Life of Count Rumford. 147 



State in his letter of the 3d of January last, have been placed 

 upon the British establishment,) and as it appears by your letter 

 of the ifth of June that his conduct has met with your full 

 approbation, and that you consider him to be an officer possess- 

 ing an uncommon share of merit in his profession, the King, 

 for these reasons, has consented to his being appointed, by com- 

 mission from you, Colonel of the King's American Dragoons 

 upon the American provincial establishment." 



"WHITEHALL, 8th August, 1783. 



Pictet informs us again, of course, receiving his 

 information directly from Thompson that the first 

 solicitude of the latter on his arrival in England was 

 to respond to the confidence which the American officers 

 had reposed in him that he would be the most effective 

 agent for securing to them compensation for the sacri- 

 fices which they had incurred in their loyalty to the 

 mother country. Thompson had peculiar influence and 

 facilities for pressing these claims. Yet the responsi- 

 bility which he had assumed was in many respects em- 

 barrassing and irksome. The fifth article of the Treaty 

 of Peace was generally regarded as meanly sacrificing 

 the interests of the loyalists, as it covenanted only that 

 the American Congress, which declared itself to be power- 

 less in the case except in the way of advice, should pro- 

 pose to the States a relaxation of the severities and a 

 relieving of some of the penalties against that odious 

 class of exiles. The advice, of course, was mainly in- 

 effective. 



Failing of adequate redress through the provision in 

 the Treaty, the loyalists importuned Parliament with 

 their piteous complaints and demands. 



As to the compensation of .30,000 received by 

 Colonel Thompson, as alleged by the indignant annal- 



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