Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

80 RA1MBLES ABOUT PORTSMOUTH.
by those who opposed the Revolution, and is written with
such openness that Livius seemed confident that his man
was secure. The letter was sealed up in a canteen with a
false bottom, and was taken out by Gen. Schuyler at Fort
Edward, June 16th, 1777. There is an endorsement on the
back of the manuscript in Gen. Sullivan's writing.
" FROM MR. LIVIUS TO GEN. SULLIVAN."
SIR:-I have long desired to write my mind to you, on a
matter of the greatest importance to you; but the unhappy
situation of things has rendered all intercourse very diffi
cult, and has prevented me. I now find a man is to be sent
for a very different purpose to you. By him I shall contrive
to get this letter to you, a person having undertaken to put
it in the place of that which was designed to be carried to
you. You know me very well, and are acquainted with
many circumstances of my life, and have seen me in very
trying situations, that might perhaps have been some excuse, yet I am sure you never knew me guilty of an
ungentlemanly action, I remind you of this, that you may
safely trust what I say to you, as coming from a person who
has never trifled with any man. You know better than I do
the situation of your Congress, and the confusion there is
among you, and the ruin that impends: you have felt how
unequal the forces of your own people are to withstand the
power of Great Britain; and foreign assistance, I need not
tell you how precarious and deceitful it must be. France
and Spain know they cannot embark in your quarrel without the greatest danger of Great Britain turning suddenly
against and taking possession of their colonies, with so
great a force collected and in America; besides their fears
of raising views of independence in their own colonies, to
which they are much disposed. But why should I enlarge
on this subject? I am sure you know the futility of all
hopes of effectual foreign assistance, and that these hopes
have been thrown out to keep up the spirits of the deluded
common people. You therefore will not suffer yourself to
be deluded by them. The most you can expect from foreigners is, that they will help, at the expense of your countrymen's blood and happiness, to keep up a dispute that