﻿HAGEN 
  ON 
  THE 
  SOURCE 
  OF 
  THE 
  HESSIAN 
  FLY. 
  [45] 
  

  

  before 
  straw 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  made, 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  imported 
  the 
  fly. 
  

   These 
  are 
  the 
  very 
  troops 
  J)r. 
  Asa 
  Fitch 
  spealcs 
  of 
  with 
  confidence 
  as 
  im- 
  

   porters 
  of 
  the 
  Hessian 
  fly. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  Hessian 
  troops 
  left 
  Oassel 
  in 
  May, 
  1776, 
  

   Bremenhaven 
  June 
  3rd, 
  arrived 
  at 
  Spithead 
  June 
  20th, 
  sailed 
  together 
  

   with 
  the 
  Waldek 
  troops 
  July 
  20th, 
  and 
  arrived 
  October 
  21st 
  at 
  l^ew 
  

   Kochelle, 
  Long 
  Island. 
  The 
  date 
  of 
  their 
  arrival 
  alone 
  proves 
  that 
  the 
  

   importation 
  of 
  the 
  ily 
  by 
  them 
  was 
  impossible. 
  

  

  All 
  other 
  German 
  troops 
  dispatched 
  in 
  1776 
  were 
  landed 
  in 
  Quebec. 
  

   The 
  Braunschweig 
  troops 
  left 
  February 
  22nd, 
  arrived 
  at 
  Stade 
  March 
  

   5th 
  and 
  at 
  Portsmouth 
  March 
  20th. 
  The 
  Hanau 
  troops 
  left 
  March 
  15th, 
  

   and 
  were 
  embarked 
  March 
  26th 
  at 
  Mmwegen. 
  Both 
  troops 
  together 
  

   sailed 
  from 
  Portsmouth 
  April 
  7th, 
  and 
  arrived 
  June 
  1st 
  at 
  Quebec. 
  Of 
  

   course 
  its 
  importation 
  by 
  these 
  troops 
  is 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  1777 
  the 
  following 
  German 
  troops 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  

   America: 
  From 
  Hessen 
  Oassel, 
  which 
  left 
  March 
  2nd, 
  were 
  shipped 
  on 
  

   the 
  Fulda 
  May 
  18th, 
  embarked 
  May 
  25th 
  at 
  Bremenhaven, 
  and 
  arrived 
  

   September 
  27th 
  at 
  Sandy 
  Hook. 
  From 
  Hessen 
  Hanau, 
  which 
  started 
  

   March 
  7th 
  and 
  31st 
  for 
  Dordrecht 
  ; 
  from 
  Braunschweig, 
  which 
  arrived 
  

   March 
  12th 
  at 
  Stade 
  f 
  from 
  Auspach 
  Bayreuth, 
  which 
  left 
  February 
  

   29th, 
  and 
  were 
  embarked 
  March 
  30th 
  at 
  Dordrecht. 
  AH 
  left 
  Ports- 
  

   mouth 
  together 
  April 
  7th,. 
  and 
  landed 
  June 
  3rd 
  at 
  Staten 
  Island, 
  and 
  

   were 
  ordered 
  June 
  11th 
  to 
  Amboy, 
  K. 
  J. 
  Compariug 
  the 
  dates 
  of 
  their 
  

   arrival, 
  an 
  importation 
  of 
  the 
  fly 
  by 
  those 
  troops 
  is 
  impossible. 
  

  

  The 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  years 
  are 
  without 
  importance, 
  as 
  the 
  fly 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  fall 
  of 
  1778 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  But 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  1778 
  the 
  troops 
  from 
  Hessen 
  and 
  Bayreuth 
  arrived, 
  Sept. 
  25th, 
  also 
  

   too 
  late 
  to 
  import 
  the 
  fly. 
  

  

  All 
  troops 
  from 
  1779 
  to 
  1782 
  landed 
  in 
  Quebec 
  or 
  in 
  Halifax. 
  Only 
  

   in 
  1780 
  troops 
  embarked 
  August 
  15th 
  arrived 
  October 
  17th 
  in 
  l!^ew 
  York. 
  

  

  I 
  think 
  in 
  compariug 
  all 
  these 
  data, 
  everybody 
  will 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  

   could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  imported 
  by 
  those 
  troops. 
  There 
  has 
  doubtless 
  

   been 
  too 
  much 
  patriotic 
  impulse 
  and 
  indignation 
  prevailing 
  in 
  accept- 
  

   ing 
  without 
  any 
  real 
  criticism 
  these 
  old 
  traditions. 
  Patriotic 
  motives 
  

   are 
  the 
  worst 
  guides 
  in 
  scientific 
  questions. 
  

  

  II. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  prohaMe 
  that 
  the 
  fly 
  was 
  here 
  before 
  the 
  war. 
  

  

  I 
  regret 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  older 
  American 
  literature, 
  

   and 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  means 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  it. 
  Therefore 
  I 
  know 
  only 
  one 
  statement, 
  

   quoted 
  by 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  Fitch, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Wagner 
  and 
  myself 
  to 
  prove 
  

   that 
  the 
  Hessian 
  fly 
  had 
  existed 
  here 
  before 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  Hessian 
  

   troops. 
  The 
  statement 
  (I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  original 
  communication) 
  says: 
  

   ^* 
  A 
  respectable 
  and 
  observing 
  farmer 
  of 
  this 
  town 
  (Eenselaer, 
  N. 
  Y.), 
  

   Col. 
  James 
  Brookins, 
  has 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  on 
  his 
  first 
  hearing 
  of 
  

   the 
  alarm 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1786 
  (Fitch 
  says 
  doubtless 
  1776 
  is 
  

   intended), 
  and 
  many 
  years 
  J)efore 
  its 
  ravages 
  were 
  complained 
  of 
  in 
  this 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  he 
  detected 
  the 
  same 
  insect 
  upon 
  examining 
  the 
  

   wheat 
  growing 
  in 
  his 
  town. 
  These 
  facts 
  prove 
  pretty 
  satisfactorily 
  that 
  

   the 
  Hessian 
  fly 
  or 
  wheat 
  insect 
  is 
  indigenous 
  in 
  this 
  country." 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  rejects 
  the 
  testimony 
  with 
  some 
  sarcastic 
  phrases, 
  and 
  

   adds 
  : 
  '•' 
  The 
  strong 
  probability 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  other 
  insect 
  which 
  

   was 
  found 
  by 
  Ool. 
  Brookins." 
  I 
  don't 
  see 
  how 
  such 
  testimony 
  can 
  be 
  

   rejected. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  need 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  a 
  respectable 
  and 
  observing 
  

   faruier 
  would 
  recognize 
  the 
  devastations 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  Hessian 
  fly. 
  

   Every 
  one, 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  unobserving 
  man, 
  having 
  seen 
  once 
  such 
  a 
  

  

  