P. S. Beside the goods that may be shipped on board you, by Messrs. Montandouin and Frere, in return for your cargo, you are to receive on board any quantity of arms and ammunition you may have room for, that may be offered for account of the Congress by any person whatever.*

Yours,

BAYARD, JACKSON & Co.

BAYARD, JACKSON AND CO., TO THE FRENCH MERCHANTS.

Philadelphia, January 18, 1775.

GENTLEMEN: We wrote you the 28th of April last, and enclosed the account of sales of your last adventure, at the same time ordered Captain James Johnston, of our snow Dickenson, to remit you the balance, (one hundred and seventy-four pounds, eleven shillings and four pence sterling,) which, by his account, we find he did do from Bristol, since which we have not had the pleasure of a line from you.

This serves to hand you invoice and bills of lading of a valuable cargo of flour, spermaceti candles, and beeswax, shipped on board our snow Dickenson, to your address, which we wish safe to your hands. We would have this cargo immediately sold, and the net proceeds laid out in fifteen tons of gunpowder; or, if gunpowder is not to be had, as much saltpetre, with a portion of fifteen pounds of sulphur to each hundred weight of saltpetre, as will be sufficient to make that quantity of gunpowder; and one thousand five hundred stand of arms, fitted with bayonets and steel ramrods; and one thousand bolts of Russia duck or canvass, and as much more of these article as the net proceeds of this cargo will purchase. If any of the aforesaid articles cannot be got as aforesaid, the money directed to be paid out of that article, we would have laid out in good ticklenburgbs or osnaburghs, or vitzeys, or, failing, the returns to be made in gold or silver. This cargo we have shipped you for account of the Continental Congress of the thirteen United Colonies of America, and the order of the returns is what they have directed; and, we make no doubt, you will use your best endeavours to complete it in every article. The ready and cheerful assistance afforded us by many of your merchants, both from the West-Indies and Europe, demands our grateful acknowledgments, and encourages our applying to you for still further supplies, to enable us to oppose the arbitrary and tyrannical proceedings of the Court of Great Britain against us. Should it be in your power to complete the whole of our order, we must request you will be very particular in sending the best of each article that is to be had, and that you will give the vessel all possible despatch, so as to be on our coast as early as possible in the spring. Our former experience of your punctuality and despatch of business, has induced us to recommend this consignment to your house; and we have liberty to inform you, should this voyage succeed to our wishes, we shall have it in our power to wait on you with more important consignments. We request you would conduct this business with as much secrecy as possible, as we have been informed the Court of Great Britain have spies in most of your principal seaport towns, whose business it is to find out American vessels, and learn their cargoes and destination, the time of their sailing, &c., which they transmit to England, in order to have them watched and taken.

We shall anxiously wait the event of this voyage, and, in the mean time remain, with the greatest respect, gentlemen, your most obedient, humble servants,

BAYARD, JACKSON & Co

Messrs. Montandouin and Frere, Merchants in Nantes.

NEW-JERSEY COMMITTEE OF SAFETY.

Princeton, January 9, 1776.

The Committee of Safety of the Province of New-Jersey, pursuant to notice given for that purpose, met this day, and there not being a sufficient number of Members to proceed on business, adjourned till tomorrow morning, nine o'clock.

Wednesday, January 10, 1776.

The Committee met. Present:

Samuel Tucker, President; Hendrick Fisher, Vice-President; Abraham Clark, Deputy Secretary; Azariah Dunham, Ruloffe Van Dike, John Dennis, Augustine Stevenson, John Pope.

The President laid before the Committee a Letter from the Provincial Congress, and the Congress of New-York, enclosing Resolutions of the Continental Congress, and the Congress of New-York, relative to establishing Posts at proper distances, to carry intelligence to the different parts of the Colony or elsewhere, as occasion may require; and for erecting Beacons at proper distances, which the Congress of New-York recommended to the Congress of New-

* BRISTOL, ( ENGLAND,) April 8, 1776.—This morning came up to the Key, the snow Dickenson, William Meston, Master, from Philadelphia, bound to Nantes, in Old France, where she was to discharge her loading, and take in a cargo of warlike stores and ammunition, for the use of the Continental Army. She was taken up and fitted out by order of the Congress, and consigned to Messrs. Montandouin and Frere, merchants in Nantes, as appears by the captain's orders, which are here-under copied, verbatim.

The mate and people on board, finding that they were to load with warlike stores, for the use of the Americans, and having, as they declare, been forced into the service, took the vessel, and, instead of proceeding to France, determined to make the first British port. They accordingly brought her into Bristol, after beating upwards of a fortnight about the mouth of the channel; and the Mate is immediately going off for London, and will take all the letters and papers which were on board the said vessel, for the inspection of Government. She was first boarded by the Lieutenant of the Inchiquin tender, lying there; who is going with the Mate to London.

She is about two hundred and fifty tons burden, and now lies at the Quay till the determination of Government, concerning her is known. The Captain has entered her at the custom-house.

Her cargo, which consists of twenty two hundred and twenty-one barrels of flour, two hundred and sixty boxes of spermaceti candles, thirteen casks and one bag beeswax, and fifty-six hundred barrel staves, is valued at near six thousand pounds, and the vessel is worth upwards of fifteen hundred pounds. She is the first American vessel that has been brought into England since the act passed for granting the seamen certain privileges and rewards for seizing any of the Provincial ships, &c.

The following is the principal intelligence received by this vessel:

As soon as the Congress received an account of the repulse and death of General Montgomery, at Quebeck, they ordered ten companies, of one hundred men each, and other considerable reinforcements raised in the western parts of Connecticut, and in the neighbourhood of Albany, to march immediately to Quebeck.

The Americans have an army of fifteen thousand men in the field, in Carolina and Virginia.

The Congress paper is in the highest credit, and they have begun to make payments with it.

The Congress are perfectly unanimous; there is not the least dissension amongst them.

She did not clear the Capes of Delaware River till the 1st of March. When she left Philadelphia, the Congress had received no account of the Prohibitory Act, nor of the hiring of foreign troops.

It was reported the Provincials had taken post upon Noddle's Island, in Boston harbour.

The following vessels sailed at the same time the Dickenson did, all bound for different ports in France, and on the same business; but as she is a very swift sailer, she left them soon after they put to sea: the ships Sally, Rowland; Neptune, Collins; the Aurora, Cheeky; and three brigs; captains' names, Montgomery, Bethel, and Martin; and many other vessels, the names of which are forgot; and during the three preceding weeks, upwards of thirty other vessels sailed for different ports in France.

About three weeks before the Dickenson left Philadelphia, a French nobleman, (who, with another gentleman of the same nation, had been some time treating with the Continental Congress, and had visited the camp of the grand Army at Cambridge, in New-England,) [Messrs. Penet and Pliarne] intended returning to France in her; but they after, wards removed their baggage out of her, and went on board a vessel which was hired on purpose for them, and are now on their passage for France. The day they came down Delaware River, two French vessels, under French colours, laden with powder, ball, and small arms, arrived there.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER DATED BRISTOL, April 11, 1776.—I yesterday had a long conversation with Captain Meston, the master of the Dickenson. The crew consisted of four Scotchmen, four Irish, and one Englishman, including the master, who is a Scotchman. Some people at Bristol suspect this last of being concerned in the villuny, but I am fully persuaded he was not. He has a wife and family at Philadelphia, and cries like a child at the misfortunes that has happened to him. He thinks the river Delaware sufficiently secured, and speaks highly of the unanimity and warlike appearance of the Pennsylvanians. He confirms the death of Montgomery, and was at Philadelphia when the unfortunate news from Quebeck was received. Two thousand volunteers, he says, turned out, and offered to march immediately into Canada. I asked him if they went? Ho believed they did; but could not say positively. The truth is, he is one of the most ignorant follows I ever conversed with. As he did not expect to come to this country, he brought no newspapers with him.

The mate of the vessel, an Irishman, is gone up to make his merits known to Lord George Germain. He was the cause of the conspiracy, and will, of course, be graciously received. It is vary doubtful whose prize she will be. The custom-house, a lieutenant of a man-of-war, and the treacherous crew, all claim her. I hope the infamous traitors may be disappointed.

When the crow brought her opposite to the wharf, in Bristol, where she was to be moored, they gave throe cheers; but so far were they from being answered in the same by the people on shore, who were collected in great numbers, and had heard the story from the customhouse officers, that they received nothing but curses for their treachery.