80 rafters of 16 feet long, 80 rafters of ten feet long, is 160 rafters for the block-houses, their mean measure being 6 inches by 3, is 3, 120 feet, at 6s.per hundred, (at Windsor, ) is £9 7s., say £10.

2, 000 fascines, for levelling, &c., will cost about £25.

4, 000 pickets, to picket these down, made out of about 1, 000 laths, £20.

500 tompions for loopholes, about £2.

40 ports, 5 windows, and 6 doors for block-houses and magazines, and a gate and wicket for the citadel, about £30.

6, 400 broad-headed spikes, for the gate and wicket, and block-house doors and windows, 10 to a pound, of iron, is 640 pounds; 14 bolts of 10 pounds each, is 140 pounds; 5 bolts of 4 pounds each, 20 pounds; 26 hinges, on an average, 250 pounds; 50 iron hoops, for swivels, about 200 pounds; small iron work, about 200 pounds—in all, 1, 450 pounds, say 15 cwt. wrought iron, at 1s. per pound, £75.

Broad-headed copper nails for magazine door, 360, 10 to a pound, 36 pounds; copper hinges and bolts, 30 pounds; two copper circles, or busses, for vents, 20 pounds—about 80 pounds wrought copper, at 3s. 6d. per pound, £14.

5 ordinary locks, £2; 1 large lock, £1; 1 copper lock, £1; about 1, 000 pounds nails, £40; 5, 000 treenails, about £25.

Necessary tools—6 stone mauls, 20 very large pick stone hammers, 20 pick-axes, 130 crowbars, 50 hand bill-hooks, 50 axes and hatchets, 50 spades, 40 mallets, 300 sand bags of crocus, 50 hand-barrows—about £150.

For the barracks, 80 by 20 feet: 2 sills, 4 by 5 inches, 80 feet long, 270 feet; 2 plates, 4 by 6 inches, 80 feet long, 320 feet; 25 beams, 4 by 6 inches, 20 feet long, 1, 000 feet; 50 posts, 4 by 6 inches, 8 feet long, 800 feet; 50 rafters, 4 by 4 inches, 13 feet long, 870 feet; 20 joists, 4 by 4 inches, 14 feet long, 360 feet; 25 sleepers, 4 by 6 inches, 20 feet long, 1, 000 feet—in all, 4, 620 feet, at 6s. per hundred, £14.

5, 000 shingles, at £5 per thousand, £25.

250 laths, 14 feet, about £5.

500 inch boards, 14 feet, at 10d. per board, £20.

200 inch and a half boards, 14 feet, 1s. 3d. per board, £12 10s.

400 pounds nails, at 10d. per pound, £16 13s. 4d.

2 double stacks of chimneys, of brick, £20.

Store-house and guard room, 60 by 20 feet: 2 sills, 4 by 6 inches, 60 feet long, 240 feet; 2 plates, 4 by 8 inches, 60 feet long, 320 feet; 20 beams, 4 by 6 inches, 20 feet long, 800 feet; 40 posts, 4 by 6 inches, 9 feet long, 720 feet; 40 rafters, 4 by 4 inches, 15 feet long, 800 feet; 15 joists, 4 by 4 inches, 14 feet long, 280 feet; 20 sleepers, 8 by 3 inches, 20 feet long, 280 feet—in all, 3, 440 feet, at 6s. per hundred, £10 16s.

4, 000 shingles, at £5 per thousand, £20; 200 laths, £4 10s.; 375 inch boards, £15; 180 inch and a half boards, £11 5s.; 300 pounds nails, £12 10s.; a stack of chimneys, £10—in all, £84 1s.

Labour of and provisions for 150 men four months, 26 days to the month, at an average of 3s. per day, £2, 250.

Entire cost, £4, 695 4s. 4d.

Five iron stoves, for the block-houses.

The above is exclusive of ropes, &c, to raise the guns, as well as some other incidental requisites, such as transport of stores and tools, to be made by the blacksmith on the spot, as also, 150, 000 bricks, the price of which I am entirely ignorant of

B. ROMANS, Engineer.

COMMISSIONERS FOR FORTIFICATIONS TO COLONEL ROMANS.

Martelaer’s Rock, November 10, 1775.

SIR: Your considerations on the conspicuous light you have been placed in at this post, your watchfulness for the interests of America, as far as in your power lies, (suppose you mean in the expense that must attend our present works, ) with the many et ceteras therein, we beg leave to make the following reply to.

First. As to the erroneous distribution of one hundred and thirty-seven artificers and labourers at the post, when you drew up your considerations—about twenty-eight carpenters and nineteen masons have come to this post since the 20th October. You arrived here the 10th, and think it would have been your duty to have let the Commissioners know the proportion of labourers wanted to the artificers before the addition of the latter were sent from New-York; and we do not recollect that even then you mentioned it. It has been latterly your complaint, on seeing the season advance, and our uneasiness, that we had no place of any defence finished. To your judgment we submit what quantity of cubical feet of stone a mason properly attended may lay in twelve hours. We confess our ignorance in this calculation; but this we certainly are judges of, viz: if the work is well done, and the artificers keep close to it the proper time of working. The disappointment of one hundred men, expected up soon after we landed here, you are no stranger to. A proper attention should have been paid, in your mind, to the labourers that would necessarily be wanted frequently to unload timber, lime, brick, shingles, and stores.

Secondly. In regard to your promise to build a blockhouse in six weeks, with six hands and two oxen, you may perform; but remark that your account of the number or carpenters and labourers employed on the one now near finished is certainly much exaggerated, as to the whole time, since the 10th of October. The carpenters not doing the work of it in a workmanlike manner, you was to notice, and to have pointed out the most expeditious method, as we were frequently expostulating with you on the backwardness of our having some place of defence finished. As to oxen being cheaper than labourers to carry the timber from the pier-head up to the height of the rock, where the block-house is erected, may be just; but you know that when we began said block-house, we scarcely had a road up to it from said pier for men; then a cart was proposed, to be drawn by labourers; a road was, with great labour, made for that, and a cart procured. About three weeks ago you proposed the hire of oxen, and three pair to be got directly; one pair was agreed to, and every step in our situation taken to get them. A letter was wrote to the Committee of Fishkill to assist us; a boat and people employed in messages to procure them; three pair of team, or even one, ought to have been provided with forage (none being on this rock) before they were brought to this place to be worked hard amongst rocks. This is not the work of a day, where we are placed. Your calculation of the extra iron, in lieu of treenails, may be just; but you will be pleased to observe, it was a case of absolute necessity, as you had never mentioned any thing of treenails till they were wanted, and then informed us that nothing here was fit for such use; that only locust treenails would answer; these not being to be got, after many applications, up here, the block-house could not be left waiting for them, as our orders from the Provincial Congress, dated the 28th September, were to get at least twelve guns directly mounted for defence; which you was made acquainted with, on your return to this post, and frequently urged to get performed.

Thirdly. Your calculations of the expense of the blockhouse, now near built, (for this being the 10th of November, it is not yet finished, ) we think not exact in many articles. Necessary iron, we believe, you will find to exceed your estimate. All that we have to say further on this head is, that we are of opinion, and told you so, that there was no necessity of making a temporary work have an elegant outside appearance, and the inside to be lined with so much nicety and expense.

You say, with your method of building, and workmen you could find, you could build such a block-house for one hundred and seventy-six Pounds nine Shillings—something less than the half of what, by your estimate, you say the present one will cost. We should be glad to know who, but yourself, constructed, ordered, and particularly directed that building, (except in the case of the iron bolts in lieu of treenails?) Had the timber for it been ordered in pieces of length equal to the sides, instead of pieces of eighteen feet long, unwieldy for men to move and bring up on the rock, we should have had those pieces brought up with more despatch, and not have seen so great a waste of timber—sawed from every piece—lying about the work. No trifling extraordinary expense this.

Fourthly. We are at a loss to conceive what you mean