STATE of affairs in England--Treaty with France--Movements in the British Parliament--Overtures to Congress--Rejection of them--Battle of Monmouth--Disastrous Retreat of General Lee--Fortunate interposition of Washington--His rebuke of Lee--Tremendous Battle--Sufferings of the Armies--Renewal of the Contest--Midnight Retreat of the British army--Subsequent Trial and Dismission of General Lee. 1. STATE OF AFFAIRS IN ENGLAND. The effect produced by the surrender of General Burgoyne, upon the British cabinet and the nation at large, was as grievous and depressing, as it had been joyous and animating to congress and the American people. The most brilliant success had been anticipated by the former; the most ignominious result had occurred. The pride of the nation was humbled, and those who had disapproved of the war, were now loud in their censures of ministers. Already had the war cost England twenty thousand men and thirty millions of money. But more of both were now needed. Reluctant to ask parliament for a fresh levy, the ministers, during the recess of that body, near the beginning of the year 1778, dispatched agents into the different provinces of the kingdom, to spur the inhabitants to enlist, and to furnish voluntary contributions to carry on the war. The success of this plan was only partial--far less than anticipated, or the exigencies of the case required. The citizens of Liverpool and Manchester, however, responded to the call, and agreed to raise and equip a regiment of one thousand each. Edinburgh and Glasgow followed their example. London, as a city, peremptorily refused to raise troops--but the friends of the government raised the sum of twenty thousand pounds. 2. TREATY WITH FRANCE. Not long after the declaration of independence, commissioners were authorized to bring the subject of a recognition before the court of Versailles, and to urge the measure by such considerations as existed in the case. This they had done, and continued to do, so long as any prospect of success existed. At length, despairing of obtaining their object, they were about to abandon further effort, when the joyful intimation was communicated to Dr. Franklin, that a treaty, involving the desired recognition, had been determined upon by the king and his ministers. On the 6th of February, 1778, this measure, most auspicious to American interests, was concluded at Paris. It was signed on behalf of the king by M. Gerard; and for the United States by Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee. The treaty stipulated--a thing until then unheard of on the part of a king--that the essential and express object of the alliance was to maintain effectually the _liberty_, _sovereignty_, and _independence of the United States_. [Illustration: American Commissioners before the Court of Louis XVI.]