His assertion, that a number of persons assembling for the purpose of instructing each other in the art of War, and appointing persons to give the words of command, interferes with the Royal prerogative in the appointment of Officers, and amounts to an evasion, if not a violation, of the Province Laws, fully demonstrates his ignorance, both of the Law and Constitution.

The curious calculation he makes of the loss New-Hampshire must sustain if the same military ardour (which he ignorantly calls an infection) should prevail throughout the Province, merits the ridicule of all mankind.

I am surprised that this curious calculator (while his hand was in) did not inform us of the amazing loss this Government sustains by devoting a seventh part of the time to religious exercises; and endeavour to convince us that, as our clothing costs a large sum, it would be best to go naked.

After which, I should be glad to know from him, if we were to lay down our arms, and make the infamous submission he contends for, how much money we should be able to earn in a day, and how much of our earnings we should be able to keep in our pockets.

I hope the publick will excuse my not giving a more serious and particular answer to the production of a distempered brain, as that might make him wise in his own conceit, and induce this nonsensical scribbler to think himself a person of some consequence.

I shall conclude with reminding him, “that a shoemaker never ought to go beyond his last.”

Yours,      JOHN SULLIVAN.

TO THE FREEMEN OF VIRGINIA.

Committee Chamber, Norfolk, March 6, 1775.

Trusting to your sure resentment against the enemies of your Country, we, the Committee, elected by ballot for the Borough of Norfolk, hold up for your just indignation Mr. John Brown, Merchant, of this place. We are fully sensible of the great caution with which publick censure should be inflicted; and, at all times, are heartily disposed to accomplish the great design of the Association by the gentle methods of reason and persuasion. But an unhappy proneness to unmanly equivocation, which has so much distinguished Mr. Brown, and for which he has, in more than one instance, been censured by the voice of the people, added to the present manifest discovery of his secret and most direct attempt to defeat the measures of the Congress, in the case now before us, and of some very unjustifiable steps taken to conceal his disingenuous conduct, hath precluded us from the milder methods we would wish to adopt, and compelled us to give the publick the following narration: On Thursday, the 2d of March, this Committee were informed of the arrival of the Brig Fanny, Captain Watson, with a number of Slaves for Mr. Brown; and, upon inquiry, it appeared that they were shipped from Jamaica as his property, and on his account; that he had taken great pains to conceal their arrival from the knowledge of the Committee; and that the shipper of the Slaves, Mr. Brown’s correspondents, and the Captain of the Vessel, were all fully apprized of the Continental prohibition against that article. These circumstances induced a suspicion that Mr. Brown had given orders for the Slaves himself, which he positively denied, asserting that he had expressly forbidden his correspondents to send any, as being contrary to the Association, for the truth of which he appealed to his own letter-book. The Secretary being desired, at the request of Mr. Brown, to attend him to inspect the orders said to have been given, reported that he had had some slight and hasty glances at letters written between the middle of December and beginning of January, and was sorry to say he had seen one directed to Mr. Henderson, and another to Mr. Livingston, both of the date of December, and a third to Messrs. Campbells, of the first of January, all containing positive and particular orders for remittances to be made him in Slaves; at the same time hinting the necessity of secrecy, as it is an article, he writes, he could not avowedly deal in. The Secretary also reported, that he had seen a postscript, written a few days after the determination of this Committee, directing the return of a Slave imported from Antigua, in which postscript Mr. Brown writes his correspondent to send him no more than two Negro lads, as it would be dangerous to sell them here. But his orders to his other correspondents appear to have been so positive that they were complied with, notwithstanding his friend writes him that good Slaves would sell to more advantage in Jamaica than in Virginia. From the whole of this transaction, therefore, we, the Committee for Norfolk Borough, do give it as our unanimous opinion, that the said John Brown has wilfully and perversely violated the Continental Association, to which he had, with his own hand, subscribed obedience; and that agreeable to the Eleventh Article we are bound “forthwith to publish the truth of the case, to the end that all such foes to the rights of British America may be publickly known, and universally contemned, as the enemies of American Liberty, and that every person may henceforth break off all dealings with him.”

MATTHEW PHRIPP, Chairman.

Extract from the Minutes.

WILLIAM DAVIES, Secretary.

BALTIMORE (MARYLAND) COMMITTEE.

At a Meeting of the Committee of Observation at Baltimore, March 6, 1775, present Forty-two Members:—

Captain William Moat, of the Brig Sally, from Bristol, appeared before the Committee, and reported his cargo on oath, consisting of one hundred tons of British Salt, and twenty-four indented Servants. The Captain further reports that he took in his Salt before the 12th day of December, and on or about that day he fell down the River with his Vessel, to a place called Rowland Ferry, there to take in his Servants; that he continued there until the 23d, and sailed from King-Road the 24th of December.

On motion, made by Doctor John Stevenson, to whom Captain Moat’s Vessel and Cargo were addressed, that he might have liberty to land the said cargo of Salt, alleging it ought only to be considered as ballast, and was not intended to be prohibited by the Association of the Continental Congress,

The Committee took into consideration the state of the said Brig Sally, Captain William Moat:

Resolved, unanimously, That the Salt imported in said Brig be not landed.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY (NEW-JERSEY) COMMITTEE.

Cumberland County, New-Jersey, March 6, 1775.

The Committee; of the County of Cumberland, in New-Jersey, met at Bridgetown; and after reading the Association of the American Congress, it appeared, by the voluntary declaration of Silas Newcomb, Esquire, a Member of the Committee, that he had contravened the same, and, in open violation of the Third Article of the aforesaid Association, had drank East-India Tea in his family ever since the first day of March instant, and that he is determined to persist in the same practice. After much time spent in vain to convince Mr. Newcomb of his errour, it was agreed, that it is the duty of this Committee, agreeable to the Eleventh Article of the above-mentioned compact, to break off all dealings with him, and in this manner publish the truth of the case, that he may be distinguished from the friends of American liberty.

By order of the Committee,

THOMAS EWING, Clerk.

Cumberland County, New-Jersey.

Whereas, Silas Newcomb, Esquire, was, in March last, advertised by the Committee of said County, for a breach of the Association of the Continental Congress, and having since manifested a desire of making a publick acknowledgment for his former misconduct, the Committee accepted of the following recantation, viz:—

“I, the subscriber, do hereby publickly acknowledge my former errour, and voluntarily confess myself to blame for obstinately refusing to submit to a majority of the Committee; and I do hereby ask pardon of the Members of the