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 Tryon and others ; of the measures adopted by himself, under the most favorable circumstances ; and of the bitter disappointment which he had experienced, in every instance.

As the inhabitants of Staten Island, and those of Queens, Westchester, and Duchess-counties were supposed to have been especially conservative and, consequently, had been most terribly outraged by the dominant faction, it was reasonably supposed, by those who were familiar with the facts, that retaliation if not loyalty would induce these, especially, to declare against those who had oppressed and outraged them ; but the peaceful disposition of the farmers of lower Orange and Duchess and Westchester-counties, their simple domestic habits and controlling love of home, and their almost universal contentment with their old-time prosperity and comfort and happiness, were not taken into consideration ; and, aa the expedition of the PliwiiU and the Rose ascertained and as General Howe subsequently learned, these were more powerful than any other consideration -- the farmers referred to, preferred to endure the hardships to which they might be subjected, at home, instead of abandoning their homes and wives and children, of throwing themselves into what would have been new and untried associations and methods and experiences, and of being subjected to other hardships, m Oie field or in garrisons, as severe, if not more severe, as those from which they would have thus escaped.