< John Alsop and Francis Lewis took seats in the Provincial Congress, on the twentieth of May ; John Jay appeared on the twenty-fifth of that month ; .lames Duane, who had some other place in the Continental service, showed himself on the second of June ; and Philip Livingston lingered until the eighth of June -- all of them wore there in season to accomplish, as far as the Provincial Congress of New York could be employed in such a work, all they had set out to do, in the work of procrastination, of reconciliati(jn with the Mother Country, and of continued Colonial dependence.

' " 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 Coinniissioncrs ever were 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 ninny " members of Congress, in short, the representation of whole Provinces, "are still feeding themselves upon the dainty food of reconciliaiiou ; " and, though they will not allow tnat 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 iu " the nature of things to be otherwise ; for no man tliat entertains " a hope of seeing this di.ipute speedily and equitably adjusted by " Commissioners will go to the same expense and run the same hazards " to jireparo for the worst event, as he who believes that he must "conquer, or submit to unconditional terms and the like concomitants, " such as confiscation, hangiug, and the like." (General Washinrjl/m lo his brother, Attgustine Washintjt^m, "Philadelphia, 31 May, 1776.")