Various are the conjectures concerning the motions and destination of the enemy's fleet and the army, on board. Some think them still bound for Philadelphia, and that all their late motions have been only to conceal their real design. The last account we had of them was by a man, who we hear has since declared under oath, that on Wednesday the 27th ult'. he saw off Blue Point (about one hundred miles East of New-York) about one hundred and fifty sail of ships standing off the shore to the Eastward.
We hear that by an intercepted letter, and several concurring circumstances, it appears, that the fleet are bound to Newport, Boston, or New Hampshire — others think, that the hints of such a design have been thrown out on purpose to deceive us, and draw off our armies to the Eastward; and that to favour such a supposition, the fleet were to go off to sea on an Easterly course. But when they were out of sight of land, would tack about, proceed to Delaware and push for Philadelphia, before our army could return from the Eastward. Others think the intelligence was sent on purpose to be intercepted, arid supposed by us to be a feint intended to deceive us, and therefore to be disregarded, while they were rea1ly proceeding to the Eastward, so that they might make an actual attack before we should be in a condition to oppose them. Others again, and perhaps with most probability, suppose that their army is in such a dispirited ruinous condition, as to be incapable of making an attack any where with the least probability of success, or, even without the greatest hazard of being totally ruined; and that in this dilemma, being not at liberty. to give over an enterprise originally founded in folly, madness and villany, and not knowing what to do, they have concluded to retire to Halifax, there to wait, as they did at the evacuation of Boston, for further directions from Pandemoneum. Whether either of these conjectures is rightly founded or not, there should not be the least relaxation in our preparations to resist the whole force of the enemy, and every place they can have any motive to approach should be guarded with as much vigilance, as if they were expected there.
