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Travels in Some Parts of North America, in the Years 1804, 1805, & 1806, by Robert Sutcliff

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here by the American General Officers, at which General Washington attended. While the armies lay in this neighbourhood, the farmers suffered severely in their property; one instance of which this friend mentioned to me, as descriptive of the situation of things amongst them;--A near neigh- bour, who had a considerable stock of cheese on hand, which it was found needfull to hide to pre- vent being plundered of it, was in hopes an op- portunity might occur when it might be sold at a fair price, and to a regular customer; but it so happened, that some officers who were encamped in the vicinity, had got some information respecting this stock of cheese. One of them sent a servant to the mistress of the house, who stated, that his master was extremely anxious to taste one of her cheeses, having been told that she made a better article than any of her neighbours, and that not having tasted any of a long time that was fit to eat, he would freely give her a guinea for a small one. However the servant was not able to ascer- tain the fact, and of course returned without accomplishing his errand. Upon this the officer went himself to the house, and, after a deal of persuasion, prevailed upon the mistress to furnish him with two or three, for which he very freely gave her a guinea each. He had watched the mistress so closely, that he discovered where the stock of cheese was laid up,