diers of George III. to take possession of the region above West Point, either to ereate a diversion in favour of Burgoyne, then face to face with Gates near Saratoga, or to co-operate with him according to agreement. Sir Henry Chnton did not proceed in person fc>-with the expedition up the ri\'er, but left the command to General Vaughan and Sir James Wallace, who were accompanied bv a considerable number of troops, with a squadron of the lighter vessels of war. Putnam, near Fishkill, whither he had retreated, concerted immediately with Governor Clinton, who had escaped to New Windsor, to move northward with their hastily assembled forces to intercept and check the advance of the enemy. There is an admiral^le ring of courage in the note written at this time to the Council of Safety by Clinton: " I am persuaded, if the militia will join me, we can save the country from destruction and defeat the enemy's design of assisting the northern army." A new and definite evidence of this design had been strangely received by the Governor about the time of the penning of those words. The arrest of two persons coming from the direction of Fort Montgomery led to important developments. One of the twain, seeming to swallow something, was given an emetic, upon which a silver bullet was produced, but, being more nimble than his captors, he succeeded in disposing of the morsel again in the same manner as before. He refused so energetically to be dosed a second time