1779. fuch addrefs, that all the prifoners, amounting to 141,

were fecured *; and afterward fafely conducted by three of the captors for 25 miles through the country to an American poft t.

Count Pulafki died before the end of October. Congrefs have refolved, that a monument fhould be erected to his memory. He was a Polander of high birth, and had been concerned in a bold enterprife in his native country. With a few men he had carried off king Staniflaus from the middle of his capital, though furrounded by a numerous body of guards and a Ruffian army. The king, after being a prifoner for fome time, efcaped by the favor of one of the band, and foon afterward declared Pulafki an out-law. Nothing could be more congenial to his fentiments than to employ his arms in fupport of the American ftates. He offered his fervice to congrefs, and was honored with the rank of a brigadier general. But the count was far from being fatisfied. with his employ, as appears from his letter, dated Charlestown, Aug. 19, in which he wrote-" Such has been my lot, that nothing lefs than my honor, which I will never forfeit, retains me in a fervice, which ill-treatment makes me begin to abhor. Every proceeding respecting myself has been fo thoroughly mortifying, that nothing but the integrity of my heart, and the fervency of my zeal, fupports me under it."

Let us turn to New York.

It was not till Auguft the 25th, that adm. Arbuthnot arrived with the fleet, which conveyed the reinforcements, camp equipage, ftores and other neceffaries, that

General Lincoln's Letter of October the 2d, to gov. Rutledge.
Dr. Ramfay's Hiftory, vol. ii. p. 35-43.

were to enable Sir Henry Clinton to act with fuitable 1779Sept. vigor. The 21ft of September Sir Andrew Hammond arrived with an additional force of 1500 men from Corke. These feveral arrivals however, did not make the British at New York eafy, when they had the news of count d'Eftaing's being on the American coaft. The intelligence occafioned an apprehenfion of a formidable attack by fea and land, fuppofed to have been concerted between the count and gen. Washington, and defenfive measures were thought of. Befide adopting every other mean of a vigorous defence, transports were dispatched 26. to Rhode Island to bring off the garrifon. All things) being in readiness, the royal troops evacuted Newport on the 25th of October; embarked in the evening, failed Oct. at night, and reached New York on the 27th. They 27. were in fufficient force while at Newport, to have made predatory excurfions, and to have done much mifchief; notwithstanding the troops that gen. Gates, who was ftationed at Providence, had under his command. But gen. Sir Robert Pigot's humanity might revolt at fuch barbarous expeditions; which is the more probable, from the strict and pofitive orders he gave for the obfervance of the moft exact regularity and difcipline during the evacuation. As it was univerfally known that he meant to be obeyed, fo obedience was as univerfally practifed. The men were no wife chargeable at their quitting the island, with any wanton cruelties, or needlefs destruction, or with an unjust seizure of property*. However, as gen. Gates could not know but that

This is the fubftance of what was related to me by difinterested perfons at Newport and the neighbourhood, fome short time after the evacuation.

1779. military commands might require Sir Robert-Pigot to

A

ravage the country to the extent of his power, he fecured
to himself the mean of gaining the earliest intelligence
of
every capital movement upon the island, by the aid
of lieut. Seth Chapin. The lieutenant employed a
trusty woman living at Newport to write down all the
information fhe could procure. A certain place in a
rock near the water fide was agreed upon, where the
written intelligence was put. The woman had her par-
ticular fignals; and by putting up poles or fticks as
though only drying linen, and making a fhow of fuch
business in a certain way, notified to the lieutenant on
the other fide of the water, that there was fome fpecial
matter to be communicated. At night the lieutenant
paffed over in his boat from Little Compton, landed
and brought it away. Through this fettled correfpon-
dence, Gates learnt the next day what were the move-
ments and talk of the enemy. After the evacuation,
the general defired the lieutenant to mention what con-
fideration would fatisfy him for the dangerous fervice in
which he had been engaged. The answer was, I fhall
be fully fatisfied with 1200 dollars for myself, and 2 or
300 for fome others that were concerned."
the depreciation then, that the whole 1500 were not
worth 75 hard dollars, now they are worth about 30.

Such was

Sir H. Clinton having received certain intelligence of the repulfe given the combined troops in their attack on Savannah, refumed the plan of an expedition against South Carolina, which the appearance of count d'Eftaing obliged him to fufpend. Every thing was prepared, and about 7000 troops were embarked, but detained till he had full affurance of the French fleet's having

wholly quitted the American coaft, when they failed under the convoy of adm. Arbuthnot, on the 26th of December. Their operations will be related in a future letter. Congrefs having obtained fatisfactory evidence of what was in contemplation, had ordered on the 10th of November, three of the continental frigates to Charlestown for its defence.

1779.

29.

On the 19th of November, they refolved that it be Nov. earnestly recommended to the feveral ftates forthwith, 19. to enact laws for establishing and carrying into execution a general limitation of prices throughout their respective jurifdictions, on certain prescribed principles, the operation to commence from the rft of next February-by which time the operation may be found to be impoffible. They concluded on the 23d, that bills of ex 23. change be drawn on Mr. Jay for 100,000l. fterling, and on Mr. Laurens for 100,000l. payable at fix months fight, and the fame to be fold at the current rate of exchange." They after that directed the committee of foreign-affairs to write to Meffrs. Jay and Laurens, informing them of the drafts to be made upon them, explaining fully the reafons that urge congrefs to draw, and 'directing them to keep up a mutual correfpondence, and to afford each other every affiftance in procuring money to pay the bills. A committee of seven having been appointed by congrefs to wait on the minifter of France, and to receive his communications, reported Dec. the following extracts and fummary of the communica 16. tions-That the minifter of France had it in command from his king, to imprefs on the minds of congrefs That the British cabinet have an almoft infuperable re luctance to admit the idea of the independence of thefe

1779. United States, and will ufe every poffible endeavour to prevent it: That they have filled several of the courts of Europe with negotiations, in order to excite them to a war against France, or to obtain fuccours, and are employing the most strenuous endeavours to perfuade the several powers, that the United States are disposed to enter into treaties of accommodation; that many perfons in America are actually employed in bringing fuch treaties to perfection; and that they have no doubt of their fuccefs:-That the objects which the British cabinet hope for from these measures are, to destroy the fuperiority which France has now at fea, by diverting -her powers and refources from naval to land operations, and by engaging her in a land war, where fhe must risk very important interefts, while England would risk nothing but money; or to break or weaken the alliance by destroying the confidence, which the allies ought to have in each other:-That his most christian majesty gives no credit to the fuggeftions of Britain relative to the difpofitions of the United States, and that it is neceffary that measures be taken for the preventing of other powers from being deceived into a belief of them:

That the negotiation of Britain, as far as could yet be learned, had not fucceeded:-That the difpofitions of all the European powers are, as far as can be known, very friendly to France, but fome of them may be engaged in fecret treaties with Britain, which may oblige them in fome event to affift her with troops, even against their inclinations;-That fuch event may arife, and if it fhould, it is probable it will produce an armed mediation, the confequences of which would be, that the allies must accept of the terms propofed by the medi