fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to issue our Royal Proclamation, hereby declaring, that not only all our Officers, civil and military, are obliged to exert their utmost endeavours to suppress such rebellion, and to bring the traitors to justice, but that all our subjects of this Realm, and the dominions thereunto belonging, are bound by law to be aiding and assisting in the suppression of such rebellion, and to disclose and make known all traitorous conspiracies and attempts against us, our crown and dignity; and we do accordingly strictly charge and command all our Officers, as well civil as military, and all others our obedient and loyal subjects, to use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion, and to disclose and make known all treasons and traitorous conspiracies which they shall know to be against us, our crown and dignity; and for that purpose, that they transmit to one of our principal Secretaries of State, or other proper officer, due and full information of all persons who shall be found carrying on correspondence with, or in any manner or degree aiding or abetting the persons now in open arms and rebellion against our Government, within any of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, in order to bring to condign punishment the authors, perpetrators, and abetters of such traitorous designs.

Given at our Court at St. James’s the twenty-third day of August, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, in the fifteenth year of our reign.

GOD save the KING.

ORDER IN COUNCIL.

At the Court of St. James’s, the 23d day of August, 1775: Present, The King’s Most Excellent Majesty:

Whereas His Majesty was pleased by his order in Council, of the 5th of April last, to direct that no person or persons whatsoever should at any time during the space of six months, to commence from the 19th day of the said month of April, presume to transport out of this Kingdom, or carry coastwise, any Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition, (except the Master-General, Lieutenant-General, or principal Officers of the Ordnance for His Majesty’s service,) without leave or permission in that behalf first obtained from His Majesty, or his Privy Council. And whereas there is great reason to suspect that great fraud and collusion have been and may be practised in the shipping and exportation of Gunpowder, Arms and Ammunition, under licenses which have been already granted: His Majesty doth therefore, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, hereby revoke and make void all and every license and permission which has been hitherto granted for the exportation or carrying coastwise of Gunpowder or any sort of Arms or Ammunition; and doth hereby order, require, prohibit, and command, that during the space of three months from the date of this His Majesty’s order in Council, no person or persons whatsoever, (except the Master-General, Lieutenant-General, or principal Officers of the Ordnance for His Majesty’s service,) do presume, without leave or permission in that behalf first obtained from His Majesty or his Privy Council, to transport into any parts out of this Kingdom, or carry coastwise any Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition, or ship or lade any Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition on board any ship or vessel, in order to transporting the same into any parts beyond the seas, or carrying the same coastwise, upon pain of incurring and suffering the respective forfeitures and penalties inflicted by an act passed in the twenty-ninth year of his late Majesty’s reign, entitled, “An Act to empower His Majesty to prohibit the exportation of Saltpetre, and to enforce the law for empowering His Majesty to prohibit the exportation of Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms and Ammunition; and also to empower His Majesty to restrain the carrying coastwise of Saltpetre, Gunpowder, or any sort of Arms or Ammunition.” And the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury, the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High-Admiral of Great Britain, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, the Master General of the Ordnance, and His Majesty’s Secretary at War, are to give the necessary directions herein as to them may respectively appertain.

STEPHEN COTTRELL.

Annapolis, August 23, 1775.

The members of the Committee for this County are requested to attend a meeting of the Committee of Observation for this County, on Wednesday, the 30th instant, to choose, by ballot, seven of the Committee for licensing suits in this County, and to appoint proper persons to enlist four companies of Minute-Men in this County, agreeable to the resolves of the last Convention.

Signed by order of the Committee:

G. DUVALL, Clerk.

PETER VAN BRUGH LIVINGSTON TO NEW-YORK CONGRESS.

New-York, August 23, 1775.

SIR: The enclosed extraordinary letter is just come to my hands by Mr. Waldron; I thought my duty to send it to the Congress. And am, Sir, your most obedient servant,

P. V. B. LIVINGSTON.

To the Vice-President of the Provincial Congress.

Thursday, 11 o’clock, August 23, 1775.

To the President and Gentlemen in the Provincial Congress, NEW-YORK:

MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN: Be pleased to permit the fair stranger whom the people at home are pleased to call the Dutchess of Koningsburgh, &c., &c., &c., now on the tour through these most unhappy and distressed American Colonies.

We beg leave therefore to waive our most respectful compliments in the shades of true esteem and sympathy toward you, and request the favour of an interview with the President and some of his worthy brothers this afterternoon, at Mr. Adolph Waldron’s, and the favour will be highly esteemed.

We also presume to make known that the commission of our request is of very great importance, relative to the present unhappy wound which seems to swell through Great Britain and her Colonies, &c.

We solicit you will be pleased to observe, if the above commission meets with your approbation to receive, you will gain much honour in the end; and we have great reason to believe it will raise a glorious balm to sooth each unhappy wound, &c., Adieu.

To Peter V. B. Livingston, Esq.

N. B. The favour of an answer is requested on the point of honour, by the return of Mr. A. Waldron, who is the bearer of this.

COLONEL WILLIAM BAYARD TO NEW-YORK CONGRESS.

Greenwich, 3 o’clock, P. M., August 23, 1775.

SIR: I have my house just now surrounded with a number of armed men of the new levies. You would oblige me to let me know if they are posted there by order of the Congress or Committee, or what the meaning of it can be; and you will much oblige my family, who are greatly alarmed at it.

I am, Sir, your most humble servant,

WILLIAM BAYARD.

To Peter V. B. Livingston, Esq., Chairman of the Provincial Congress.

P. S. Just before my house was surrounded, five or six people called on Mrs. Bayard, and asked if Captain Foy was to dine here.

GENERAL SCHUYLER TO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

Albany, August 23, 1775.

SIR: Yesterday I had the honour of receiving your favour of the 15th instant. The powder which the respectable Committee of your City has sent is already arrived here. You and they, Sir, are equally entitled to my best thanks for this mark of attention. I shall, With great pleasure, order a considerable quantity of lead to be convoyed to Philadelphia immediately.

We have struggled through that variety of difficulties which is ever attendant on a want of method and regularity; and although we had not craft to move two hundred