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incerity, as well as of the invariable nature, of his attachment to the true interests of his country. Gen. Robertfon prefented now alfo, a long letter from him, tending to the exculpation of Major André, by rendering him felf the author of every part of his conduct; and particularly infifting, on his coming from the Vulture, under a flag which he had fent for the purpose. After a long ftatement and reprefentation of circumstances, he declared, that if the board of generals, fhould notwithstanding adhere to their former opinion, he fhould fuppofe it dictated by paffion and refentment; and if that gentleman fhould fuffer the feverity of their fentence, he should think himfelf bound by every tie of duty and honour, to retaliate en fuch unhappy perfons of their army as might fall within his power, fo that the refpect due to Hags, and to the law of nations, might be better understood and obferved. He also obferved, that forty of the principal inhabitants of South Carolina had juftly forfeited their lives, which had hitherto been only fpared through the clemency of Sir Henry Clinton; but who could no longer, in juftice, extend his mercy to them, if Major André fuffered; event, which would probably open a scene of bloodshed, at which humanity muft revolt. He adjured Washington, by his own honour, and for that of humanity, as well as from his love of juftice, not to fuffer an unjuft fentence to touch the life of André. But if that warning fhould be difregarded, and André notwithstanding faffer, he called hea.

an

ven and earth to witness, that he alone would be juftly answerable for the torrents of blood' that might be spilt in confequence.

It may well be doubted, whether any thing at that time could have encreased the danger of the unhappy predicament in which André already ftood; and Gen. Arnold's interpofition must have been well intended; but letters from him, in the then ftate of things, it was evident could be of little service.

The fucceeding day oa. zd. was to clofe the tragedy. André was fuperior to the terrors of death; but that difgraceful mode of dying, which the ufage of war had annexed to his unhappy fituation, was, to him, infinitely dreadful. He equally wished to die like a foldier, and that, fo far as it was poffible, every trace and memorial of the caufe which led to his fall might be erafed. He had accordingly written a pathetic letter, fraught with all the feelings of a man of fentiment and honour, to Washington, imploring a mitigation in that refpect. How far a relaxation of the rigid maxims and ufages of war, might upon this occafion with propriety have been indulged, is à question that involves too many confiderations, for us to enter into. But as it was not deemed fitting to grant the requeft, it was thought humane to evade giving a direct anfwer. He encountered his fate with a compofure, dignity and fortitude, which equally excited the admiration, and melted the hearts of all the fpectators.

The fympathy which André excited in the American army, is

perhaps

perhaps unexampled, under any fimilar circumftances. It was faid, that the whole board of general officers shed tears, at the time of drawing up and figning the report; and that even Washington's eyes were not dry, upon hearing the circumstances of his death. His first requeft to that commander, of being treated with the diftinction due to his rank and character, without regard to his then apparent condition, was, in every instance, excepting only what related to the mere manner of dying, mot fully complied with. All thofe about him, or that he ever faw, treated him with the most marked attention, with the greateft tenderness, and the moft fcrupulous delicacy. The account of him given by Col. Hamilton, aid de camp to Wafhington, feems rather the elegant eulogium of a warm friend, than the narrative of an enemy, defcribing the confequences of an attempt which he could not but abhor, and which in its fuccefs, would have gone to the deftruction of himself, his party, and friends.

This facrifice, which, in their fituation, it is probable the Americans thought abfolutely neceffary, concluded this unfortunate tranfaction. Washington transmitted Mrs. Arnold to her huf. band at New York; who found himfelf obliged to acknowledge in one of his letters, the protection and kindness which she had received from that commander, as well as the obligations fhe was under to the gentlemen of his family. He likewife fent him his cloaths and baggage, which Arnold had written for. But with

refpect to all other matters, his letters were paffed over without the fmalleft notice.

The failure of Arnold's grand project, the unhappy event of which it was productive, (and which deeply affected the whole British army) with the other peculiar circumftances in which he was involved, feemed to render it indifpenfibly neceffary, that he fhould either perform fuch fignal fervice, as would ferve to fpread a luftre upon his prefent fituation, or at least take fuch irreconcileable measures with refpect to his old friends, as fhould convince his new, that he left no room open for a future retreat. was made a brigadier general in the British army in America; and it was hoped, that with the aid of the Loyalifts, and the difcontented of all forts, under the allurements of British pay and promotion, he could raise a confiderable body of forces, to act under his own separate command. If this could be compaffed, he might again appear with eclat in the field, juftify his defection by fuccefs, and by fplendid action, difpel the clouds which hung upon his character.

He

His first public measure, was the iffuing an address directed to the inhabitants of America.—In this piece, he takes a review of his own former conduct, affigns the motives on which it was founded, and then justifies his prefent, by declaring thofe which had induced him to join the king's arms. He had first encountered the dangers of the field upon a conception, that the rights of his country were in danger, and that duty and honour called him to

her

her defence.

A redress of grievances was his only object. He however acquiefced in the declaration of independence, although he thought it precipitate. But the many plaufible reasons which were urged to justify that meafure, could no longer exist, when Great Britain, with the open arms of a parent, offered to embrace them as children, and to grant the wifhed for redress. From the refufal of thofe propofals, and the pretended French alliance, which was made the ground of that refufal, all his ideas and opinions, with refpect to the juftice and policy of the war, were totally changed; and he from thence became a confirmed loyalist.

He throws a vast weight of cenfure upon the Congrefs, their leaders at large, and that clafs of undefined men, who are faid to be criminally protracting the war, from finifter views, at the expence of the public intereft. He talks of the thoufands, who are fuffering under the tyranny of the ufurpers in the revolted provinces. He repeats many of the arguments which had been used by the late commiffioners in America, and by the writers at that time on the British fide, to fhew the impolicy, tyranny, and injustice, which, along with a fovereign contempt of the people, had operated on the ruling powers, in ftudiously neglecting to take their collective fentiments on the British proposals of peace; and likewife to fhew, that the treaty with France was not then by any means binding. He equally attacks France, and condemns the alliance; laments that the great in

terefts of that country were dangerously facrificed, to the partial views of a proud, antient, and crafty foe; calls her offers infidious; regards her as too feeble to establish their independency; charges her with being the enemy of the proteftant faith; and with fraudulently avowing an affection for the liberties of mankind, while fhe holds her native fons in vaffalage and flavery.

He feems to think that a great multitude, if not the body of the people, hold the fame fentiments with refpect to public affairs, which he has himself now avowed; and to account for his having fo long acted directly contrary to this avowal, he openly acknowledges, that in those principles, he had only retained his arms and command, for fuch an opportunity as he thought fitting for furrendering them to Great Britain; and that, (according to his own explanation)

in concerting the measures for "a purpose, in his opinion, as

grateful as it would have been "beneficial for his country, he was only folicitous to accomplish an event of decifive im

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portance, and to prevent, as "much as poffible, in the exe"cution of it, the effufion of "blood."

This was followed in about a fortnight, by a proclamation, infcribed to the officers and foldiers of the continental army, who have the real intereft of their country at heart, and who are determined to be no longer the tools and dupes of Congress, or of France.

Under a perfuafion, that the principles he had fo lately avowed, animated the greateft part of the continent, he rejoiced in the op

portunity

portunity he now had, of inviting thofe whom he addreffed, to join his majefty's arms. He was authorized to raife a corps of cavalry and infantry, who, with refpect to pay, cloathing, and fubfillance, were to be upon the fame footing, with the other troops in the British fervice. As an allurement to the private men, they were to receive a bounty of three guineas each, befides payment, at the full value, for horfes, arms, and accoutrements; and as he had the appointment of the officers, he thould with infinite fatisfaction embrace the opportunity of advancing men whofe valour he had witneffed. It was, however, expected, that they fhould either bring in or recruit in a reasonable time, a certain number of men in proportion to their rank.

Great as thefe encouragements, he faid, muft appear, to those who had fuffered every diftrefs, of want of pay, hunger, and nakedness, from the neglect, contempt, and corruption of Congrefs, they were nothing to the motives which, he expected, would influence their brave and generous minds. He wifhed to lead a chofen band of Americans, to the attainment of peace, liberty and fafety, and with them to fhare in the glory of refcuing their native country from the grasping hand of France, as well as from the ambitious and interested views of a defperate party among themfelves, who had already brought the colonies to the very brink of deftruction. Could they now want evidence, that the funds of their country were either exhaufted, or that the managers had applied them to their own private ufes? And, in either cafe,

could they any longer continue in their fervice with honour or advantage? The tyranny of their rulers, had robbed them of their property, imprisoned their perfons, drags them to the field of battle, and is daily deluging their country with their blood.

He asked, what America was now, but a land of widows, orphans, and beggars? Even their laft ftake, religion, he reprefented to be in fuch danger, as to have no other fecurity, than what depended upon the exertions of the parent country for their deliverance. In proof, or illuftration of this, he afferted a fact upon his own knowledge; viz. That he had lately feen their mean and profligate Congrefs at mafs, for the foul of a Roman Catholic im purgatory, and participating in the rites of a church, against whofe anti-christian corruptions, their pious ancestors would have witneffed with their blood.

On this the writers in the American papers remarked, that no other man in America, had ever paid fo marked an attention to, or ever entered into fuch clofe habits of intimacy and apparent friendfhip with the French agents, confuls, and refidents in that country, as he had uniformly done. That his fine houfe at Philadelphia was not only at all times devoted to their fervice, but that he had maintained Monf. Gerard, with his whole family and fuite, for feveral weeks in it, in the most fumptuous manner, until the Congrefs were able to provide one proper for his reception. And that his conftant magnificence and expence, in concerts, balls and entertainments, for the Gallican

ftrangers,

ftrangers, were in a ftile far fuperior to any thing of the fort before known in that part of the world; fo that the French themfelves confidered him, as one of the warmest friends to their country on the whole continent. How far this is true, we are totally unable to determine. According to our custom, we fairly state the reprefentations on both fides; and laying facts together, we do our beft to enable the reader, to judge of the true condition of America, and the value of our expectations from the state of parties there.

The only public notice taken of Arnold's defection, on the fide of America, was a proclamation iffued by the executive power of the ftate in Penfylvania, wherein his name was placed at the head of a lift of ten fuppofed traitors, and of whom five were no higher than the rank of yeomen; who were all fummoned to furrender by a given day, in order to abide trial for the treafons wherewith they were charged; or, in cafe of failure, to be fubjected to all the pains, penalties, and forfeitures, of high treafon.

However difappointed by the failure of Gen. Arnold's original defign, and of his fubfequent proclamations, hopes were ftill entertained of the diffentions and diftreffes which prevailed in the revolted provinces; and which thefe proclamations appear by no means to have exaggerated. The depreciation of their paper currency was arrived at its ultimate pitch, and it produced all its natural confequences. Some of the earlier emiflions of that currency, fell infinitely below their nominal value; that is, one hundred filver VOL. XXIV.

dollars, produced as much value at market, as eight or ten thoufand paper ones. And even the later emiffions, or those which were moft valued, had fallen at the rate of forty to one. At the fame time, that the circumstances of the war, had raised the price of all foreign commodities, and of many of the most effential articles, to the moft enormous pitch. Without fuppofing very much of mal-adminiftration, we muft fuppofe fuch a depreciation the inevitable confequence of vaft paper emiffions, without an adequate money fund to give them ftrength, and currency.

This particularly affected, and was indeed exceedingly ruinous to the American officers; for although the foldiers were ill clad, and otherwife greatly diftreffed, they were, however, on the whole, well fupplied with provifions. But many, if not most of the officers, had been under a neceffity of mortgaging their small cltates, to the utmost which they could raise upon them, in order to fupport the enormous expences of the fervice. These grievances they had long and repeatedly remonftrated upon, both to the Congrefs, and to the governments of their respective ftates; nor were the complaints confined to fubalterns, but proceeded equally from the field and general officers. After long waiting, with most aftonishing patience, the iffue of hopes and promifes which were never realized, it was at length so much exhausted, and their wants became fo urgent, that a great number of the officers were upon the point of throwing up their commiffions, and faid they muft preferve themfelves from

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