ination,
if it is not settled, permit me to recommend to your consideration, that
the general depends upon you entirely for intelligence of the enemy's
motion." These extracts of letters must be read with astonishment.--With
what uncommon fortitude must such men have been endowed, to bear up
under such continued discouragements. As Gen. Marion lay a long time
here, it will give occasion to relate some other matters, which as
fortunate events have for some time past thickened, would have perplexed
the narrative to have introduced before.

About the 10th August, Georgetown was burnt.--One Manson, commanding a
small armed vessel, arrived within gunshot of the town, and sent a party
in a boat under cover of his guns, and set fire to some houses on a
wharf at the lower end of the Bay, and the wind favouring, the whole
town, except a few houses on the outskirts, was burnt. No doubt Manson
had his orders from Balfour.

As the continental troops were without pay and clothing, a plan was
adopted by the governor and council to impress all the indigo for public
service which could be found, and it was expected that it would now
serve instead of money as a medium of exchange. The principle had been
authorised by an old militia law, but it was a rigourous measure and
a poor expedient, although the best that could be devised at the time.
Many thrifty planters had hoarded up their indigo, ever since the
commencement of the war, hoping some day to turn it into money. Capt.
Wm. Richardson, of Bloomhill, was appointed commissary general by the
governor, and assistants were appointed by him in the several districts
of the state; who went about with press warrants in their pockets, and
parties to assist them, and set a price upon each man's indigo, for
which they gave him a receipt, promising payment from the state. The
general depot was fixed at Bloomhill.

It was in contemplation at the time likewise to raise two regiments of
state troops to be attached to Marion's brigade, and for this purpose
all the horses fit for cavalry were impressed, except those of men
actually in service. These were indeed high handed measures, but
appeared necessary at the time. Winter was approaching, and Gen.
Greene states in a letter to Col. Peter Horry, of the 11th of November,
"Blankets are so scarce with us, that more than three-fourths of our men
are without." A few goods fit for service were afterwards purchased for
indigo, but at an enormous advance