The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

178 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1776.
nimity. Things have come to such a pass now, as to
convince us, that we have nothing more to expect from
the justice of Great Britain; also, that she is capable
of the most delusive arts; for I am satisfied, that no
commissioners were ever designed, except Hessians and
other foreigners; and that the idea was only to deceive
and throw us off our guard. The first has been too
effectually accomplished, as many members of Congress,
in short, the representation of whole provinces, are still
feeding themselves upon the dainty food of reconciliation; and, though they will not allow, that the expectation of it has any influence upon their judgment with
respect to their preparations for defence, it is but too
obvious, that it has an operation upon every part of their
conduct, and is a clog to their proceedings. It is not in
the nature of things to be otherwise; for no man, that
entertains a hope of seeing this dispute speedily and
equitably adjusted by commissioners, will go to the
same expense and run the same hazards to prepare for
the worst event, as he who believes, that he must conquer, or submit to unconditional terms, and the concomitants, such as confiscation, hanging, and the like."
The allusion, at the beginning of this paragraph, is to
a recent vote of the Virginia Convention, recommending
to Congress to declare the United Colonies free and
independent States. The opinion, that it was time for
this decisive step to be taken, had been firmly rooted
in the mind of Washington ever since he first saw the
King's speech at the opening of Parliament, and understood from it the temper with which the British government was determined, at all events, to push its claims
upon the colonies. From that moment his last hope
of reconciliation vanished. He was convinced, that
submission on terms too humiliating to be admitted,
or a hard struggle, was the only alternative. From