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.

328 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1779.
terday. To say how it is usually covered, is rather
more essential; and this shall be the purport of my
letter.
"Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a
ham, sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head
of the table; a piece of roast beef adorns the foot; and
a dish of beans, or greens, almost imperceptible, decorates the centre. When the cook has a mind to cut
a figure, which I presume will be the case to-morrow,
we have two beef-steak pies, or dishes of crabs, in
addition, one on each side of the centre-dish, dividing
the space and reducing the distance between dish and
dish to about six feet, which without them would be
near twelve feet apart. Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to discover, that apples will make pies;
and it is a question, if, in the violence of his efforts, we
do not get one of apples, instead of having both of
beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates,,
once tin but now iron (not become so by the labor of
scouring), I shall be happy to see them; and am, dear
Doctor, yours."
Sir Henry Clinton, disappointed in not receiving additions to his army from Europe, began to be weary of
his situation, and to despair of effecting any thing that
would either'redound to the glory of the British arms,
or answer the expectations of his employers. On the
21st of August he said, in a letter to Lord George
Germain, "I now find myself obliged by many cogent
reasons to abandon every view of making an effort in
this quarter. The precautions, which General Washington has had leisure to t take, make me hopeless of
bringing him to a general action, and the season dissuades me strongly from losing time in the attempt."
He informs the minister, that his thoughts are turned to