e remains the
smallest hope of success. The House of Representatives will be
convened in a few days. I intend to qualify, and make a final
effort. Oh! that I were a Demosthenes! The Athenians never deserved
a more bitter exprobation than our countrymen.'

But the Legislature of South-Carolina decided, as might have been
expected from the most tory of States in the Revolution, as it now is
the most traitorous in the Emancipation--for it is by _that_ name that
this war will be known in history. It rejected Laurens' proposal--his
own words give the best account of the failure:

'I was outvoted, having only reason on my side, and being opposed
by a triple-headed monster, that shod the baneful influence of
avarice, prejudice, and pusillanimity in all our assemblies. It was
some consolation to me, however, to find that philosophy and truth
had made some little progress since my last effort, as I obtained
twice as many suffrages as before.'

'Washington,' says Mr. Moore, 'comforted Laurens with the confession
that he was not at all astonished by the failure of the plan, adding:

''That spirit of freedom, which at the commencement of this contest
would have gladly sacrificed every thing to the attainment of its
object, has long since subsided, and every selfish passion has
taken its place. It is not the public, but private interest, which
influences the generality of mankind, nor can the Americans any
longer boast an exception. Under these circumstances, it would
rather have been surprising if you had succeeded.'

But the real lesson which this rejection of negro aid taught this
country was a bitter one. South-Carolina lost twenty-five thousand
negroes, and in Georgia between three fourths and seven eighths of the
slaves escaped. The British organized them, made great use of them, and
they became 'dangerous and well-disciplined bands of marauders.' As the
want of recruits in the American army increased, negroes, both bond and
free, were finally and gladly taken. In the department under General
Washington's command, on August 24th, 1778, there were nearly eight
hundred black soldiers. This does not include, however, the black
regiment of Rhode Island slaves which had just been organized.

In 1778 General Varnum proposed to Washington that a battalion of negro
slaves be raised, to be commanded by Colonel Greene, Lieutenant-Colonel
Olney, an