OF GEORGE CLINTON, FIRST GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK. 1777-1795-1801-1804. VOLUME VI. PUBLISHED BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK AS APPENDIX "N," THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE HISTORIAN. ALBANY: J. B. LYON COMPANY, STATE PRINTERS. PREFACE TO VOLUME VI. Many incidents of interest, national and international, political and historical, are covered in the period embraced in the sixth printed volume of the Public Papers of George Clinton. July 10, 1780, the French fleet, with six thousand troops, arrived at Newport, Rhode Island, under the command of the Comte de Rochambeau and the Chevalier de Ternay. Under orders Rochambeau was subordinate to Washington as were the French troops to the American on all occasions of ceremony. Washington had contemplated a movement against the city of New York, expecting the French squadron to operate by the way of Sandy Hook, while the land forces struck simultaneously at the northern end of Manhattan from the direction of Morrisania and Kings Bridge. The arrival of the English Admiral, Graves, with a "formidable squadron" at New York, July 14, forced Washington to relinquish the plan, principally because of the superiority of the British fleet, and incidentally from the disinclination of de Ternay to expose his deep draught vessels to the narrow channel and the treacherous tides off Sandy Hook. During the summer, Russia, Sweden and Denmark established the compact which has gone into history as the "Armed Neutrality." Holland had expressed a willingness to join, and it is not unlikely that the aggressions made upon that country, and the declaration of war, by England the following December, were instigated by this fact. Arnold's treason developed during the latter part of this summer, 1780, and culminated in the early fall. Washington had assigned Arnold to the command of the left wing of the army under the conviction that his abilities better fitted him for active service in the field rather than for garrison duty. Arnold, however, had played successfully upon the sympathies of the commander-in-chief who had promised him, in the repri mand which the court-martial had directed, in consequence of Arnold's irregular conduct while in command at Philadelphia, to 66 furnish you as far as it may be in my power with opportunities of regaining the esteem of your country." The order for the command of the left wing was countermanded and on August third, Arnold, in the unfolding of his plan of infamy, took command of West Point. The steady depreciation of the currency produced all sorts of complications and distress in and out of the army. The war had begun with scarcely any funds. Congress had no power to lay direct taxes. Paper money had been issued and for a time was currently rated at par. But, as subsequent emissions were floated, and as the States undertook to circulate unlimited currency of their own, the country was soon flooded with "Continental bills". The natural depreciation occurred with universal derangement in prices of all character. Congress resorted to the unwise expedient of making paper money legal tender. Instead of simplifying the condition of affairs, Congress entangled itself, its representatives, the army and the people generally, in a bewildering mesh which threatened ruination and destruction to the general fabric. The depreciation in the summer of 1780 had fallen so low that the compensation of a major general was inadequate to hire |