From the year 1779 until 1782, nine packets on the several North American stations were captured, and seven were more or less seriously damaged. Some idea of the extent to which the packet service was crippled during the war of the Revolution may be gathered from the fact that of the five vessels on the New York station in 1777, four were taken and one damaged. Of the six on the West Indian station, four were taken and one damaged, and of the three on the Carolina station two were taken.[118] The importance of these facts in their influence on the outcome of the war has not so far received the attention the subject merits. FOOTNOTES: [86] _Pickering Papers_, vol. 39 (_Mass. Hist. Soc._). [87] G.P.O., _Document in Record Room_. [88] _Pickering Papers_, vol. 33. [89] _Ibid._, vol. 53. [90] _Journals, Continental Congress_, II. 71. [91] _Ibid._, II. 208. [92] Foxcroft to Todd, _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [93] _Am. Arch._, fourth series, VI. 1012. [94] _Journals, Continental Congress_, III. 488. [95] G.P.O., _American Letter-Book_, 1773-1783, p. 62. [96] _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [97] _Am. Arch._, fourth series, IV. 453. [98] _Ibid._, II. 1294. [99] _Am. Arch._, fifth series, I. 725. [100] Placard signed by Franklin, _Papers Cont. Cong._, no. 61, p. 121. [101] _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [102] _Journals, Continental Congress_, V. 719. [103] Finlay to Todd, _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [104] _The American Revolution_, by C. H. Van Tyne, p. 69. [105] _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [106] _C. O._ 5, vol. 135. [107] G.P.O., _Treasury_, IX. 298-299. [108] _Hist. MSS. Com._, 1904, Amer., I. 70. [109] _C. O._ 5, vols. 136 and 137; also _Can. Arch._, B. 43, p. 95 and G.P.O., _Treasury_, X. 14. [110] _Can. Arch._, M. 230, p. 116, Art. 49. [111] G.P.O., _Treasury_, X. 20-22. [112] _Can. Arch._, B. series, CC. 8 [113] _C. O._ 5, vol. 134. [114] _Ibid._, 136. [115] _C. O._ 5, vol. 136. [116] G.P.O., _Treasury_, IX. 345. [117] _Ibid._ [118] _Ibid._, X. 171. CHAPTER V Beginnings of exclusively Canadian postal service-- Administration of Hugh Finlay--Opening of communication with England by way of Halifax--Postal convention with United States. A point has now been reached, beyond which the sequence of events in the American post office no longer forms an integral part of the narrative. There had, indeed, been no actual postal connection between Canada and the revolted colonies since the beginning of war. Communication between Quebec, Montreal and New York had been interrupted in May 1775 by the capture of Ticonderoga.