than Captain Morgan and myself. This, Captain Morgan tells me, was your Excellency’s intention; but as I was not made acquainted with it before I came away, I should be very glad of particular instructions on that head, that I may give satisfaction to the field-officers with me. There is at present the greatest harmony among the officers, and no accident happened, except the loss of one man, supposed to be wilfully shot by a private, who is now taking his trial by a Court-Martial.

Major Mifflin could not send money for the batteaus. The Commissary has been obliged to pay for them, with one hundred Pounds I have lent him, out of the pay received for the month of September, and has been obliged to draw an order in favour of the bearer, Mr. John Wood, who has engaged to deliver this to your Excellency. I have promised him his time and expenses paid. I should be glad the manifestoes might be forwarded on by him, if not sent, with the last intelligence from General Schuyler, to whom I intend sending one of the Indians as soon as they arrive.

I have the honour to be, very respectfully, your Excellency’s most obedient humble servant,

B. ARNOLD.

To his Excellency General Washington.

P. S. Since writing the foregoing, I have received a letter from Colonel Reed, with the manifestoes, and the Court-Martial have condemned the man, who shot the other, to be hanged; which sentence I have approved, but have respited him until your Excellency’s pleasure in the matter is known, and design sending him back in one of the transports; enclosed are all the papers relative to the matter, with his confession at the gallows, before respited. The three first divisions of my detachment are gone forward; the last goes to-morrow, when I shall join Captain Morgan as soon as possible; and am, with much respect, your Excellency’s most obedient humble servant,

B. ARNOLD.

[No. 5.]

Vassalborough, September 13, 1775.

SIR: In compliance with your orders, I proceeded with Mr. Berry on our intended journey to Quebeck, as follows: Friday, September 1st, we sat out, and got, on Saturday 2d, to Howard’s, at Skowhegin Falls, twenty-four miles distance; rainy weather. Sunday, 3d, we arrived at Norridgewock, twelve miles distance; rainy weather. Monday, 4th, we arrived at Carratuncas Falls, eighteen miles distance; swift water and shoal. Tuesday, 5th, we reached the great carrying place, water shoal and swift, distance eighteen miles. Wednesday, 6th, we got to the third pond, in the great carrying place, distance nine miles. Thursday, 7th, we arrived at an Indian camp, thirty miles up Dead River; good water. Here we got intelligence of an Indian, that he was stationed there by Gov. Carleton, as a spy, to watch the motions of an Army or spies that was daily expected from New-England; that there were spies on the head of Chaudiere River; and down the river, some distance, there was stationed a regular officer and six privates. He positively declared that, if we proceeded any farther, he would give information of his suspicions of our designs, as otherwise he should betray the trust reposed in him. But, notwithstanding his threats, we thought it of moment to get all possible intelligence, and went, the 8th, thirty miles up the river aforesaid; but finding the water pretty shoal, and meeting with nothing new, we returned to the camp. Upon our first arrival at the camp, our Indian pilot thought it dangerous to proceed any farther, and declined going with us. In the time of our absence he conferred with an Indian squaw, of whom we got intelligence that all the young Indians from that quarter had gone to Johnson, but the Indian had a commission from Carleton; that at Shettican, the uppermost settlement on Chaudiere River, there was a great number of Mohawks, that would have destroyed us if we had proceeded; and that the spy hourly expected the arrival of three canoes of Indians. We found the carrying places pretty passable; the water, in general, shoal, on account of the late dry season. The trees were well marked, as far as we went, and the way is so direct as may be easily found.

Thus far, Sir, agreeable to your orders, and to the utmost of our power, have we proceeded on our intended tour; and are, with esteem, Sir, your humble servants,

DENNIS GETCHELL,

SAMUEL BERRY.

Mr. REUBEN COLBURN:

SIR: The above is a copy of a letter I draughted for the above gentlemen, and, at the request of Mr. Getchell, I now send it by the bearer; and am, Sir, yours, &c.,

REMINGTON HOBBY.

Memorandum. — Reuben Colburn, by whose direction this party was sent out, acted under the orders of General Washington, in order to see what were the obstacles Col. Arnold would be likely to meet on his way to Quebeck.

J. REED.

[No. 6.]

Quebeck, September 6, 1775.

SIR: I have the honour to inform your Excellency that, by General Carleton’s orders, I have taken up a vessel to transport a quantity of cattle, sheep, &c., as a present, from the Province of Quebeck, to the sick and wounded soldiers of His Majesty’s Forces at Boston; bills of lading for which, together with the charter-party, I have enclosed to Major Shirreff. I still continue to send, by order of General Carleton, as many bullocks and sheep as the deck of each transport will contain, which I hope meets with your Excellency’s approbation. I could wish the cattle were better, but in general they are very poor and small in this country. General Carleton has given me directions to contract for some forage, in order to be in readiness to load the transports he expects you will send to Quebeck this fall; and I am in hopes I shall be able to procure a quantity of oats and hay time enough to despatch the transports you may think proper to send.

I hope you will pardon me for reminding you of my situation, my length of service, and pretensions as an officer, I took the liberty to set forth in a memorial I transmitted to your Excellency by the last transport that sailed; and I shall only add that, when a proper opportunity offers, I hope you will take the prayer of it into consideration, and grant me either the purchase of a Company, or one in a new corps, whichever your Excellency shall think most proper. No prospect yet of the Militia being embodied here, nor do I think they will. General Carleton, I am apt to think, is afraid to give the order, lest they should refuse to obey; and I believe this year will pass over without the Canadians doing any thing in favour of Government. This day’s post has brought an account that the Rebels have taken post at Point-au-Fer, with a body of troops; if so, they may have thoughts of advancing into this Province. Two small vessels of ours were launched at St. John’s yesterday. We are told here that Mr. Schuyler is building four at Ticonderoga. In short, Sir, you must look for no diversion (in favour of the Army immediately under your Excellency’s command) this year from Canada, the language here being only to defend the Province; and it is generally thought here, that if the Rebels were to push forward a body of four or five thousand men, the Canadians would lay down their arms and not fire a shot. I hope you will pardon my thus writing so freely, and not impute it to presumption, as it is merely intended to let your Excellency into a true state of facts, as from many other quarters you may have interested accounts.

I have the honour to be, with the utmost respect, your Excellency’s most obedient bumble servant,

THOMAS GAMBLE.

To His Excellency General Gage.

[No. 7.]

Quebeck, September 6, 1775.

DEAR SIR: I enclose you a charter-party for a vessel, taken up by order of Major-General Carleton, to transport some live stock, purchased by a contribution in this Province, for the use of the sick and wounded soldiers of His Majesty’s Forces at Boston; also, bills of lading. The vessel belongs to Tom Dunn, your old friend, though chartered by Mr. Grant; and I am to beg you will do every good office in your power to the master, either by employing the