 29th, that adm. Byron having left St. Lucie with an intention, as it is thought, of convoying a large British Weft India fleet through the paffages, count d'Eftaing immediately embraced the opportunity, and planned an expedition against St. Vincent, which fucceeded. We are alfo informed, that fince then, Mr. de la Motte Piquet, with five fhips of the line, had joined the count; who finding himself fufficiently strong, had planned an expedition against Grenada, and was to fail for that ifland the day after the date of the letter.

The count fent lieut. De Trolong Du Rumain to St. Vincent, with about 450 men, only half of them regulars, June 16. who landed the 16th of June, and were immediately joined by the Carribs; they then poffeffed themselves of the heights which commanded the town of Kingston. On the 18th, the island was delivered up by capitulation without having made any refiftance. This may have been owing partly to the inhabitants being in dread of the Carribs, and partly to their apprehended danger from attempting a defence, and none from changing fovereigns.

Mr. Gerard has obtained leave to return to France, on account of the ill ftate of his health; and the new minister plenipotentiary, the chevalier de la Luzerñe, is Aug 3. arrived at Bofton in a French frigate. Mr. John Adams accompanied him, his commiffion having been fuperfeded the laft September, by the appointment of Dr. Franklin, minifter plénipotentiary at the court of France. The carrying of this appointment was a favorite meafure with Mr. de Vergennes; as he expects from the

doctor fingly more obfequious devotion to the pleasure 1779. of the French court, than he could have obtained had the doctor been ftill joined to both or either of his former colleagues, Meffrs. John Adams and Arthur Lee.

LETTER IX.

Rotterdam, Nov. 10, 1779.

FRIEND G.

OWARD the end of April, an expedition against

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the ifle of Jersey was fet on foot under Mr. de Naffau, who had no fortune, with a view of putting money into his pocket, from the rapine and plunder that would follow upon its fuccefs *. It fo happened, that adm. Arbuthnot, who you have heard failed on the ift of May, with a fquadron of men of war, and a prodigious convoy of merchantmen and tranfports for America, fell in with the veffel, going exprefs to England, with an account of the attack, and the apparent imminent danger of the ifland. Upon that he ordered the convoy to wait for him at Torbay, and proceeded to the relief of Jerfey. Though the failure of the expedition was the confequence, the French comforted themselves, when they faw it had the unexpected effect of detaining adm. Arbuthnot for a long time at Torbay, and of inducing the admiralty to order ten fhips of the line, under

* Political Memoirs.

June 4.

1779. adm. Darby, to join the former, for the fafe escorting the convoy to a certain distance. Mr. Sartine, upon obtaining information of this order, hurried the Breft fleet under count d'Orvilliers to fea. There were not at the last moment, failors fufficient to man it; but neither this, nor the non-arrival of two fhips expected from Toulon, could prevail with him to rifk lofing the opportunity on the one hand of intercepting Darby on his return, and on the other of fecuring the junction of the French and Spanish fleets. Eight thousand land forces were put on board to ferve as marines, and to fupply the defect of failors. With this kind of equipage did the fleet fail on the 4th of June. There was a general exultation visible in every Frenchman's countenance at Paris, mixed with furprise, upon hearing that their fleet was failed, and that there was no British force at fea to oppose them. Not a word was put into the gazette of France of d'Orvilliers' failing. It is afferted, that Sartine being asked, why he did not let a thing so public, and fo interefting, go into the gazette, his answer was"The English ministry will not know it fo foon any other way." Darby however, narrowly escaped, to the great disappointment of the keeneft expectations of the French, who really looked upon his divifion as a fure prey. Foreigners are astonished at the prefent management of the British marine. They look back to former, wars, when it was deemed a moft confequential service, and the most concife mode of crippling the marine of France, and rendering their projects abortive, to block up the harbours of Breft and Toulon. When d'Orvilliers had failed, a profound fecrecy reigned at the court of France as to his deftination: but by the 6th of July,

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