with this remark, "the enclosed, was communicated by Col. Wilkinson to Major M Williams."a Having thus sown his seed, our intriguer left it to vegetate, and pursued his journey to York; whence, in a long and affectionate letter to Gates, he admonishes his much loved friend against ever, in future, suffering his papers, public or private, to be inspected.

On the 6th of November, Congress bestowed upon him what, from his own account, he had so well deserved-the rank of Brigadier General-after which, he immediately repaired to head quarters, and was neither disappointed nor displeased with the reception he met.

C

While the new Brigadier, was thus making his court and exhibiting his stars, his old friend and patron, was not on a bed of roses. He had received a letter from Mifflin, advising him of the trick that had been played him ;-that an extract from General 'Conway's letter had been procured and sent to Head Quarters,' and though a collection of just sentiments, yet such as should not have been intrusted to any of his family.' The hint was lost upon Gates, who did not recollect, that of the young men who then composed his staff, Wilkinson was the only one with whom Mifflin was acquainted, and that therefore the suspicion was necessarily directed at him he could not admit, for a moment, that the protegè whom he had nourished, caressed and exalted; that the friend of his bosom, who had so recently admonished him against overweening confidence, could have been either indiscreet, or flagitious; and accordingly, his reception of Wilkinson was, what it used to be, cordial and confidential.

The subject nearest the old General's heart, was soonest on his lips ;-"We have had," he says, "a spy in the camp, since you left us;-Conway's letter has been stolen and copied, and an extract sent to Head Quarters." "And whom do you suspect," replies Wilkinson, "any of the family?" "No-Hamilton was left alone in this room, and may have taken the letter from that closet." Now reader, what answer would you expect from one, whose 're'ligious principles were always alive and active'-from one, the 'jewel of whose soul was honour'-from one, unconscious of ever 'having done wrong to mortal man'-from one, who so often and solemnly appeals to the Searcher of all hearts,' for the purity of his own?-Not surely prevarication, nor falsehood; nor an attempt to deceive his benefactor, and ruin the reputation of an unoffending companion and friend? Such certainly would have been our con

a Vol. I. p. 386.

b Vol. I. p. 337.

c Two silver stars, on gold straps, were the insignia of a Brigadier General's epaulettes.

d Vol. I. p. 374.

clusion-but listen to Judas-" Is it not more probable," says he, "that Troup, who was Hamilton's intimate friend, may have incautiously whispered the secret to him?" What epithets, reader, are strong enough to characterize this conduct? Can any thing more base, hollow, or flagitious, be imagined? But let us not be hasty in giving judgment; let us hear and weigh the defence that a lapse of forty years has enabled him to make.

In page 330, the subject is first introduced, and we are told, that in Oct. 1777, Conway's letter' and 'his thirteen reasons for the 'loss of the battle of Brandywine,' were table-talk both in Easton and Reading: but here the author pauses in his narration, recoils from his own story, and to enliven himself and his reader, resorts to two episodes the adventures of Madame De Reidhesel, and a critique, of his own, on the battle of Germantown. At page 372, Conway and his letter appear again and occupy three pages; when lo! they give place to more urgent business; to plans for 'Lady 'Ackland's accouchement' in New-York, instead of Albany; the exchange of her husband for Col. Williams; the subsequent and sorrowful story of the English major and his lady; a peep into Vattel's Law of Nations, and the details of a very pleasant jaunt to Johnston-Hall, the Mohawk-Castle, and the Rev. Mr. Kirkland's. On his return to Albany, he finds a very unexpected and not very welcome letter from Lord Sterling. This recalls him to his subject, which however after a little more manoeuvring, he contrives to sink, in the copy of a correspondence between Generals Washington and Gates.

After barely remarking these grand tactics of our author, we return to the defence, which rests on three points :

1st. That Gates made no secret of Conway's letter, and that he had even read it publicly as news from Head-Quarters: which, if true, would no doubt be the most natural, easy and efficient defence possible; because no man has a right to expect from his neighbour, more care and circumspection with regard to his business, than he himself employs; nor is any one bound to keep secret, opinions or occurrences, which the party concerned, has thought proper to publish. This dictate of common sense, could not have escaped our author; and why, therefore, on his return from the south, when he found his old friend, groping in the dark-puzzling himself and vexing others-did he not remind him of the fact? Again: why, when at Yorktown he received Gates's letter of the 23d of February, 1778, charging him with duplicity and treason, does he forget to urge a circumstance, which would have put his antagonist so completely in the wrong and so entirely justified himself? And lastly how comes it, that in speaking to Lord Sterling of Conway's letter, he should consider it a private and confidential com

munication, which an honourable man could neither transcribe nor transmit ?a

2d. That conveying only Conway's opinions, it was, in itself, a thing of no importance, and might have been either remembered or forgotten, published or concealed, without praise and without censure. This ground of defence is doubtful, as well on the score of sincerity as soundness. If a thing of so little importance, why refuse a copy of it to Sterling? why denounce that officer, as cruel and perfidious, for having mentioned it? why call so many hard names, for what, in itself, was perfectly indifferent? And why accept the defence set up for him by Washington; which turns, not on the unimportance, but the importance of the matter disclosed-the justice and patriotism of forewarning and forearming the Commander in 'Chief, against the secret practices of a dangerous incendiary.' These facts cut up this apology of our author by the roots: but the proper answer to it is yet to be given; and will present itself to all who reflect, what would be the state of society, if every man and woman intrusted with a secret, had a right to graduate its importance, and keep, or not keep it, as they thought it interesting or indifferent? In this case, Mr. Wilkinson was not constituted the judge of Conway's opinions--he was but their depository, and ought to have held them sacred. And;

3d. That the report made of this letter, by Lord Sterling, to General Washington, and said to have been derived from him, [Wilkinson] was utterly false. I went early,' says he, agreeably to request, was kindly received, and after a few minutes, General 'Washington invited me into his cabinet, and opened the subject of Conway's letter. A conversation ensued, in which I took oc'casion to remark on the cruel misrepresentations of Lord Ster'ling; disclaiming any correspondence, or even acquaintance with M Williams-and utterly denied the information he [Washington] had received from his Lordship." How extraordinary is this. Here are the minutiae of a conversation, held near forty years ago, in relation to transactions, of which, within a few months of their date, the author solemnly declared he remembered nothing? Let us then compare this recent recollection-of the authenticity of which, no proof is offered-with declarations made and acknowledged by himself, while Washington, M'Williams, and Sterling, were living. The last of these gentlemen, not choosing to trust altogether to the memory of our new Brigadier, wisely determined to get him on paper, and accordingly wrote as follows: "When "I had the pleasure of seeing you at Reading, it was mentioned, "that in a letter from Gen. Conway to Gen. Gates, were the fol"lowing words, viz :- Heaven, surely, is determined to save the

"American cause, or a weak General and bad councils had long "since lost it :—or words to that effect." "Your friends would be "glad to know, what are the words of the letter, and I should be very much obliged to you for a copy of that part of it." To this Wilkinson answers; I perfectly remember spending a social day with your Lordship (and family) at Reading; in the course ' of which, the conversation became general, unreserved and copious; the tenor of your Lordship's discourse, and the nature of ' our situation, made it confidential. I cannot therefore recapitu'late particulars, or charge my memory with the circumstance you mention, but, my Lord, I disdain low craft, subtlety, or eva'sion-and will acknowledge, it is possible, in the warmth of so'cial intercourse, when the mind is relaxed and the heart is un'guarded, that observations may have elapsed, which have not 'since occurred to me. I can scarce credit my senses, when I 'read the paragraph in which you request an extract from a private letter which had fallen under my observation: I may have 'been indiscreet, my Lord, but be assured I am not dishonourable.'a

Notwithstanding the craft, subtlety and evasion, which, in spite of the General's dislike of the whole family, have crept into this letter, there is also in it acknowledgment enough to satisfy any fair inquirer, that Lord Sterling had done the writer no injustice; for it is quite impossible-if our hero, with all his nice hereditary notions of honour, had then thought his Lordship's representation both cruel and false-that the letter on that subject, last quoted, would have contained the equivocal concessions, and much less the marked submission, which are to be found in it. These considerations which vindicate his courage at the expense of his veracity-leave little doubt on this question; but there are others which remove from it all doubt. Having made a temporary peace with Gen. Gates-the basis of which was a promise "to bleed" poor old Sterling-he set out from York, and after passing a day or two with his beloved, proceeded to the Grand Army, where he met with friends who advised him to put a little water into his wine; to bridle his passions, and instead of sending a peremptory and unqualified challenge to the old Earl, to state his wrongs, and appeal to his justice. This advice he followed, and what were the wrongs of which he then complained? And what the reparation he

a Vol. I. p. 385. Chap. IX.

b This applies to the lady who afterwards became his wife; a worthy and respectable woman. She was the second daughter of the late John Biddle, keeper of the Indian King tavern in Market-street, Philadelphia. We give this explanation to prevent skeptics from supposing, that this amorous language was at all tainted with the Irish morality that the General had picked up at the barracks of Philadelphia,

c Vol. I. p. 391.

required and obtained? That Sterling's report was cruel and false, and that he must recant every syllable of it? Nothing of this kind is even hinted, nor any thing approaching it; and our Preux Chevalier is perfectly satisfied with the declaration-that his communication at Reading had been made in a tavern whisper, at a drinking party," but under no injunction of secrecy."a

And here ends the story of our author's first persecution,―of the vile blow aimed at his "virgin fame;" in which, he deliberately convicts himself of an act of treachery to his patron, of another of malignity to his friend, and of a third, compounded of falsehood and calumny, against his bottle companion!

Second persecution. The patronage of '78, had in it nothing of that bold, decided character, which marks the favouritism of 1816; and which, as our text asserts, shelters fools, knaves and cowards. At that period, retreat was inseparable from disgrace, and we accordingly find our hero descending from the stilts of a Brevet Brigadier, to the obscure level of a Clothier-General. How long he continued to exercise the functions of this humane employment, we know not, nor is it very material to know.

In 1783, like many better men, he was compelled, by the expenses of an increasing family, to exchange the pavements of Philadelphia for the wilds of Kentucky; where, having associated himself with another knight of the pestle, he embarked in commerce. This experiment was not successful, and in 1787, we find him making up his pacotille, and taking the route to New-Orleans. Arrived there, he found means to be introduced to Governor Miro, and like Cæsar, on a very different occasion, might exclaim, veni, vidi, vici. Terrified by his name, or won by his graces, the Don capitulated at sight;e the hard, churlish, ill-judged policy of Spain, immediately relaxed; the Mississippi knew no longer the obstructions which ignorance, folly and jealousy had imposed upon her, and means were even found to get hold of the three keys that are necessary to unlock the treasury of the king.f

The people of America are great investigators;-great pryers into the motives, means, and business of each other; are seldom satisfied with mere effects, and seek to know all the intermediate steps, between the first cause and the last result. So, in this case, finding a change, equally sudden and extraordinary, in the circumstances of the General; discovering that he was vested with a power that almost verified the dreams of ancient alchemy, and b Vol. I. p. 539. and Vol. II. p. 4.

a Vol. I. p. 392.

c Major Dunn, bred to the business of an apothecary.

d "To avoid his creditors," as his enemies alleged-" to better his fortune," as he himself asserted.

e See Vol. II. Appendix No. 1. Pollock's deposition.

f Idem.