imself and other commanders to government since the convention of
Saratoga, should be laid before the house. Lord North readily granted
these papers, and shortly after Sir William Howe, who was now in the
house of commons, as well as his brother the admiral, made a similar
motion for copies of all letters that had passed during his command
between him and the secretary of state for America. It was only against
Lord George Germaine that Howe wished to impute blame, and him he
charged with interfering on all occasions with the management of the
army in America; and of imposing restraints and schemes of his own,
which were conceived in utter ignorance of the country which was the
scene of the war. These papers were, also, willingly granted, and Lord
North further consented that the house should go into committee for
inquiring into the whole conduct of the American war. At the same time,
an application was made to the house of lords, to permit the attendance
of Earl Cornwallis, as a material witness. After this, however, Lord
North endeavoured to put a stop to this inquiry, by asserting that Sir
William Howe's character was fully cleared by the letters produced, and
that government approved in the warmest manner of his services. But this
attempt was attended with great odium, and the examination of witnesses
was proceeded with. This examination lasted for two months, and the
officers examined were, Lord Cornwallis, Major-general Grey, Sir Andrew
Snape Ham-mon, Major Montresor, and Sir George Osborne, whose evidence
went to establish the facts that the force sent to America was not
equal to the task of subjugating America; that the colonists were almost
unanimous in their enmity and resistance to Great Britain; that the
nature of the country was beyond all others difficult and impracticable
for military operations; and that there was no fairer prospect of
success in any future attempt at conquest, than in those which had
already been made. On the other hand, Major-general Robertson, and
Mr. Galloway, a member of congress who had turned royalist, gave
contradictory evidence on all these points, and the latter was severe in
his censures on the military conduct of Sir William Howe. At the
request of Howe, this witness was directed to attend again for
cross-examination; but, on the day appointed, which was the 29th of
June, the general not being in the house, advantage was taken of this
circumstance to dissolve the committee, and