LEAVES THEY HAVE TOUCHED. 123 



yovir care and cliarge, and duly to exercise as well the officers as soldiers 

 thereof in Arms, and to use your best endeavours to keep them in good 

 Order and Discipline. And We do hereby command them to obey 

 you as their Colonel and Captain respectively. And you are to 

 observe and follow such Orders and Directions from time to time as 

 you shall receive from Us, or any other your superior officer, 

 according to the Eules and Discipline of War in pursuance of the 

 Trust We hereby repose in you. Given at our Court of St. James, 

 the fourteenth day May, 1778, in the Eighteenth year of Our Reign, 

 By His Maj esty's Command, Weymouth. Entered with the Secretary 

 at war, M. Lewis. Entered with the Commissary-General of 

 Musters, John F. Hesse." — At the side of the document appear 

 three half-crov/n stamps. In 1772 the whole of the western part of 

 the State of Nev/ York was included in " Tryon County," a name 

 which was changed after the Revolution to " Montgomery County," 

 after General Richard Montgomery. 



Finally I transcribe an interesting letter of General Washington's,, 

 which perhaps may have been in print before, although I have never 

 seen it so offered to the public. We are therein transported to 

 Philadelphia in 1782, and we find ourselves in the midst of naval 

 and military movements connected with the War of Independence. 

 It is addressed to Col. Dayton, and reads as follows (he spells 

 " Pensylvania," it will be observed, as Penn spelt it) : " Philadelphia, 

 Jan. 28, 1782. Dear Sir: I have received your favour of the 12thj. 

 and am glad to find you have got rid of the person who embarrassed 

 you. Inclosed you have my acceptance of Col. Dehart's resignation, 

 which be pleased to deliver to him. I cannot grant that of Major 

 Hollingshead before he himself signifies a desire of leaving the 

 service. When he does that let him mention the time that he looked 

 upon himself as out of the Army, that his resignation may be dated 

 accordingly. I am of opinion with you that the most flagrant abuses, 

 are committed under the cover of flags to and from Nev/ York, and 

 am willing to adopt any measures to prevent a continuance of them. 

 I have no papers with me but those of a late date, and therefore 

 cannot refer to the instructions formally given to you upon this, 

 subject. If I recollect them they were to put a stop to the practice 

 of Flags going and coming at stated times, and to suffer no persons to 

 go on board or to land from the Boats except those who have proper 

 passports. All letters to be delivered to the Officer on Guard at 



