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.

380 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1782.
Little progress was made by the States in filling
up their quotas of troops. When General Washington
arrived in camp, the whole number of effective men
in the northern army was somewhat short of ten thousand; nor was it much increased afterwards. In fact,
after the capitulation at Yorktown, the conviction was
nearly universal, that the war would not be pursued
any further in the United States. The recruiting service consequently languished. Relieved from danger,
and worn out with their long toils and sacrifices, the
people were slow to perceive, that large preparations
would be the means of procuring better terms of peace,
and seemed contented with the present prospects.
News arrived in the first part of May, which indicated
an approaching change in the British cabinet, and
symptoms of pacific measures. Fearful of the effect,
which this intelligence might produce, Washington
took occasion to express his own sentiments without
reserve in a circular letter, which he was just at that
time despatching to the governors of the States.
" Upon the most mature deliberation I can bestow,"
he observed, "I am obliged to declare it as my candid
opinion, that the measures of the enemy in all their
views, so far as they respect America, are merely delusory (they having no serious intention to admit our
independence upon its true principles), and are calculated to quiet the minds of their own people, and reconcile them to the continuance of the war; while
they are meant to amuse the country into a false
idea of'peace, to draw us off from our connexion with
France, and to lull us into a state of security and inactivity, which having taken place, the ministry will be
left to prosecute the war in other parts of the world
with greater vigor and effect. Even if the nation and
Parliament are really in earnest to obtain peace with