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

,