me he met with an old acquaintance of mine in your brother John, who I think acted during the Campaign of '81, as an aid-de-camp to Gen'l Howe (Sergeant was the other aid).

My brother tells me he was on the same business with himself, but was not certain whether or not he had made or would make an establishment here. I have heard since my arrival in this country that your brother intimated that you had a wish to pay a visit to this country (I presume on a party of pleasure). This has awakened my hopes & expectations; for, believe me, My Dear Gen'l, that no earthly event would give me more pleasure than to have an opportunity of embracing you at my own house, and the pleasure of your Lady's and Family's Company to pass a few weeks with us. A journey from your residence to this place might readily be performed in four days, and at a good sleighing season would be, I think, a very pleasing one, especially as you would find probably most excellent Stays on the road at the houses of our old military friends, Cochran, Walker, &c. Let me then entreat you as the season for sleighing now presents itself to step with Mrs. Webb & Family into a sleigh and make us the most wished for visit. Our house is very roomy & commodious, and Mrs. Fitzhugh and my daughters beg me to assure your lady and any others accompanying her that nothing shall be wanting on their part to render the visit as agreeable as possible. While you & myself (leaving the Ladies for a few days at a time to themselves), might make little excursions into the country to view the various delightful situations, both water and forest, whose I must indulge the hope, tho' I will say no more on the subject at present. I cannot close my Letter without touching on the political situation of our country and yet at this era of political paroxysm when party feuds & animosities have been carried so far as to tear up by the roots friendships that had before stood the test of ages & to threaten the very existence of all social happiness, it may be a dangerous topic to touch on; the more so as I am ignorant what course of politicks you have pursued, or to what degree of madness your pulse under the prevailing influence may have beaten. I will, nevertheless, venture to observe that as the issue of this late electioneering struggle has been the choice of Thomas Jefferson for our President, and as this choice is made by a majority of our countrymen, I am content, the more so, as I believe he will make

a good President, and grievously disappoint the most violent of his partizans. Mr. Jefferson is a man of too much virtue and good sense to attempt any material change in a system which was adopted by our late beloved Washington, and has been since steadily pursued by Mr. Adams, and which has preserved our country in peace and prosperity for 12 years, during which period almost the whole civilized world has been deluged in blood, and this too in defiance of the repeated attempts of France & England by open threats and secret intrigues to draw us into the vortex of their ruinous convulsions. I say Mr. J. will have too much prudence to attempt any serious change in this system, and unless he does, his red-hot partizans will be dreadfully disappointed. For my own part I must confess I should have been pleased if Mr. Adams had continued another term, when, like his illustrious predecessor, he would probably have made a voluntary retreat, and in his retirement have enjoyed the pleasing reflection that having devoted 30 years of his Life to his country's service, so long as he was a candidate for her favor she had the gratitude to bestow it. To the general rage for party spirit I think the State Government to have not been far behind its people, and in my opinion they have degenerated much from their wonted dignity in stooping to pass local & partial Laws to answer party purposes. I, however, live in hopes that the wisdom & moderation for which the American People have until lately been famed, will 'ere long again resume their reign, and that the State Government with their Central Government, like the Planets revolving round their common Sun, acting and acted upon according to their respective weights and distances, will produce that beautiful equilibrium on which our Constitution is founded, and which I doubt not it will exhibit to the world some day in a degree of perfection unexampled, but in the Planetary System itself. To this end ought every good American's wishes and exertions be directed, but now here let me stop.

For two reasons; first, that I should wear out your patience, and secondly, that I should lose the opportunity of sending in my Letter by Mr. Bogart, who informed me last evening that he should this morning start for the very town where you resided & the hour which he fixed for his departure is at hand.

Let me then conclude with repeating the instructions made in the early part of my Letter, that you will not fail to take advantage of the present season to visit us.

Offering the respects of Mrs. Fitzhugh & the young Ladies to your Lady and Family, & begging to assure you of the highest respect and esteem, with which I regard you,

I am, My Dear Sir,

Your aff'c Friend, &c.,
FITZHUGH.

P. S.-Excuse the above scrawl produced by Blindness and Haste. My Eyes which you recollect were bad in the night when young, have now got worse, both by day & night. So much so that I never venture out without the arm of a Friend or Servant to attend me.

GOV'R CLINTON'S LETTER.

POUGHKEEPSIE, 25th October, 1777.

DR. SIR-I arrived here late last night, where I had hoped to find Gen'l Putnam, but was greatly disappointed and marched through this for Fishkill yesterday forenoon, and I cannot learn that he has left any order concerning our small army.

I am informed the enemy's shipping pass'd the Chevaux-deFrieze at New Windsor yesterday evening, and are gone down out of sight from thence, wherefore I think it best you move down towards New Windsor, that we may be nearer to the enemy, observing the same order as to your march as when you came to Hurley. If Col. Malcolm should have returned from Albany charged with orders from Gen'l Gates, contradictory letters, you will advise me thereof before you leave Hurley.

I shall continue at this place this day, and, as I am exceedingly unwell with a violent cold, perhaps to-morrow. The next day I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you at New Windsor.

No news here.

I am, Dear Sir,

With great esteem,

Col. S. B. WEBB.

Your most ob'd't serv't,
G. W. CLINTON.

I will leave it to Maj. Fell to see that the Quartermaster and Com'r of Forage replace everything we have taken from Wm. Livingston, and also please remind him of my baggage. It is so small that it is almost impossible to forget any of it.

The first patent granting any part of the Continent of North America, was that granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Walter Raleigh, dated March 25th, 1584, of such territories as he should discover between 33° and 40° of North Latitude; which was vacated by Sir Walter's attainders.

King James the First, by Patent, dated April 10th, 1606, divided Virginia into two Colonies,-the Southern, called the first colony, between 34° & 41° of North Latitude; and the Northern, called the second colony, between 38° & 45° North Latitude, he granted to the Plymouth Company. The Patent for South Virginia was vacated at the desire of the Patentees; and King James in 1609 (May) granted them a new Patent, bounded north by the 40° of North Latitude. The Patent of North Virginia was vacated shortly after.

In 1614 Capt. John Smith was in some parts of North Virginia, and first gave it the name of "New England."

On November 3d, 1620, King James, by a New Patent, incorporated the Duke of Lenox, the Marquises of Buckingham and Hamilton, the Earls of Annadale and Warwick, Sir Ferdinand Georges and thirty-four others, by the name of the "great council," established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, "for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New England in America;”—

granting to said great council, all the Lands lying between 40° & 48 of North Latitude, from sea to sea; together with all Islands adjoining thereto; and all Ports, Rivers, Fisheries, Mines, &c. &c. &c.; and to give thereto, the name of "New England in America." This "great council" on the 19th March, 1628, "give, grant and confirm to Sir Henry Rosewell and others, Massachusetts Bay and the lands on the great River Marimack or Merrimack." This grant extended from three miles south of Charles River, to three miles North of the Merrimack; and from sea to sea.

King Charles 1st afterwards, on the 4th March, 1629, confirmed the foregoing action of the council of Plymouth.

On the 19th Day of March, 1631, the Earl of Warwick, President of the Council of Plymouth, by Patent, conveyed to Vicount Say and Seal, Lord Brook and eleven others, all that part of New England from Narraganset River, south forty leagues on a strait line towards Virginia; including all lands west from Ocean to Ocean.

The great council in like manner, proceeded to convey the remainder of New England; and in 1635 resigned their power into the hands of the Crown. Lord Say and Seal and Lord Brook and five others, in July, 1635, empowered John Winthrop, Esquire, their agent, in their names, to take possession of their lands at the mouth of the Connecticut River; and build a fort which he called fort Saybrook; and about the same time, by grant under the patent to Viscount Say and Seal, and Lord Brook, and their associates, Mr. Hopkins, Mr. Wyllis, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, and Mr. Richard Webb, and Mr. Haynes,-took possession of the lands on the Connecticut, at Hartford, Weathersfield, and Windsor, and began improvements after first driving away the Dutch from New Netherlands, who had settled at, and partly occupied, what they had named "Dutch Point," south of Hartford; the name of which was changed to "Webb's Point,”—Richard Webb, having commanded the expedition to accomplish that work, although Rev. Thomas Hooker had charge of the entire expedition. [Tradition says the Emigrant party consisted of 67 souls.] In the year 1637 Mr. Easton and others, associates under the same patents, began a settlement at New Haven; and claimed that their settlement extended to Delaware Bay & River; where they built a trading House, purchased lands of the natives on both sides of the Delaware River, and sent