River Delaware; but Lord Howe had sailed for New York several days
before his arrival. Count D'Estaing pursued, and lay eleven days at
anchor off Sandy Hook, not being able to get his large ships over the
bar into New York harbour. He at length directed his course, by
Washington's advice, to Long Island, and sailed up the Newport river,
whither he was followed by Lord Howe. "An attack against the British in
that quarter had been projected between the new allies. The French
promised to land from their ships four thousand troops, and the
Americans actually sent a detachment of ten thousand under General
Sullivan. The British troops, only five thousand strong, retired within
their lines at Newport.

"At these tidings, Lord Howe, whose intended successor, Admiral Byron,
had not yet arrived, issued forth from the Hudson and sailed in pursuit
of D'Estaing. The two fleets were on the point of engaging when
separated by a violent storm; there were conflicts between individual
ships only, in which the honour of the British flag was worthily
maintained. D'Estaing now declared his fleet so far damaged by the
storm as to compel him to put into Boston harbour and refit. In this
resolution he persisted, though Sullivan, Greene, and other American
officers altogether denied the necessity, and even transmitted to him a
written protest against it, couched in the most acrimonious terms."[13]

Certain it is, that the course which D'Estaing pursued on this occasion
not only forced the Americans to relinquish their enterprise upon Long
Island, but roused up among them a bitter feeling against the French. To
such an extent was this animosity carried that riots ensued in the
streets of Boston[14] between the American seamen and their new
allies.[15]

Even in regard to the mode of attacking the British on Long Island,
differences arose between Count D'Estaing and his new American friends
on questions of etiquette. Mr. Tucker says: "D'Estaing's fastidiousness
on points of etiquette, and his refusal to aid in what would have given
so serious a blow to the British power in America, is calculated to
raise a doubt whether he was really anxious to bring the war to an
immediate conclusion."[16] Early in November, Count D'Estaing, with the
French squadron, quitted the port of Boston and sailed for the West
Indies, there to pursue exclusively French objects. "Deep was the
disappointment and loud the animadversion of the Americans in the
Northern pro