SW_WH1793_Page_046

tion prevented my removing to Halifax. It may now appear strange, that persons born in America, should have been opposed to American independence. It is, however, not surprising, that among the great body of the people, who were all born and educated British subjects, that many deep-rooted prejudices should exist, tending to excite an attachment to that govern-ment, and an aversion to republicanism. These were sensible of the unjust and tyrannical conduct of Great Britain towards this country, but they conceived redress of grievances might be ob-tained without a separation. This, as events proved, was a vain expectation. In truth, the science of government was not then so well understood as at present, and great numbers, having the knowledge they now possess, would then have adopted very different political sentiments. This would certainly have been the fact as regards myself. Before the Americans entered the city, I removed to New Jersey, and soon after to Philadelphia. My brother Charles was married and in business in Lon-don, and I formed a connexion in Philadelphia, un-der the firm of Thomas and George Eddy. In the first month of 1784, I went to Virginia for the pur-pose of purchasing and making shipments of tobacco. It was a most remarkably severe winter, and I recol-lect when riding near Port-Royal on the Rappahanock river, that the snow along the fences (drifted) was six feet deep. The winter in 1st month, 1780, was, however, much more severe. All the bay of New York was then frozen, for some weeks, as far as San-dy Hook. Horses and sleighs passed from the city to Staten Island. I remember seeing a number of large cannon, 42 pounders, taken on the ice from Paulus' Hook or New York to Staten Island. Great numbers of people were daily skating on the bay. I went on skates to Governor's Island, Bedlow's Island, and Paulus' Hook. During the revolutionary war, tobacco, in Europe,