cartouch-boxes, That it was with the participation, confent, and approbation, of Gen. Gates, that the foldiers put them on; and that the troops paffed by his Excellency on their march, with all their accoutrements on their backs nor is there any mention of the cartouchboxes in the correfpondence between Gens Heath and Burgoyne.

As to the defcriptive lifts, he fays, he never meant to deny, that the prifoners names were taken down in Canada: he always knew they were; and the reafon was, they had bound themselves to return to Canada upon a demand, and it was therefore neceffary to know their a bodes: he ftill perfevered, however, in his affertions, that in the inftances where he was prefent, descriptive lifts were not made, nor any lifts or fignatures propofed upon fufpicion of public faith [142.]: and it is remarkable, that the committee of congrefs, though they charge Gen. Burgoyne with being totally mistaken in what he said of the prifoners in Canada, fay only that thofe lifts contained the provinces, counties, and towns, to which the prifoners belonged; whereas they admit, that the lifts demanded of Gen. Burgoyne were to contain, not only the name and former place of abode, but alfo the occupation, fize, age, and defcription, of every non-commiffioned officer and private foldier [40. 183.]. · But Gen. Burgoyne adds, that he is perfuaded Gen. Heath, and thofe of his of. ficers with whom he converfed on the fubject, plainly faw he meant to comply upon the precedent as ftated in Gen. Heath's letter of Jan. 21. [142, 3.]: and fhould any doubt still fubfift, that an idea of being releafed from the engagements of the convention has been adopted by any part of the troops, he offers, that every officer fhould join their fignatures to his, for a further pledge of faith, provided the fufpenfion be immediately taken off. [145.]

The Congrefs, on a committee to whom this letter of Gen. Burgoyne's, with the papers inclofed, was referred, reporting, "That they have carefully perufed and duly confidered the letter and papers, and are of opinion, that nothing therein contained is fufficient to induce Congress to recede from their refolution of the 8th of January laft, refpecting the convention of Saratoga," refolved, March 2. 1778, "That Congrefs agree to faid report."

have denied the facts afferted in Gen. Burgoyne's letter, as they founded their refolutions of Jan. 8. 1778, on a denial of other facts; so that they must be held to admit, that Gen. Gates approved of the men keeping their cartouch-boxes, and that Gen. Burgoyne would have g ven the defcriptive lifts demanded, provided the fufpenfion of the imbarkation were taken off. Their only reason, therefore, for fufpending the imbarka tion of Gen. Burgoyne's army, mut have been, that they were charged by him with a breach of public faith, because his officers were not properly accommo dated in quarters.

Let us confider, whether Congress, by their conduct, have refuted or con firmed the charge of a breach of faith.The only thing Gen. Burgoyne could mean by the charge muft have been, to get the grievance complained of, quarters, redreffed; and this would have happened of courfe, on the imbarka tion's taking place.-Congrefs, on the other hand, alledge, that the cartoutboxes were with-held, and defcriptive lifts refused. Sure, if they meant to keep faith, and to vindicate their cha racter, their conduct would have been, to fufpend the imbarkation only till the cartouch-boxes and defcriptive lifts should be given; for thefe two articles were the only infractions with which they charged Gen. Burgoyne. Instead of this, they fufpend the imbarkation till a rati fication of the convention be obtained from the court of G. Britain; thereby adding a new condition to the conve tion, and delaying the execution of it; though with the fame breath they a prefsly fay they have no power to do e ther [40. 183.]; and this without e gaging to agree to the imbarkation wh the ratification should be obtained.

I

Our court condefcended (meanly think) to offer a formal ratifica tion; and the various fhifts devifed by Congress to evade performance, by which Mr Fox (who is as great an enemy t our miniftry as they are) fays [19.)

they have departed from every pri ciple that ought to bind men," were related in my former letter. [40.606.]

PAR

PARLIAMENT, seff. 1778-9. [644.] On the 8th of June Lord George Germain, in the committee on the conduct of the American war, opened the evidence in favour of administration. His object (he faid) was not to accufe any gentleman, but to defend minifters and himself. The evidence of Gen. Gray, if not overturned, would bear hard against adminiftration; but he trufted, that when gentlemen would confider, that the General had been only one year and ive months in America, and had feen 10 more of the country than what lies between the head of the Elk and Philadelphia, and between that city and New York, they would be of opinion, that owever high Gen. Gray stood in his miitary profeffion, and no officer ftood igher, he had certainly formed a hafty udgement of the people. He fhould rove, that a very confiderable part, if ot a majority of Americans, were riends to G. Britain; that there were ctually regimented in our service more Americans than were at prefent under the ebel commander; that we can raife men America for five or fix dollars a-piece, hile the congress could not get recruits nder 266. The evidence not having een lately in America, could not prove he latter fum to be the fum given in heir time, it was then fomewhat fhort fit; but the last dispatches made the ounty given by the congrefs to recruits mount to 75 1. Sterling. The difaffecon of the people to their new governent he could prove prefumptively from is circumftance, that though congrefs ad once expected to take the field with ,000 men, and had voted that number, ey had never been able to muster more an 20,000 in one army.

With regard to the adequacy of the rce fent out, his Lordthip had no oubt about it: the force had been adeate, not to the reduction of America sited against us, for fuch a reduction ould be impoffible, but to the reducon of rebellion. — The obje& of the thern expedition by the Capes of Virnia his Lordship did not understand. the General's favourite route to Phila Iphia had been by the head of the Elk, would, by landing at Newcaftle on e Delaware, have had a fine and a fhort ad. The General's reafon for not nding there, viz. That the enemy was force at Wilmington, he would prove VOL. XLI.

to be chimerical; for that there was not an enemy in force within fourscore miles of Newcastle. Another thing he had to obferve, was Sir William's not having made a diverfion in the Maffachufet's: he certainly could have fpared 3000 men for that purpofe; for he required only 11,000 rank-and-file for the expedition, and he had full 14,000 at the battle of Brandywine, while Washington had no more than 10,000. Sir William indeed had faid, and faid truly, that the rebelarmy confifted of 15,000 men; but in thefe were included the drivers, futtlers, &c.: he could prove to a man the number of effective fighting men in Washington's army in that battle, and that they amounted to no more than 10,000. Had a diversion been made in the Maffachu-fet's, Gen. Gates never could have muftered the army with which he had forced Gen. Burgoyne to furrender.

With regard to the northern expedition, he thought it highly justifiable, from the nature of the fervice, which had made the French undertake quite a fimilar one in the laft war. And as to its practicability, the General himself in whofe hands it failed, never entertained a doubt about it till the unfortunate affair at Bennington. Every fort where oppofition could be expected had been ta ken. Nay, the General himself, when he detached Col. Baum, gave him directions to meet him at Albany: fo fure he was of the practicability of the march. Unfortunately he changed his opinion, and ordered Col. Baum to Bennington, a march of 150 miles, (the distance a proof that little danger was apprehended); the detachment was cut off. enemy, by our delays in bringing up immenfe trains of artillery, and a great fuite of provifion waggons, was fuffered to grow stronger: for when Gates took upon him the command of the rebel-army, it confifted of no more than 2500; but by our delays it was fuffered to increafe to 18,000.

The

town, defiring to pay the damage; which the foldiers were acquainted with, and they never plundered more: That (being afked, he faid) he gave out the following order: "Newtown, Long island, Aug. 31. 1776. Brigade orders. Maj.-Gen Robertfon, refponsible for the actions of those he commands, takes upon him felf the expence of fatisfying the people of the village for the depredations com mitted upon them by part of the first brgade laft evening. Without first doing this piece of justice, he could not have prefumed to intercede for pardon to thofe a court-martial has condemned. He hopes for the future the troops wil abstain from a crime which difgraces e ven victory, and defeats the King's i tentions to protect and reclaim his Ame rican fubjects:" That to encourage ge tlemen in the country to take commi fions, and exert themselves to raise provincial corps, they got British pay: That he thinks the bounty-money to a recrut for inlifting into thefe corps was about five dollars; and that he heard the rete paid a high bounty for recruits, and th when a militiaman was drafted, he heard that fometimes Ico l. currency was paid for a fubftitute: That he heard that the congrefs voted, for the campaign 17 eighty-five or eighty-fix battalions, sc men in each; but he often heard they never got half: That in the campaign 1777 we had 52,815 men; of whan, 40,874 were under the command of Sir W. Howe: That he thinks we had at that time a force that could beat any the rebels could produce against it, and be was always of that opinion: That he s well acquainted with the Hudson's river, and the country on each side of it: The (being asked, if he thought the opening à communication between Canada and New York, by taking poffeffion of Hudfon's river, would have been the me proper plan for putting an end to the bellion) Gen. Gage, and the officers & confulted with, acquainted Lord Dart mouth, that they thought that the be of all plans; and that this made him think the better of his own opinion that cafe: and that he was clear the force of our whole army was equal to have poffeffed the North river: That with respect to the propriety of the expedition to Philadelphia by Chefapes bay, the commander in chief might have had a thoufand reafons whic the witnefs did not know, and therr fore he could form no judgement ef

army, feeing flags of truce going between the two armies, expreffed fuch joy in the expectation of a treaty, as was thought might be attended with ill confequences; to prevent which Mr Washington gave out an order on the 20th of Auguft, affuring the troops that there was no treaty, although he had sent the proposals which he received from Lord and Gen. Howe to the congrefs on the 17th of Auguft [38.586.]: That though every exertion had been made by the congrefs and their adherents to bring a numerous army into the field for the campaign 1776, he never heard from good authority of any army they had collected of more than 16,000 men; and that at the end of the campaign, when Gen. Howe arrived in the Delaware, the numbers had dwindled greatly, fo that the army that went through the Jerseys were not above 8000: That order and discipline are not fo ufeful in any place as in woods; and a corps raifed in America, difciplined by an acquaintance of the witnefs, has fhewn it felf more fuperior to the rebels in the woods, than our beft battalions are to theirs in the open field: That, in order to conciliate the minds of the people, a proclamation was iffued, defiring the inhabitants to take a declaration: certificates were given to thofe who took it, and they had the King's pardon from the commiffioners: That numbers figned addreffes, commending our government, and abufing that of the rebels; thefe were printed, with people's names at large; and the army having foon left that country, the rebels took up the figners, banished them, or fent them to the mines: That there was a great deal of plundering of the inhabitants by our troops as they paffed through the country, by which we loft friends and made enemies: That the commander in chief gave orders against it repeatedly; but a number of officers who had come lately, and entertained a notion that the Americans were enemies, did not perhaps take care enough to prevent plundering, fo that it was very frequent: That the witnefs prevented plundering in the brigade which he commanded; that he always confidered the great object of the war to be the regaining of the people, and to do this by letting them fee we were their friends; that fome parties fent for water, having plundered Newtown in Long-iland, the witnefs had them tried and fentenced; application was made in their favour; and he fent to the