brothers loved him, and deplored his warlike folly. Whilst listening
to their sermons, he planned setting Europe and Asia in a flame. As he
was no longer able to do anything but write, he wrote to the commander
of la Martinique, and proposed to him to make a descent upon the
English islands under American colours. He wrote also to M. de
Maurepas, and offered to conduct some Americans to the Isle of France,
concerting previously with individuals an attack upon the English
factories.~[21] From the particulars which have since become known,
that project in India would have succeeded; but it was rejected at
Versailles, where no answers were yet vouchsafed to M. de Lafayette's
letters. Bouille more ardent in temper, would have adopted the whole
plan, but he could not act without permission; and these delays led to
the period of the war which M. de Lafayette was so desirous of
bringing on.

During his residence at Bethlehem, the English entrenched themselves
at Philadelphia. The two rivers which encompassed the town were united
by a chain of wooden palisades and good redoubts, partly covered by an
inundation. A portion of their army was encamped at Germantown, five
miles in advance of those lines; these were attacked, the 4th of
October, by Washington, and although his left column was retarded by
an absurd precedence of divisions, and misled by a thick
fog,--although the advance guard of the right, under Conway, attacked
in front what it ought to have attacked in flank, the enemy was not
less taken by surprise and beaten, and the general, with his
victorious wing, passed through the whole extent of the enemy's
encampment. All things went on well until then; but a false movement
of the left column, and still more the attack of a stone house which
they should have turned, gave the enemy time to rally. Howe was
thinking of a retreat, but Cornwallis arrived in haste with a