Whatever may have been the real purposes of the expedition, the eastern shore of the river was so well guarded that no attempt was made to land, in force, for any purpose, on the Westchester-county side of it, nor was there any open communication between the ships and the inhabitants of that County, although it is known that frequent communications were effected, secretly and in the night, with some of the inhabitants of the Cortlandt Manor* -- it is not pretended by any one, that any Loyalist, from either of the three Counties of Orange, Westchester and Duchess, sought refuge on board of either of the ships. The river

assurances, to that effect, which he received from Governor Tryou and othei-s ; of the measures adopted by himself, under the most favorable rircumst«nces ; and of the bitter disappointment which he had experienced, in every instance.

As the inliabitants of Staten Island, and those of Queens, Westchester, and Duchess-counties were su]iposed to have been especially conservative and, consequently, had been most terribly outraged by the dominant faction, it Wiis reasonably supposed, by those who were familiar witli the fai t<<, that retJiliation if not loyalty would induce these, especially, to declare against those who had oppressed and ontraged them ; but the peaceful disposition of the fanners of lower Orange and Duchess and Weslchester-counties, tlieir simple domestic habits and cuutrollingloveof home, and their almost universal contentment with their oKl-time pivsperity and comfort and happiness, were not taken into consideration ; and, a-s the expeilition of the Pho nix and the Rose ascertjiined and as General Howe subsecpiently learned, these were more powerful than any other consideration-- the farmers referred to, jireferred to endure the hardships to which they might be subjected, al home, instead of abandoning their homes and wives and children, of throwing themselves into what wouliHiave been new and untried associations ami inethodsand exjieriences, and of being subjected to other lianlshiiw, in the Held ur in yai-risimx, as severe, if not more severe, as those from which they would have thus escaped.