establishments, there will be a distinction between General and Field-Officers of the same rank. In order to put New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode-Island, upon a line with Connecticut, it would be necessary to dismiss a number of officers in possession of commissions, without any fault of theirs; on the other hand, to bring the Connecticut Generals; and Field-Officers to the same scale with the others, will add to the number of officers, and may be deemed inconsistent with the terms on which they entered into the service, although you add nothing to the expense, except in the article of provisions. Upon the whole, it is a case which I would wish the honourable Congress to consider and determine. Colonel Gridley, of this Province, who is at the head of the Artillery, has the rank of Major-General from the Provincial Congress. Will it be proper to renew his commission here in the same manner? It is proper here to remark, that in this case he will take rank of all the Brigadiers-General and even the Majors-General whose commissions are subsequent in date, and can answer no good purpose, but may be productive of many bad con sequences.

These are matters of some importance, but I am embarrassed with a difficulty of a superiour kind. The estimate made in Congress supposed all the Regiments to be formed, upon one establishment; but they are different in different Provinces, and even vary in the same Province in some particulars. In Massachusetts some Regiments have ten Companies, others eleven. The establishment of the former is five hundred and ninety men, officers included; of the latter, six hundred and forty-nine. The establishment of Rhode-Island and New-Hampshire is five hundred and ninety to a Regiment, officers included. Connecticut has one thousand men to a Regiment. Should the Massachusetts Regiments be completed, with the new levies from Rhode-Island and Connecticut, and the riflemen, the number will exceed twenty-two thousand. If they should not be completed, as each Regiment is fully officered, there will be a heavy expense to the publick, without an adequate service. The reduction of some of them seems to be necessary, and yet is a matter of much delicacy as we are situated. I most earnestly request it may be taken into immediate consideration, and the time and mode of doing it pointed out by the honourable Congress. By an estimate I have made from the General Re turn, when the new levies arrive, and the Regiments are completed, there will be 24,450 men on the pay and pro vision of the United Colonies. Some of the recruiting officers, who have been out on that service, have returned with very little success; so that we may safely conclude, the number of 2,064, now wanting to complete, will rather increase than diminish. There are the Regiment of Artillery, consisting of 493 men, and one under Colonel Sergeant, who has not received any commission, although he had orders to raise a Regiment from the Provincial Congress here, which are not included in the above estimate. This last Regiment consists of 234 men, by the last return, but a Company has since joined. By adverting to the General Return, which I have the honour of enclosing, (No. 1,) it will be seen what Regiments are most deficient.

If the Congress does not choose to point out the particular Regiments, but the Provinces in which the reduction is to be made, the several Congresses and Assemblies may be the, proper channels to conduct the business, which I should also conceive the most advisable, from their better acquaintance with the merits, terms, and time of service of the respective officers. Reducing some Regiments, and with the privates thereof filling up others, would certainly be the best method of accomplishing this work, if it were practicable; but the experiment is dangerous, as the Massachusetts men, under the privilege of choosing their own officers, do not conceive themselves bound, if these officers are disbanded.

As General Gage is making preparations for winter, by contracting for quantities of coal, it will suggest to us the propriety of extending our views to that season. I have directed that such huts as have been lately made of boards, should be done in such a manner that, if necessary, they may serve for covering during the winter. But I need not enlarge upon the variety of necessities, such as clothing, fuel, &c., (both exceedingly scarce, and difficult to be procured,) which that season must bring with it, if the Army, or any considerable part of it, is to remain embodied. From the inactivity of the enemy, since the arrival of their whole re-enforcement, their continual addition to their lines, and many other circumstances, I am inclined to think, that finding us so well prepared to receive them, the plan of operations is varied, and they mean, by regular approaches, to bombard us out of our present line of defence, or are waiting in expectation that the Colonies must sink under the weight of the expense, or the prospect of a winter’s campaign, to discourage the troops so as to break up our Army. If they have not some such expectations, the issue of which they are determined to wait, I cannot account for the delay, when their strength is lessened every day by sickness, desertions, and little skirmishes.

Of these last, we have had only two worthy of notice. Having some reason to suspect they were extending their lines at Charlestown, I last Saturday evening ordered some of the riflemen down to make a discovery, or bring off a prisoner. They were accidentally discovered sooner than they expected, by the guard coming to relieve, and obliged to fire upon them; we have reason to believe they killed several. They brought in two prisoners, whose account, confirmed by some other circumstances, removed my suspicions in part. Since that time we have, on each side, drawn in our sentries, and there have been scattering fires along the line. This evening we have heard of three Captains who have been taken off by the riflemen, and one killed by a cannon shot from Roxbury, besides several privates; but as the intelligence is not direct, I only mention it as a report which deserves credit.

The other happened at the Light-house: A number of workmen having been sent down to repair it, with a guard of twenty-two Marines, and a Subaltern, Major Tupper, last Monday morning about two o’clock, landed there with about three hundred men; attacked them; killed the officer and four privates; but being detained by the tide, in his return he was attacked by several boats, but he happily got through with the loss of one man tilled, and another wounded; the remainder of the Ministerial troops, three of whom are badly wounded, he brought off prisoners, with ten Tories; all of whom are on their way to Spring field Jail. The riflemen in this skirmish lost one man, who, we hear, is a prisoner in Boston Jail. The enemy, in return, endeavoured to surprise our guard at Roxbury; but they being apprized of it by a deserter, had time to prepare for it; but, by some negligence or misconduct in the officer of the guard, they burnt the George Tavern, on the neck, and have every day since been cannonading us from their lines, both at Roxbury and Charlestown, but with no other effect than the loss of two men. On our part, except straggling fires from the small-arms about the lines, which we endeavour to restrain, we have made little or no return.

Our situation in the article of powder, is much more alarming than I had the most distant idea of. Having desired a return to be made out, on my arrival, of the ammunition, I found 3031/2 barrels of powder mentioned as in the store; but on ordering a new supply of cartridges yesterday, I was informed, to my very great astonishment, that there were no more than thirty-six barrels of the Massachusetts store; which, with the stock of Rhode-Island, New-Hampshire, and Connecticut, makes 9,937 pounds—not more than nine rounds a man. As there had been no consumption of powder since, that could in any degree account for such a deficiency, I was very particular in my inquiries, and found that the Committee of Supplies, not being sufficiently acquainted with the nature of a return, or misapprehending my request, sent in an account of all the ammunition which had been collected by the Province, so that the report included not only what was on hand, but what had been spent. Upon discovering this mistake, I immediately went up to confer with the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon some measures to obtain a supply from the neighbouring Townships, in such a manner as might prevent our poverty being known; as it is a secret of too great consequence to be divulged in: the General Court, some individual of which might, perhaps, indiscreetly suffer it to escape him, so as to find its way to the enemy; the consequences of which are terrible even in idea. I shall also write to the Governours of Rhode-Island and