There has been much conversation since the arrival of the N York packet about a letter said to be written by Sr. H. Clinton to some of his Friends, about the state of things in America—some people go so far as to say that He expressd the same in His publick Letter to Lord G. G——e.7 That it is full, intelligent, and explicit on the state of English affairs in America and very highly disagreeable to the Cabinet Council before whom it was read. It is said to give an account of the repulse with considerable loss of Genl. Knephausens party of 5,000 men who went into the Jerseys to route Master Washington. That Genl. Clinton himself had lookd at the American Army from another quarter, and after several reconnoitering plans had returnd to N York and given His opinion that He could not effect any thing with the Army He now has, against such formidable lines and so strong a position: That many skirmishes on foraging partys had happend, and none of them provd successfull; That on the arrival upon the Coast of Ama. of Ternays squadron (which was first heard of in N York the 5th July) He had drawn in some of His out posts, and was in hopes Adml. Graves woud arrive to protect the port &ca. &ca.
All these accounts, in some measure corroborated by private people, as well as the N York papers down to the 11th July, give much uneasiness to the friends of Government here, and might if they would but apply it right be a good lesson to them to try to make some accomodation or Peace with America; but the fates have seemingly 98decreed that the war shall go on still further and that a nation of unthinking people shall be further blinded and led into deeper ruin.
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “Monsieur Monsieur Ferdinando Raymond San Amsterdam”; endorsed by John Thaxter: “W. S. C. 29. August 1780.” The address is heavily canceled.
The letter was of 17 Aug. (above), but the bearer remains unidentified.
Robert Temple. For the “Flag to Bristol,” see Digges' letter of 25 Aug. (above).
This was Henry Bromfield Jr. of Boston, who had set off for England and France in July to settle his father's accounts ( Cal. Franklin Papers, A.P.S. , 2:272). Bromfield reached Amsterdam in early 1781 and there formed part of the mercantile firm of Sigourney, Ingraham, & Bromfield, which JA later commissioned to obtain a house suitable for the American legation (JA, Diary and Autobiography , 2:453–454).
The remainder of this letter consists largely of a digest of accounts in the London newspapers since Digges' last letter of 25 Aug. (above). For reports and commentary favoring the United States, see the London Courant; for those supporting the ministerial views, particularly in regard to the arrival of the Leeward and Oporto fleets, see the Morning Post.
This report concerning the Quebec convoy, even to the parentheses around the erroneous reference to the Confederacy's involvement in the attack, appeared in almost all the London papers. Compare this account with that in Tristram Dalton's letter of 24 Aug., and note 3 (above).
On 10 Aug. the first unit of a Russian fleet (five ships of the line and a frigate) anchored in the Downs, the roadstead off Deal in the Strait of Dover, and was soon joined by two squadrons with an additional thirteen vessels. Although much was made of the Russian fleet, which had departed by 21 Aug., its presence in the Downs was most likely due to the stress of weather, rather than any designs against Great Britain (London Courant, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, and 23 Aug.; London Chronicle, 15–17 Aug.).
This is probably Clinton's letter of 4 July to Germain, of which Digges gives a generally accurate account (Davies, ed., Docs. of the Amer. Rev., 1770–1783 , 18:112–114).