Congress had declared that, if the British Acts of Parliament they complained of were not repealed by this day, they would not, after it, export anything whatever to Great Britain, Ireland, or the West Indies. It was a very fine day. The river covered with ships and the wharves crowded with inhabitants was a pleasant sight, if you could look at it without reflecting on the occasion that drove the country into the measure. Several of the vessels had arrived but a few days before, two or three only the day before. They were unloaded and loaded with great dispatch ー they had as many hands as could work night and day. It would, perhaps, have been better policy in Congress to have prohibited any trade to Great Britain or her possessions. We should then have kept many a gallant seaman that sailed in this fleet and never returned to America; for many of the vessels were sold abroad, and the crews not being able to return were obliged to enter into foreign service.² The trade should have been stopped, or the owners obliged to bring back the crews they sent out. I went to town, the day after the fleet sailed, on business; the wharf was clear of everything except a few melancholy looking people.