men to the mild government and tender protection of their Sovereign and the supreme Legislature.

We equally admire your Majesty’s wisdom and goodness in taking the gracious means to avert their ruin. The measures now adopted, we trust, will speedily conquer the evils, and restore the general tranquillity; being agreeable to the spirit of our laws, and for the true honour and happiness of all your Majesty’s dutiful subjects amongst whom we entreat your Majesty to believe none shall excel us in the most faithful and grateful zeal.

Given under our hands, the thirtieth day of September, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.

As this Colony is in some sort detached from the rest, we imagined ourselves in no danger of being involved in these alarming disputes that now prevail over this Continent; the contrary of which, however, I am now sorry to inform you of.

About the beginning of May last, as you would see in your newspapers, the rebels made themselves masters of all the forts, &c., on Lakes George and Champlain, which lie between this and the Southern Colonies; likewise, of the King’s sloop and boats on said lakes. They have also, since that time, repeatedly attempted to invade, and consequently to plunder this Province; but have, as yet, been luckily prevented from putting their intended scheme into execution, by means of a few Troops and the British Militia. In the course of the summer, there have indeed been several slight engagements, in which the rebels were always defeated, but with very little loss to His Majesty’s Troops.

Last post brought us advice from Montreal, that on Monday last, two or three hundred rebels, including some Canadians who have joined them, landed within a league of that place, and in expectation of a great number of Canadians to assist them, they intended to have taken the Town by surprise, and to have plundered it.

The inhabitants, however, directly upon their landing, took the alarm, and the drums beat to arms. Upon which, about three hundred gentlemen, merchants, and other inhabitants, together with forty soldiers, marched out, under the command of Major Campbell. They immediately attacked the rebels, who, after a brisk fire for the space of an hour, were obliged to give way and take to their boats, by which they escaped over the river, but with the loss of a considerable number killed and wounded; besides thirty-four taken prisoners, among whom is one Ethan Allen, Commander-in-Chief of that party. Only three men killed on the King’s side, with three or four wounded. My uncle, who is at present at Montreal, was in the engagement, and came off safe. Some of the rebel prisoners, who are Canadians, inform us that Allen hired them at the rate of fifteen pence per day, and moreover promised them their share of the plunder of Qucbeck and Montreal.

From the little expectation we had of being involved in this quarrel, we are left in a great measure defenceless, by reason of our Troops being all sent to Boston, except two Regiments, who only remain in this Province. Matters being in this situation, we are under the necessity of laying aside carrying on business as usual, and have been all obliged to take up arms, and form ourselves into a Militia, for the safety of ourselves and property. We are also very busy in putting this garrison into the best posture of defence we can, and are determined to hold it out to the last, in case of an attack.

The season of the year will, however, in a short time, oblige the rebels to leave the Country, and next spring we expect assistance from Great Britain, or some place else, so that the danger is not now so great as we imagined some time ago.

CHARLESTOWN (SOUTH-CAROLINA) GENERAL COMMITTEE.

Ordered, That the Message from this Committee to the Right Honourable Lord William Campbell, of the 29th ult., his Excellency’s Answer of the 30th, and the Letter from this Committee to Captain Thornborough, of His Majesty’s Sloop Tamar, of the same date, be forthwith printed, and made publick.

PETER TIMOTHY, Secretary.

Message to his Excellency the Governour.

State-House, September 29, 1775.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY: It is with great concern we find that, for some days past, your Excellency has been pleased to withdraw yourself from Charlestown, the seat of your Government, and have retired on board the King’s ship. The inconveniences which must unavoidably arise to the people, deprived, by this step, of that easy access to your Excellency which is absolutely necessary for transacting publick affairs, are apparent; and we submit to your Excellency’s consideration, whether the retirement of our Governour to a King’s ship, in this general disquietude, when the minds of the people are filled with the greatest apprehensions for their safety, may not increase their alarm, and excite jealousies of some premeditated designs against them. We therefore entreat that your Excellency will be pleased to return to Charlestown, the accustomed place of residence of the Governour of South-Carolina. And your Excellency may be assured, that whilst, agreeable to your repeated and solemn declarations, your Excellency shall take no active part against the good people of this Colony, in the present arduous struggle for the preservation of their civil liberties, we will, to the utmost of our power, secure to your Excellency that safety and respect, for your person and character, which the inhabitants of Carolina have ever wished to show to the representative of their Sovereign.

By order of the General Committee:

HENRY LAURENS, Chairman.

The Governour’s Answer.

Tamar, September 30, 1775.

SIR: I have received a message, signed by you, from a set of people who style themselves a “General Committee.”The presumption of such an address, from a body assembled by no legal authority, and whom I must consider as in actual and open rebellion against their Sovereign, can only be equalled by the outrages which obliged me to take refuge on board the King’s ship in this harbour. It deserves no answer, nor should 1 have given it any, but to mark the hardiness with which you have advanced that I could so far forget my duty to my Sovereign and to my Country as to promise that 1 would take no active part in bringing the subverters of our glorious Constitution, and the real liberties of the people, to a sense of their duty. The unmanly arts that have already been used to prejudice me in the general opinion may still be employed by that Committee.

But I never will return to Charlestown till 1 can support the King’s authority, and protect his faithful and loyal subjects. Whenever the people of this Province will put it in my power to render them essential service, I will with pleasure embrace the opportunity, and think it a very happy one.
I am, Sir, your humble servant,

WILLIAM CAMPBELL.

To H. Laurens, Esq.

Letter to Captain THORNBOROUGH.

State-House, September 30, 1775.

SIR: This afternoon, one of your officers brought up a paper from on board the Tamar, addressed to Henry Laurens, Esq. It appeared to have been intended as an answer to a message from the General Committee to his Excellency the Governour. It had no signature;* but the officer declared he brought it from Lord William Campbell.

We find that, upon your officer’s return to his boat, he was much insulted by some persons, at present unknown. We hereby express our concern at such a proceeding, which we absolutely disavow; and we assure you that all possible inquiry shall be made into this unwarrantable behaviour, in order that satisfaction may be obtained for the insult.

By order of the General Committee:

HENRY LAURENS, Chairman.

*The day following, the Governour sent another copy, with his signature annexed,