﻿[44] 
  EEPOET 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  whicli 
  this 
  insect 
  could 
  probably 
  have 
  been 
  conveyed 
  to 
  this 
  country 
  at 
  

   that 
  time, 
  to 
  wit, 
  in 
  straw 
  landed 
  upon 
  our 
  coast 
  in 
  August." 
  (p. 
  29.) 
  

  

  Everybody 
  will 
  agree 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Fitch's 
  reasoning 
  is 
  acute 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   point. 
  As 
  his 
  monograph 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  every 
  student, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  repeat 
  in 
  full 
  his 
  conclusions 
  (p. 
  8-9). 
  But 
  he 
  has 
  forgotten 
  in 
  his 
  

   calculations 
  that 
  the 
  pupa 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  has 
  io 
  the 
  summer 
  only 
  the 
  

   duration 
  of 
  two 
  months 
  or 
  less, 
  and 
  that 
  every 
  ship 
  for 
  a 
  voyage 
  from 
  

   Europe 
  required 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  nearly 
  four 
  months 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  straw 
  in- 
  

   fested 
  with 
  these 
  pupae, 
  to 
  be 
  conveyed 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   taken 
  anterior 
  to 
  the 
  harvest. 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  tries 
  to 
  explain 
  this 
  in 
  a 
  queer 
  

   way 
  : 
  " 
  Had 
  a 
  compauy 
  of 
  soldiers 
  needed 
  straw 
  for 
  package, 
  no 
  objec- 
  

   tion 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  their 
  going 
  in 
  a 
  field 
  (infested 
  by 
  the 
  fly) 
  

   and 
  with 
  a 
  scythe 
  gathering 
  what 
  they 
  required 
  weeks 
  before 
  the 
  usual 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  harvest." 
  Dr. 
  Wagner 
  is 
  rather 
  mortified 
  by 
  this 
  funny 
  con- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  the 
  military 
  discipline 
  of 
  the 
  Hessian 
  troops. 
  But 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   position 
  is 
  more 
  untenable 
  as 
  the 
  sending 
  of 
  the 
  troops 
  was 
  rather 
  

   unpox^ular; 
  their 
  passage 
  was 
  objected 
  to 
  by 
  several 
  parties, 
  and 
  they 
  

   had 
  to 
  make 
  long 
  and 
  various 
  circuits, 
  and 
  to 
  conduct 
  themselves 
  in 
  a 
  

   very 
  cautious 
  manner. 
  Further, 
  the 
  minute 
  official 
  reports 
  would 
  have 
  

   preserved 
  details 
  of 
  such 
  entirely 
  unusual 
  events. 
  The 
  first 
  division 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hessian 
  troops 
  was 
  ready 
  to 
  depart 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  February, 
  1776. 
  

   The 
  troops 
  were 
  ordered 
  to 
  march 
  from 
  Oassel 
  through 
  Hanover 
  to 
  

   Bremen. 
  As 
  the 
  British 
  transport 
  ships 
  had 
  not 
  yet 
  arrived 
  at 
  Bremen- 
  

   haven, 
  the 
  troops 
  returned 
  to 
  Hesse, 
  and 
  started 
  again 
  February 
  29. 
  

   In 
  passing 
  Bremen 
  March 
  10, 
  every 
  regiment 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  transported 
  on 
  

   seventy 
  wagons, 
  because 
  the 
  whole 
  country 
  was 
  inundated 
  by 
  the 
  

   rivers 
  Weser 
  and 
  Wumme. 
  The 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  wagons 
  shows 
  that 
  

   the 
  baggage 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  large. 
  The 
  troops 
  arrived 
  March 
  

   21st 
  to 
  22nd 
  at 
  Bremenhaven, 
  and 
  were 
  embarked 
  from 
  March 
  23rd 
  to 
  

   April 
  15th, 
  as 
  the 
  transport 
  ships 
  arrived 
  only 
  slowly. 
  The 
  fleet 
  started 
  

   April 
  17th, 
  arrived 
  in 
  Spithead 
  April 
  28th, 
  left 
  May 
  6th, 
  and 
  arrived 
  

   August 
  17th 
  at 
  Sandy 
  Hook. 
  Some 
  ships 
  (after 
  Dr. 
  Wagner's 
  state- 
  

   ment) 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  reached 
  Halifax 
  July 
  7th, 
  and 
  Utrecht, 
  oft' 
  Long- 
  

   Island, 
  August 
  12th. 
  Several 
  transport 
  ships 
  left 
  Bremenhaven 
  April 
  

   21st, 
  and 
  Portsmouth 
  May 
  12th, 
  but 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  with 
  the 
  

   others 
  at 
  Sandy 
  Hook. 
  

  

  The 
  accommodations 
  for 
  the 
  troops 
  on 
  the 
  ships 
  were 
  all 
  furnished 
  by 
  

   England. 
  '^The 
  bedding," 
  says 
  Bancroft, 
  '^ 
  was 
  infamous 
  scanty 
  j 
  their 
  

   pillows 
  7 
  by 
  5 
  inches, 
  small 
  mattresses 
  and 
  woolen 
  blankets, 
  hardly 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  weighing 
  seven 
  pounds." 
  Every 
  six 
  men 
  slept 
  together, 
  in 
  a 
  

   partition 
  5 
  feet 
  loug 
  and 
  6 
  feet 
  broad. 
  When 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  tired 
  lying 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  they 
  had 
  all 
  to 
  turn 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  

   I^ow 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  bedding 
  contained 
  infested 
  straw, 
  

   everybody 
  will 
  agree 
  that 
  its 
  use 
  for 
  three 
  months 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  by 
  soldiers 
  

   placed 
  so 
  uncomtbrtably 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  most 
  persistent 
  Hessian 
  fly 
  

   would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  stand. 
  The 
  idea 
  that 
  camp 
  straw 
  had 
  been 
  conveyed 
  

   by 
  the 
  transport 
  ships 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  impossible, 
  when 
  all 
  necessary 
  accom- 
  

   modations 
  had 
  been 
  more 
  than 
  shortened. 
  

  

  The 
  division 
  was 
  ordered, 
  August 
  19th, 
  from 
  Staten 
  Island 
  to 
  Long 
  

   Island, 
  and 
  arrived 
  August 
  22nd 
  at 
  Flatbush. 
  The 
  official 
  records 
  state 
  

   that 
  only 
  the 
  tents 
  and 
  the 
  baggage 
  were 
  transported 
  on 
  very 
  small 
  and 
  

   odd 
  looking 
  wagons, 
  each 
  with 
  only 
  two 
  small 
  horses. 
  Here 
  again 
  the 
  

   supposition 
  that 
  camp 
  straw 
  had 
  been 
  transported 
  is 
  entirely 
  improbable, 
  

   the 
  more 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  ''• 
  the 
  troops 
  found 
  Long 
  Island 
  well 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  with 
  evef'ything, 
  even 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  degree 
  of 
  comfort 
  and 
  luxury." 
  

  

  These 
  troops 
  left 
  Hesse 
  in 
  February, 
  and 
  Spithead 
  in 
  May, 
  also 
  long 
  

  

  