onfidence in government.

Knowing well that it was much easier to avoid intemperate measures
than to correct them, he thought it of essential importance to prevent
the immediate meeting of the officers; but, knowing also that a sense
of injury and a fear of injustice had made a deep impression on them,
and that their sensibilities were all alive to the proceedings of
congress on their memorial, he thought it more adviseable to guide
their deliberations on that interesting subject, than to
discountenance them.

With these views, he noticed in his orders, the anonymous paper
proposing a meeting of the officers, and expressed his conviction that
their good sense would secure them from paying any "attention to such
an irregular invitation; but his own duty, he conceived, as well as
the reputation and true interest of the army, required his
disapprobation of such disorderly proceedings. At the same time, he
requested the general and field officers, with one officer from each
company, and a proper representation from the staff of the army, to
assemble at twelve on Saturday, the 15th, at the new building, to hear
the report of the committee deputed by the army to congress. After
mature deliberation they will devise what farther measures ought to be
adopted as most rational and best calculated to obtain the just and
important object in view." The senior officer in rank present was
directed to preside, and report the result of the deliberations to the
Commander-in-chief.

The day succeeding that on which these orders were published, a second
anonymous address appeared, from the same pen which had written the
first. Its author, acquainted with the discontents of the army, did
not seem to despair of impelling the officers to the desired point. He
affected to consider the orders in a light favourable to his
views:--"as giving system to their proceedings, and stability to their
resolves."

But Washington would not permit himself to be misunderstood. The
interval between his orders and the general meeting they invited, was
employed in impressing on those officers individually who possessed
the greatest share of the general confidence, a just sense of the true
interests of the army; and the whole weight of his influence was
exerted to calm the agitations of the moment, and conduct them to a
happy termination. This was a work of no inconsiderable difficulty. So
convinced were many that government designed to deal unfairly by them,