NORTHAMPTON COUNTY (PENNSYLVANIA) COMMITTEE.

The inhabitants of the several Townships in the County of Northampton met on the 27th of September, 1775, and elected, by ballot, the following persons as Committee-Men for their respective Townships, viz: Leivis Gordon, Abraham Arndt, Thomas Sillyman, Henry Lawalt, Christopher Wagner, John Beil, Jacob Morry, David Deshler, Peter Rhoads, John Greesemer, John Wetzel, Andrew Englemen, Daniel Knows, John Hartman, Thomas Everet, John Hunsacker, John Soft, George Gilbert, Niegel Gray, Peter Anthony, William Beck, Jacob Hubler, Benjamin Depuy, Godfrey Greenswich, Robert Levers, Nicholas Depuy, Jacobus Vangarda, and James Vanoken.

At the same time, the following persons were chosen a Committee of Correspondence, to wit: Leivis Gordon, Christopher Wagner, Jacob Morry, Thomas Sillyman, and Henry Lawalt.

New-York, September 27, 1775.

We hear from Dutchess County, that on Saturday, the 16th instant, James Smith, Esq., a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for that County, was very handsomely tarred and feathered, for acting in open contempt of the Resolves of the County Committee, as was Coen Smith, of said place, for the like behaviour; they were carted five or six miles into the country. The Judge undertook to sue for and recover the arms taken from the Tories by order of said Committee, and actually committed one of the Committee, who assisted at disarming the Tories, which enraged the people so much, that they rose and rescued the prisoner, and poured out their resentment on this villanous retailer of the law.

JOHN N. BLEECKER TO NEW-YORK CONGRESS.

Albany, September 27, 1775.

SIR: Having been informed that it was some time ago resolved, in Congress, that all those who had any demands for publick charges on that body, should lay a state of their accounts before them, or the Committee of Inspection appointed for the purpose of auditing accounts; in consequence of which, I enclose you an account of provisions, stores, baggage, &c., forwarded from Albany to Fort George, specifying by whom sent, and what kind of carriage; also, an account of stores and provisions purchased, and other expenses for services performed, &c., for which the particular accounts are likewise enclosed, which I request may be returned, after being examined, to Abraham Yates, Peter Sylvester, and Henry Glen, Esquires. You have also a general account, by which it will appear that a balance is due to wagoners, teamsters, &c., &c., of fourteen hundred and ninety-eight Pounds, fifteen Shillings and five Pence, for which sum I have this day drawn on you, in favour of Mr. Matties Arnest, and hope my draft will be honoured. Several persons, from whom the provisions, &c., have been bought, complain of a delay in payment, and often intimate that they are in want of money; that they could long since have had cash, had they sold their provisions to others; and the wagoners and teamsters also express their uneasiness at the want of their dues, and plainly say that they are and have been deceived with fair promises, which I have indeed often been forced to make use of, in order to induce them to load, by telling them that they would all be paid off before the end of August last. With respect to the carpenters, they are also in anxious expectation of being paid; some having large families to maintain, and nothing wherewith to purchase the common necessaries of life.

I am, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,

JOHN N. BLEECKER.

To Peter V. B. Livingston.

Dorchester, September 27, 1775.

To the Honourable Board of Counsellors and House of Representatives of the Province of MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, in General Assembly now sitting in WATERTOWN.

The Memorial of the Company of Foot raised in the Town of WORCESTER, and now in the Continental Army, in the Regiment whereof JONATHAN WARD, Esq., is Colonel, together with the principal part of said Regiment, being raised out of the County of WORCESTER, humbly sheweth:

That the said Town and County have been intolerably infested with a cruel and merciless set of Tories, who exerted all their wit, sophistry, and influence, to proselyte slaves to the supreme legislative power of the British Parliament, and to disconcert every method used by the wise and zealous friends of the free, happy, and most noble Constitution of the Empire, and discovered a most merciless, inimical temper towards our Provincial and Colony Charters, styling the sons of freedom, or friends to the Constitution, rebels and traitors, and menacing death and cruel tortures as their just and remediless portion.

That when the bloody era commenced, and the brave appeared in arms to defend their invaluable rights against Troops formed, posted, and ordered to massacre all that would not submit to their merciless decrees, and all America, with one heart and voice, cordially united to take up arms, as their dernier resort, for their defence, then these hardy wretches trembled; some confessed, and like vermin crawling among the roots of vegetables, endeavouring to secrete themselves, while they are a nuisance to the cause of justice and judgment; or in sheep’s clothing secretly watching for prey to gratify their voracious appetites, or availing themselves of the good opinion of the prudent, ascend into places of power or profit, and rendered capable of acting their predecessor Judas’s part, when opportunity favours their design, betray the good cause with all hail ! and a hypocritical kiss.

That others fled to Boston, there to advise and act as open and avowed enemies to their brethren, encouraging the disheartened and chagrined Troops to all merciless acts of violence and bloody scenes, stimulating the British Ministry and all the tools of tyranny to pursue their bloody decrees with all vengeance upon us; by which means, in our humble opinion, they have forfeited all right to American properly, and even their lives, with every aggravation of guilt, as did ever a bloody set of merciless robbers or desperate pirates.

That as some of those vermin, or worse, emissaries of tyranny, are crawling out of Boston to their forfeited seats at Worcester, there is reason to suspect that either their expectations fail, and therefore would gladly return to their former seats and profits, until a more favourable opportunity presents to carry their evil machinations into execution; or they are contriving by degrees to slide back to their seats, and there to avail themselves of the good opinion of the people, in order to play their parts to divide and subdivide, or by some methods weaken our union, or to form some diabolical plan for the Ministry to save the supremacy of Parliament, under some soft, sophistical, reconciliatory terms.

Wherefore, we, your humble memorialists, entreat your honours not to suffer any of those who return (however humble and penitent they may appear) to go at large or return to their former seats, or even to be so far favoured as to be confined within the limits of Worcester, but treat them as they deserve, enemies in a superlative degree; confine them close, and render them incapable of doing harm; or return them to Boston, their favourite asylum.

Your honours’ petitioners cannot but flatter themselves with a most sanguine expectation of this so rational a request being fully granted, especially as we are risking our lives in our Country’s cause. It must greatly dishearten us to hear our most notorious enemies are tolerated and winked at, while on the other hand we find no necessity to pvay to our Commander-in-Chief for a detachment to apprehend and confine enemies, who are secured properly by our civil fathers, under whose jurisdiction they appear; and, thus encouraged, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c.

And presented to the honourable Board, by Colonel Ward, Captain Washburn, and Captain Mitten.

ADDRESS OF THE BOROUGH OF WARWICK.

Address of the Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, Burgesses, and Inhabitants of the Borough of Warwick, presented to