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,