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day, relative to an armed Schooner having arrived at St. Augustine from Boston, in order to cruize upon this coast.
Ordered, That the following Letter be immediately sent to Captain Tufts:
Charlestown, November 9, 1775.
SIR: You are hereby ordered immediately to repair with the schooner Defence, under your command, to the mouth of Wappoo Creek, where you are expected to arrive by daylight, and to give your personal attendance on the President directly after your arrival.
By order of Congress:
WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON, President.
Captain Simon Tufts, of the Colony Schooner Defence.
Ordered, That a Schooner be provided to enable the Colony Schooner Defence to pass through Wappoo Cut; and that the Defence be, with all possible despatch, properly victualled and supplied with all necessary stores.
Ordered, That Colonel Moultrie do forthwith detach a Captain with thirty-five able Privates on board the Schooner Defence, and that Mr. President do issue orders for that purpose.
The following order was accordingly drawn:
Charlestown, November 9, 1775.
SIR: You are hereby ordered to detach a Captain and thirty-five able men of the regiments under your command, who are to act as marines, and are to embark to-morrow, on board the Colony Schooner Defence, commanded by Captain Simon Tufts, until further orders.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your most humble servant.
By order of Congress:
WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON, President.
To Colonel Moultrie.
On motion, That orders be issued to the Commanding Officer at Fort Johnson, by every military operation, to endeavour to oppose the passage of any British Naval Armament that may attempt to pass that post,
A debate arose, and the question being put, resolved in the affirmative.
Whereupon the following order was immediately issued, signed by the President:
Charlestown, November 9, 1775.
SIR: You are hereby commanded with the troops under your orders, by every military operation, to endeavour to oppose the passage of any British naval armament that may attempt to pass Fort Johnson, until further orders by Congress or Council of Safety.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your most humble servant.
By order of Congress:
WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON, President.
To Colonel William Moultrie, or the Commanding Officer at Fort Johnson.
Ordered, That Mr. President be desired to write to Captain Thornbrough, signifying to him the Resolution the Congress have entered into this night, respecting ships of war passing Fort Johnson.
Adjourned to ten o'clock, to-morrow morning.
In Congress, Friday, November 10, 1775.
The Congress met according to adjournment.
And yesterday's Journals were read.
Mr. President laid before the Congress the draught of a Letter which lie had, by their order, prepared to be wrote to Captain Thornbrough.
And the same being read and amended, was agreed to, as follows:
Charleslown, November 9, 1775.
SIR: The late cruel cannonade of Bristol by the British ships of war, to enforce an arbitrary demand of sheep; the general depredations on the American coasts by ministerial authority; the late advices from England of large military armaments by land and sea, for the hostile invasion of the Colonies upon this Continent; and the proclamation of the 23d of August last, at the Court of St. James's, by which the good people of America are unjustly described as in avowed rebellion; superadded to the former American grievances, and to your late unjustly seizing the persons, vessels and property of the inhabitants of this country; together with Lord William Campbell's threats of hostilities against us, have sunk deep in the minds of a people who, seeing themselves by the royal act in effect put out of the regal protection, are at length driven to the disagreeable necessity of ordering a military opposition to the arms of the British Ministry. But the people of South-Carolina, remembering that those who point the British arms at their breasts, and against their invaluable liberties, are their dear countrymen, and once were their friends, unwilling, yet determined, vigorously to oppose any approach of threatening danger to their safety, have directed me to intimate to you, sir, as Commander-in-chief of the British armament on this station, that orders are issued to the commanding officer at Fort Johnson, by every military operation, to endeavour to prevent any ministerial armament from passing that post.
We thus think it proper to warn you from an approach that must be productive of the shedding of blood, which, in other circumstances, we would endeavour to preserve.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your most humble servant.
By order of Congress:
To Edward Thornbrough, Esq., Commander of the Tamer Sloop-of-War.
Ordered, That the said Letter be forthwith engrossed, signed by Mr. President, and sent to Captain Thornbrough.
The Committee to whom several unpaid Accounts for Debts contracted before the meeting of the Congress were referred, reported.
Ordered, That the President do issue his Warrants for the payment of the sums mentioned in the said Report.
Captain Polk delivered in an Account for the service of his Company from the 18th of August last, by which a balance of one thousand six hundred and eighty-seven Pounds appeared to be due to them.
Ordered, That Mr. President do issue his Warrant for the payment of said balance.
And a Warrant was issued accordingly.
Ordered, That Mr. President do sign and issue Commissions appointing Ezekiel Polk, Esq., to be Captain, and Samuel Watson and William Polk, to be Lieutenants; of a Company of Volunteer Rangers.
Commissions were accordingly made out for the said Officers, signed, and dated the 3d instant, in the form following:
SOUTH-CABOLINA.—In Provincial Congress.
To EDWARD BLAKE, Esq.:
You are hereby nominated and appointed Captain of a company of volunteer Rangers, in the service of this Colony, subject to the orders of Congress, and, in their recess, to the Council of Safety. This commission to continue during pleasure. Dated in Congress, November 3, 1775.
By order of Congress:
WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON, President.
Ordered, That Captain Polk and Lieutenant Watson have leave of absence.
Mr. Nathan Legaré, attended, according to order of the 6th inst.; and his Letter, which had given offence, having been read to him, he declared, that it had been written merely as a cloke, to be shown occasionally, if the men of war should stop his lime-boats, that he being thereby supposed friendly to them, the said boats might be suffered to pass the more freely; and that it was never his intention to supply the men of war with any thing.
Upon this declaration, confirmed by some other circumstances, Mr. Legaré's conduct appearing less criminal than it was at first thought, he was, by order, reprimanded from the Chair, for the indiscreet manner in which he expressed himself in the letter, and charged to have no intercourse or communication whatever in future with the men of war.
The Secretary, as Chairman of the Committee of Observation, reported, that in consequence of the late correspondence between the Congress and Captain Thornbrough, of His Majesty's Sloop Tamer, and some information laid before the Congress by Jonathan Scott, Esq., he had thought it his duty, and did, last Tuesday evening, cause all the fishing boats to be stopped from proceeding beyond Fort Johnson; as he observed, that instead of avoiding, they mostly went in the way of the men of war, and were
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