PARENTAGE AND EARLY LIFE 5 



Cooper drew the character of the heroine of his 

 novel, " The Spy." 



From the time of their first acquaintance more 

 than twenty years elapsed before Washington and 

 Mary Philipse (then Mrs. Morris) again met ; this 

 meeting took place when Washington was on his 

 way to take command of the American army before 

 Boston. On this occasion he stopped at the house 

 of Colonel Roger Morris, who, with his wife, ex- 

 tended every courtesy and hospitality to their dis- 

 tinguished guest. This proved their last meeting, 

 for Colonel Morris and his wife had remained faith- 

 ful to the Royal cause throughout the struggle, and 

 the result of the war was most disastrous to them. 

 After experiencing great reverses of fortune they 

 ultimately settled in England, and thus the Atlantic 

 finally separated Washington from these friends of 

 his younger days. 



Colonel Morris and his wife occupied their Man- 

 hattan residence at intervals till the close of the 

 War of Independence. For a short period in 1776 

 the Americans held the upper portion of the island, 

 during which time Washington made Roger Morris's 

 house his headquarters. The adherence of Colonel 

 Morris to the side of the mother country compelled 

 him to fly to England in April 1775, remaining here 

 till the autumn of 1777 ; and again at the general 

 emigration of loyalists from New York in 1783, when 

 the city was evacuated by the British troops. Mrs. 

 Morris with her husband were attainted of treason, 

 and their American estates were confiscated. The 



