It would not have been very apparent how these vessels could have passed such seemingly Ibrniidable obstructions, "without the least difhculty," nor for what especial reason General Washington was " sur- " prised and mortified," when such a passage had been successfully acoinplished, had not General George Clinton, who commanded the Militia of the State who had been called out for the reinforcement of the Continental Army, at Kingsbridge, informed the Convention that the ships had " passed by, in shore, " East of our obstructions in the river" ' -- that the deep waters of the river, in shore, immediately around the point which juts into the river, at that place, had been left entirely unprotected -- a fact which reflects very little credit on the skill or the forethought of either the Engineer or those who were employed in building the obstructions, especially since the Phanix and the Roue and their respective tenders had ]>assed the same obstructions, in the same way, on the eighteenth of August, after the galleys and the fireships had rendered their longer stay, in the waters of the Hudson-river, both unprofitable and hazardous.'^

After the vessels had passed the obstructions, they ran up the river as far as Dobbs's-ferry, where they again cast anchor. On their passage up the river, they captured two or three small river-craft -- one (/f them loaded with Rum, Sugar, Wine, etc. -- and sunk a sloop which had on board a machine invented by Mr. Bushnell, for blowing up the British Fleet.' Two new ships, purchased for the further obstruction of the channel of the river, were driven ashore, near Yonkers -- one of them was afterwards recovered, however, by a party of men whom General Clinton sent from Kingsbridge, for that purpose ;* and two galleys, which had been stationed near the obstructions, were also driven ashore, near Dobbs's-ferry, and captured by the enemy.* While the ships were at anchor, off