defect, I shall immediately establish a line of expresses from hence to the neighbourhood of their army, and send thither a sensible, judicious person, to give us information of their movements. This intelligence will, I hope, be conveyed at the rate of one hundred and twenty miles in the twenty-four hours. They set out to their stations to-morrow. I wish it were possible that a like speedy line of communication could be formed, from hence to your Excellency's head quarters. Perfect and speedy information of what is passing in the south, might put it in your power, perhaps, to frame your measures by theirs. There is really nothing to oppose the progress of the enemy northward, but the cautious principle of the military art. North Carolina is without arms. They do not abound with us. Those we have are freely imparted to them; but such is the state of their resources, that they have not been able to , move a single musket from this state to theirs. All the wagons we can collect here have been furnished to the Baron De Kalb, and are assembled for the march of two thousand five hundred men under General Stevens, of Culpepper, who will move on the nineteenth instant. I have written to Congress to hasten supplies of arms and military stores for the southern states, and particularly to aid us with cartridge paper and boxes, the want of which articles, small as they are, renders our stores useless. The want of money cramps every effort. This will be supplied by the most unpalatable of all substitutes, force. Your Excellency will readily conceive, that after the loss of our army, our eyes are turned towards the other, and that we comfort ourselves with the hope, that if any

aids can be furnished by you, without defeating operations more beneficial to the Union, they will be furnished. At the same time, I am happy to find that the wishes of the people go no further, as far as I have an opportunity of learning their sentiments.— Could arms be furnished, I think this state and North Carolina would embody from ten to fifteen thousand militia immediately, and more, if necessary. I hope ere long to be able to give you a more certain statement of the enemy's as well as our own situation." On July 2d, in a letter to the same, he writes: "I have received from the committee of Congress, at head quarters, three letters calling for aids of men and provisions. I beg leave to refer you to my letter to them, of this date, on those subjects. I thought it necessary, however, to suggest to you the preparing an arrangement of officers for the men; for though they are to supply our battalions, yet, as our whole line officers, almost, are in captivity, I suppose some temporary provision must be made. We cheerfully transfer to you every power which the Executive might exercise on this occasion. As it is possible you may cast your eye on the unemployed officers now within the state, I write to General Muhlenburg to send you a return of them. I think the men will be rendezvoused within the present month. The bill, indeed, for raising them is not actually passed, but it is in its last stage, and no opposition to any essential parts of it. I will take care to notify you of its passsge. I have, with great pain, perceived your situation; and the more so, as, being situated between two fires, a division of sentiment has arisen both in Congress and here, as to which the re

sources of this country should be sent. The removal of General Clinton to the northward must, of course, have great influence on the determination of this question; and I have no doubt but considerable aids may be drawn hence for your army, unless a larger one should be embodied in the south, than the force of the enemy there seems to call for."

The legislature had become fully aware of their danger, and adopted the most vigorous measures for the increase and support of the southern army. They conferred on the Governour new and extraordinary powers; and that officer exerted himself in every mode which ingenuity could suggest, to ward off the approaching danger.

While, however, all eyes were turned to the south, and the anxiety of expectation rested there, a sudden attack in another quarter was the more disastrous, as it was totally unforeseen.

Arnold, whose treachery seems to have increased the natural daring and recklessness of his temper, aware of the unprotected situation of Virginia on the seaboard, formed a plan for an attack on that quarter.— He set sail from New York, with sixteen hundred men, and, supported by a number of armed vessels, ascended James river, and landed about fifteen miles below Richmond. All the militia of the state that could be supplied with arms, had been already called out, and placed in the neighbourhood of Williamsburgh, under the orders of General Nelson. This event seemed to leave the Governour almost without resource; he saw the enemy within a few miles of the capital of the state, which was entirely undefended;

he collected hastily about two hundred half-armed militia, whom he placed under the command of Baron Steuben, for the purpose of protecting the removal of the records and military stores across James river; he superintended their movements in person, with the utmost zeal, courage, and prudence; and he was seen coolly issuing his orders until the enemy had actually entered the lower part of the town, and began to flank it with their light horse.. "As the order for drawing militia here," writes the Governour to General Washington, "had been given but two days, no opposition was in readiness. Every effort was therefore necessary to withdraw the arms and other military stores, records, &c. from this place. Every effort was accordingly exerted to convey them to the foundry, five miles, and to a laboratory, six miles above this place, till about sunset of that day, when we learned that the enemy had come to an anchor at Westover that morning. We then knew that this, and not Petersburgh, was their object, and began to carry across the river every thing remaining here, and to remove what had been transported to the foundry and laboratory, to Westham, the nearest crossing, seven miles above this place, which operation was continued till they had approached very near. They marched from Westover at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 4th, and entered Richmond at one o'clock in the afternoon of the 5th. A regiment of infantry and about thirty horse continued on, without halting, to the foundry. They burnt that, the boring mill, the magazine, and two other houses, and proceeded to Westham; but nothing being in their power there, they retired to Rich

mond. The next morning they burnt some buildings of publick and private property, with what stores remained in them, destroyed a great quantity of private stores, and about twelve o'clock retired towards Westover, where they encamped within the Neck the next day. The loss sustained is not yet accurately known. As far as I have been able to discover, it consisted, at this place, of about three hundred muskets, some soldiers' clothing to a small amount, some quarter-master's stores, of which one hundred and twenty sides of leather was the principal article, part of the artificers' tools, and three wagons. Besides which, five brass four-pounders, which we had sunk in the river, were discovered to them, raised and carried off. At the foundry, we lost the greater part of the papers belonging to the Auditor's office, and of the books and papers of the Council office. About five or six tons of powder, as we conjecture, was thrown into the canal, of which there will be a considerable saving by remanufacturing it. The roof of the foundry was burned, but the stacks of chimneys and furnaces not at all injured. The boring mill was consumed.-Within less than forty-eight hours from the time of their landing, and nineteen from our knowing their destination, they had penetrated 'thirty-three miles, done the whole injury, and retired. Their numbers, from the best intelligence I have had, are about fifteen hundred infantry, and as to their cavalry, accounts vary from fifty to one hundred and twenty; and the whole commanded by the parricide Arnold. Should they loiter a little longer, I still flatter myself they will not escape with total impunity. To what place they will