America could be made to renounce her independence-adding with perfect sincerity that "if his Lordship could not do it, no man could."-When his Grace concluded, Lord Chatham, his whole frame appearing to be struggling with some powerful emotion, attempted to rise-but the effort failed: he sunk, convulsed, into the arms that were held out to support him. The debate was immediately adjourned, and medical assistance sent for to his Lordship: but the minister of immortality had called-his Lordship revived but to linger a few short weeks, and died on the 11th of May, in the 70th year of his age.

Lord North had, early in March, officially communicated to Parliament, that a Treaty of amity, commerce and alliance had been concluded between France and the United States; and on the 20th of that month his Excellency the French Ambassador quitted London in pursuance of orders.

General Burgoyne, on his arrival in England shortly afterwards, finding that his Majesty would not deign to receive him, took his seat in the House of Commons; and there endeavoured to enlist a party in his favour by abusing the measures of the Ministry— but his sun was set; his voice was no longer listened to. He had sunk into contempt with all parties. Let us now return to the United States.

The new year found the American army at Valley Forge in a condition of extreme distress. They were suffering every privation and hardship, which a want of provisions and a want of clothing could bring upon them. So destitute, indeed, were they of every necessary, that Washington found himself obliged to wink at acts of depredation and plunder, which would otherwise have incurred his severest reprehension and

punishment. That he should have been enabled to keep his army together, under such circumstances, is the highest eulogium which can be paid to his character. Nor do the soldiers themselves deserve less praise, for the unparalleled fortitude and patience, with which they endured the severities of winter, without shoes and blankets, and the fatigues and hardships of continued marching, without food. Was this the effect of discipline, or was it patriotism? To say that it was the latter, would be perhaps to decide against the testimony of all history, which furnishes no example of patience under such accumulated sufferings, which could be traced to the influence of patriotism alone. But if discipline could effect it, why are such instances so rare? Love and respect for their Chief, had no doubt considerable influence on the conduct of the army; but we must suppose also that the enthusiasm, which first brought the American soldiery to the standard of their country, had not yet subsided ; and that, however contrary it may appear to the history of the world, or to the nature of man, the great body of our Revolutionary soldiers felt the value of the prize for which they were contending, and acted under the impulse of patriotick feelings, which in their case was but little different from self love. The greater part of them had an interest at stake as great as that of the Congress itself; upon the fate of their country depended their own; those who thus felt imparted the same feeling to their comrades; and this, united to a strong personal regard for Washington, prevented the entire dissolution of the army during the unexampled miseries of the present winter.

Amidst all these causes of disquietude and chagrin, Washington found that his secret enemies were still

at work, to deprive him of the confidence of Congress, and remove him from the command of the army. To aid them in their dark and traitorous machinations, a report had been industriously spread, that he meant to resign. No positive proofs were ever brought to light of the authors of this plot; but circumstances were developed sufficiently strong to lead to the suspicion, that Lord Stirling, General Conway, and Samuel Adams, were principal actors in it, and that these were aided by several members of Congress. The design seems to have been to force Washington into a resignation, and to raise Gates, Lee, or Conway, to the head of the army. Whether General Gates was really ignorant of the machinations against the Commander in Chief, may be considered as doubtful; but nothing appears to justify a belief that he took an active part in them, or that he would have consented to raise himself upon the ruin of Washington. When the paragraph, said to have been taken from a letter of General Conway to General Gates, in which the inefficiency of the Commander in Chief was openly alleged, was communicated to Washington, the plain and obvious course for General Gates to have pursued, was to have laid the whole letter open to the inspection of Washington, and thus have removed all suspicion that he was in any degree a party to the assersion. But General Gates contented himself with denying, in terms rather more equivocal than conscious innocence would have dictated, that the letter contained the paragraph in question; and his conduct on the occasion towards Brigadier General Wilkinson, who had been falsely accused by Lord Stirling of having communicated the paragraph, was certainly not the conduct of one wholly innocent of ambitious designs.

But the plot, whatever might have been its design, or whoever might have been its contrivers and abettors, fortunately for the country, did not succeed. It served but to raise Washington still higher in the estimation of his country.

The situation of the American army was rendered still further distressing by the great number of sick, and the horrible mismanagement of the Hospital Department. The Director General, Doctor Shippen, was openly accused of the meanest peculation, in selling the wines and other stores provided for the sick, and of the most unpardonable neglect in never visiting the Hospitals. Doctor Rush, Physician General of the middle district, asserted that one half the soldiers who died, "perished by the present medical establishment," and that he might not be considered as participating in the guilt of such neglect, he requested permission to resign his appointment. A committee was sometime afterwards appointed by Congress to inquire into the conduct of the Director General, but it was too late to remedy the evil. Thousands had already fallen a sacrifice to the inattention of the Hospital Department.

The Commissariat had been saddled with so many restrictions by Congress, that it became another source of inconvenience and trouble to the Commander in Chief; and that body were at length induced to do away all their former resolutions on the subject, and appoint a Commissary General with unlimited authority over his department.

Early in the year, Congress had determined upon the invasion of Canada, without a single requisite for so arduous an undertaking, in the depth of winter. The young Marquis de la Fayette was chosen to

command this expedition, with the Generals Conway and Starke, and the Baron de Kalb; but as might have been foreseen, the idea was abandoned almost as soon as formed, and it was followed by the resignation of General Conway as Inspector General. Washington had now an opportunity of recommending his friend the Baron de Steuben for that important office, which was soon after conferred upon him by Congress, with the rank of Major General. The great military talents of the Baron, were soon rendered conspicuous in the improved discipline of the men; and his cordial cooperation in all the views of Washington, rendered him eminently serviceable in effecting a radical and permanent reform in the army.

About the same time, the Count Pulaski was empowered to raise an independent legion; and the same power, with the rank of Major Commandant, was given to Captain Henry Lee of Virginia, whose gallant services with his brave troop of light dragoons have already been noticed.

General Gates, in the mean time, was ordered to take command of the troops in the northern department, and to make such a disposition of his means, as effectually to secure the passes of the highlands on the North River.

While these preparations were making by the Americans for a vigorous opening of the campaign, Sir William Howe was passing the winter in Philadelphia, as he had done that in Boston-in a full and licentious enjoyment of all its pleasures. His conduct here again gave rise to surmises and suspicions injurious to his reputation as a soldier, and as a man of honour. That he should have spent the winter in