ing on we hauled our wind, and failed in fight of her all night. About twelve at noon the next day, it being almoft calm, and the strange ship about half a mile to leeward, the hoifted Rebel colours, and gave the Atalanta and us a broadfide, we being then very nigh to each other; we then bore up clofe alongfide of her, the Atalanta on the ftarboard, and the Trepaffey on the larboard quarter, and began to engage. About an hour after the action began, Capt. Smith, of the Trepafley, was killed; upon which I fent to Lieutenant King to acquaint him thereof, in order to his refuming the command, and engaged the enemy in the fame pofition for two hours and an half longer, and at laft ftruck the colours, in obedience to the orders he fent me by Mr. Samuel Pitts, a midfhipman of the fhip: we loft five feamen killed, and ten wounded in the action, which ended at half past three P. M. The Atalanta continued to engage fome time, and then ftruck alío. The rebel frigate proved to be the Alliance. Captain Edwards of the Atalanta, and his lieutenant, and alfo Lieutenant King of the Trepaffey, are carried away as prifoners, and myself was left in charge of the two fhips companies put on board of the Trepaffey by Mr. Berry, Captain of the Alliance, who for that purpose diffabled and turned the Trepaffey into a cartel brig; and have brought her in here, with Germain, to the Commiffioners appointed to restore Peace to America, dated Whitehall, March 7, 1781*. I HAVE received your dif patches of the 2d of Jan. together with the letter from Sir Henry Clinton of the 21ft of the fame month, and have had the honour to lay them before his majefty. The proclamation of 29th December, which came inclosed with your difpatches, will, I hope, produce thofe good effects which you expect from it, and which, by its being fo well-timed, gives every reafon to hope for. It will be a great fatisfaction to me to prefent the king with an addrefs from any one of the revolted provinces, begging your interceffion *This letter and the one following, were taken by the French in the packet for North America, and were afterwards published in the Amsterdam Gazette.. for for pardon, and its being restored to the privilege of British fubjects. The narrow limits within which you have circumfcribed your exceptions, and the generality of affurances given by you of re-establishing the former conftitutions, were, I doubt not, very judicious, neceffary, and convenient but as there are many things in the conftitution of fome of thofe colonies, and indeed in all of them, in which the people wifhed to fee fome alterations; and there being others, which it is the common intereft of both countries to change, you must be very careful left either your actions or proclamations should preclude a thorough inveftigation of thofe objects, or prevent the poffibility of introducing, in their conftitution, fuch alterations as the people may chufe to grant or folicit." fion to monarchy, it may be in your power to prevent the commiffioners making any conceffion that may tend to keep up thofe principles amongst the inhabitants, and to fee that no alteration be made in their conftitutions, as it is intended to establish amongst them diftinctions of rank, and new model their government, by that of Great Britain. This method would certainly be more advantageous to the people, as it would bind them more firmly to this country, and be the means of preventing calamities fimilar to those they now experience." Copy of a Letter written by Mr. Meyrick to General Arnold. THE following copy of a letter written by Mr. Meyrick, one of the army agents in London, to General Arnold, was found in the packet, which was intercepted in its paffage to NewYork:-. Parliament-ftreet, 30th Jan. 1781. "SIR, "I have received the honour of your different letters, inclofing bills of exchange upon Harley and Drummond (bankers to the court) to the amount of 5,000l. fterling, of the receipt of which I regularly gave you notice. On the day they were paid, I placed the fum in the funds in compliance with your intimation; and as the time was extremely favourable, I flatter myfelf with the pleafure of meeting your approbation, and that you will be pleafed with the manner in which I have dipofed of it. As As it is probable that fome orders may arrive from you, directing the difpofal of your money in fome different way from that in which I have employed it, I thought it best not to fhut up entirely, as a long time might elapfe before I received from you the neceffary powers for transferring the capital, in cafe I had purchased the ftock in your name; mean while the dividends could not have been received for your use. The method I have adopted is commonly practifed in fimilar cafes, and I can immediately alter it in whatever manner you think proper, as foon as you will do me the honour to give me notice of your fentiments by a letter. The account is as follows: Bought by Meffrs. Samuel and William Scholey, Stock-Brokers, for Major-General Arnold, 7,000l. fterling in the new annuities, at 724 per cent. in the manner following: There then remains of the 5,000l. three pounds thirteen fhillings and fix-pence. Thus by this method, if I receive any inftructions from you for employing your money in a different manner, I can fell out the 6,900l. and dispose of your money agreeable to your directions. before this letter reaches you; and if it is your with that 'it should remain in the funds, it can be placed under your name, by my tranfferring the 6,900l. and joining it to your tool. The reafon of my purchafing the latter fum in your name, was, that you might have an account open. The letter of attorney, here enclosed, enables me alfo to receive the dividends for the whole 7,000l. after I have transferred, if it is your with that I fhould do it. I hope that I have now explained every thing fufficiently, and I can affure you, I have acted with greater care in this tranfaction than if it had been for myself. I have the honour to be, o 16 To the Honourable Benjamin Harrifon, Efq; Speaker of the House of Delegates, Richmond, Virginia. £.4,996 66 Head Quarters, New Windfor, March 27, 1781. DEAR SIR, On my return from Newport, I found your favour of the 16th of February, with its inclofures, at Head Quarters. I exceeding ly regret that I could not have the pleasure of feeing you, not only from perfonal motives, but because I could have entered upon the subject of your miffion, in a much more free and full manner than is proper to be committed to paper. I very early faw the difficulties and dangers to which the fouthern ftates would be expofed for refources of cloathing, arms, and ammunition, and recommended magazines to be eftablifhed, as ample as their circumstances would admit. It is true, they are not fo full of men as the northern states; but they ought for that reason to have been more affiduous in raifing a permanent force, to have been always ready, because they cannot draw a head of men together, as fuddenly as their exigencies may require. That policy has unhappily not been purfued either here or there, and we are now fuffering from the remnant of a British army what they could not, in the beginning, accomplish with their forces at the higheft. As your requifitions go to men, arms, ammunition, and cloathing, I fhall give you a short detail of our fituation and profpects, as to the firft, and of our fupplies and expectations as to the three laft. Men. By the expiration of the times of fervice of the old troops, by the discharge of the levies engaged for the campaign only-and VOL. XXIV. the Pennsylvanian line, I was left, previous to the march, of the detachment under the command of the Marquis de la Fayette, with a garrifon barely fufficient for the fecurity of Weft Point-and two regiments in Jerfey, to fupport the communication between the Delaware and North River. The York troops I had been obliged to fend up for the fecurity of the frontiers of that state. Weak however as we were, I determined to attempt the diflodgment of Arnold in conjunction with the French fleet and army, and made the detachment to which I have alluded. by the unfortunate diffolution of In my late tour to the eastward, I found the accounts I had received of the progrefs of recruiting in thofe ftates, had been much exaggerated-and I fear we fhall, in the end, be obliged again to take a great proportion of their quotas in levies for the campaign, instead of foldiers for three years, or for the war. The regiments of NewYork having been reduced to two, they have but few men to raise. Jerfey depends upon voluntary enliftments upon a contracted bounty, and I cannot therefore promife myself much fuccefs from the mode. The Pennsylvania line you know is ordered to compofe part of the fouthern army. General Wayne is fo fanguine as to fuppofe he will foon be able to move on with 1000 or 1200 men, but I fancy he rather over-rates the matter. You will readily perceive, from the foregoing ftate, that there is little probability of adding to the force already ordered to the fouthward. For fhould the battalions from New-Hampshire to New[R] Jersey Jerfey inclufive be compleated (a thing not to be expected), we shall, after the neceffary detachments for the frontiers and other purpofes are made, have an army barely fufficient to keep the enemy in check in New-York. Except this is done, they will have nothing to hinder them from throwing further reinforcements to the fouthward; and to be obliged to follow by land every detachment of their army, which they always make by fea, will only end in a fruitlefs diffipation of what may now be called the northern army. You may be affured that the most powerful diverfion that can be made in favour of the fouthern ftates, will be a refpectable force in the neighbourhood of NewYork. I have hitherto been speaking of our own refources. Should a reinforcement arrive to the French fleet and army, the face of matters may be entirely changed. Arms. I do not find that we can, at any rate, have more than 2000 ftand of arms to fpare, perhaps not fo many; for fhould the battalions which are to compofe this army be compleat, or nearly fo, they will take all that are in repair or repairable. The 2000 ftand came in the alliance from France, and I kept them apart for an exigency. Ammunition. Our ftock of am- Hon. Benj. Harrison, Efq. munition, though competent to the defenfive, is, by a late estimate of the commanding officer of artillery, vaftly fhort of an offenfive operation of any confequence. Should circumftances put it in our power to attempt such an one, we muft depend upon the private magazines of the states, and upon our allies.- On the contrary, Mr. Adams, ambaffador from the American Congrefs at Amfter- |