I should have done myself the honor to have informed you of our arrival and of some other matters before this, but my worthy colleague on closing a letter a few days since acquainted me that he addressed it to you-and had given you such information respecting the ship and other affairs as he thought necessary.(1) I therefore hoped to be excused if I delayed writing for a short space. I trust the alteration in the vessel can by no means disconcert any plan of your's. How far it may benefit, or injure the public, I am incapable of Judging.
The enemy at Philadelphia for three weeks past have been doing and undoing-one day extremely busy in fortifying and the next in demolishing-in short their manoeuvres are so various as to render it utterly impossible to guess what measures they mean finally to pursue. From every circumstance however their intention to evacuate the City is beyond doubt; how long that step may be retarded by the late arrival of Commissioners from England is altogether uncertain. The Commissioners have directed their General to apply to General Washington to obtain a passport for a Dr Ferguson, Secretary to
I hardly think Congress will have the honor of seeing those gentlemen Commissioners very soon, unless they comply with measures which from the present conduct of the enemy we have little reason to expect. They have come out for the pretended purpose of settling the dispute to the mutual advantage of both parties and their army have very lately commenced another campaign with marks of cruelty peculiar to themselves. The barbarities committed on the defenceless inhabitants of the frontiers of this State and of Virginia by the savage Tories and a few of the British troops are almost incredible; means are now devising to put a stop to such tragical proceedings.
I do not recollect any thing further worth communicating, but as any matters of that kind shall turn up you will doubtless have them from one or the other of us.
I pursued my plan relative to the small pox and had the disorder very favorable.
We had an agreeable journey enough for the times, though we were considerably hardshipped in passing through Connecticut being often pushed to find provender for our horses or entertainment for ourselves-occasioned partly by the multiplicity of travellers, but principally by the wisdom of partial regulations, that State you know having come fully into the mode of restricting prices. Before that happened I imagine a traveller must have met with most excellent fare; for we could scarcely ride a mile without reaching the sign of a sign. So powerful were the operations of the Act that nothing but the posts were left standing. I am too well acquainted with your generosity to attempt an apology for troubling you with the letter to Mrs Wentworth (3) and should she forward to your hands a letter for me, I must presume on your kindness so much further as to desire you to cover it in a line.