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.

338 WASHINGTON'S WRITINGS. [AET. 50.
TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Head-Quarters, 28 August, 1782.
SIR,
I do myself the honor to inform your Excellency,
that, in obedience to the resolve of Congress of the
12th instant, I proposed to Sir Guy Carleton and Admiral Digby a meeting of commissioners, for the purpose of settling a general cartel, which has been acceded to upon their part. Previously to the meeting
of the respective commissioners, and before I can instruct those, who shall be appointed in behalf of the
United States, it is absolutely necessary that I should
be made acquainted with the determination of Congress upon the following points; whether I am to confirm the exchange of Lord Cornwallis for Mr. Laurens; and whether it is their intention, that the proposal contained in the letter of Sir Guy Carleton and
Admiral Digby, of the 2d of August, "to exchange
soldiers for sailors," on the conditions mentioned by
those gentlemen, should be acceded to. The latter,
should we be fortunate enough to obtain a liquidation
of accounts (and we must go prepared on the supthe communications of Sir Henry Clinton and Sir Guy Carleton to the
ministry on this affair of Captain Huddy; and justice requires me to say,
that those commanders expressed the strongest indignation and abhorrence at his execution, and used every possible effort to ascertain the offenders and bring them to punishment. Lippencot was arrested, and
arraigned before a court-martial. He denied the jurisdiction of the court,
and claimed a trial by the civil laws. The matter was then referred to
the British chief justice in New York, who decided against this claim,
and Lippencot was remanded to a court-martial and tried. The testimony did not confirm his guilt. It appeared, that he considered himself
as acting under the authority of the Board of Directors of the Associated
Loyalists, which screened him from responsibility in the act. Both Sir
Henry Clinton and Sir Guy Carleton were extremely dissatisfied with the
explanations attempted to be given by the Board; and the odium, if not
the guilt, of the transaction must for ever remain a reproach to that body.