GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Lebanon, February 2, 1776.

SIR: In compliance with the requisition of the honourable Continental Congress and of your Excellency, we are, with the greatest cheerfulness, making our utmost exertions to raise and despatch one battalion to Canada and three to your camp; and have much satisfaction to inform you, that there appears a great freedom in our men to engage in each of those important services; and the regiments are filling up very fast; and some companies have marched for your camp about two days since; but am just informed of a very material difficulty, which must greatly retard the march of both, unless it can be removed, viz: that our Treasury is entirely exhausted of money; without which it will be impossible to persuade the men to set forward to Canada, nor can it be reasonable to expect it. In this exigency we know not what to do, and the cause must greatly suffer unless your Excellency can relieve us; and have, therefore, by advice of my Council, sent one of the Committee of our Pay-Table to wait on, and request of your Excellency, the replacing the sum which they lately paid some of our troops in your camp, with no other view than to quiet and induce them more freely to reengage in your service; in doing which, I trust, they had your approbation. The same bills they made use of for that purpose, were just before brought, at our instance and expense from the Continental Treasury, towards reimbursing our expenses in the great cause; and, judging it could not be better used, we improved it for that purpose. But I need use no arguments with your Excellency; your own truly publick spirit and zeal for promoting this unspeakably important cause, will be abundantly sufficient to induce you to comply with our request, founded only on principles of general good, if it be in your power.

I am, sir, with the highest esteem and regard, your most obedient and very humble servant,

JONATHAN TRUMBULL.

To His Excellency General Washington.

GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO GENERAL SCHUYLER.

Lebanon, February 2, 1776.

SIR: The three prisoners, bearers hereof, were sent to this Colony in October last from Montreal. They have ever complained extremely of the hardship of their being imprisoned, having as they allege, and by all I can learn, never acted any inimical part, but were peaceable inhabitants about their own business. They appear to behave like persons not disposed to injure us; have complained much of their detention, and have long been pushing very hard for liberty to return home, but have hitherto been put off and detained; and now on the repetition of their pressing importunity, I have laid the matter before my Council of Safety for advice. They are of opinion, and advise me, to give them a permit, to return as far on their way as to you, for your further direction, though, so far as we are able to judge, they are of opinion, that it will be of no advantage to keep them here, having reason to think they are not unfriendly, and that the report they will carry home, must be of advantage to our common cause; and would, therefore, recommend it to your Honour, unless you know of special reasons against it, that you would be pleased to permit them to return to their respective homes.

Monsieur Orillat, who was sent with them, (an opulent merchant, appeared very stubborn, refractory, and inimical, and was carefully watched, and at a good deal of expense, but not imprisoned, lest it might disgust the Canadians,) made his escape six or seven weeks since, and could not be found. These had given their parole, which he refused. I doubt not of your favour to them, as far as you shall be able, consistent with the common safety.

I am, sir, with esteem and regard, your most obedient, and very humble servant,

J.TROMBULL.

To the Honourable. Major-General Schuyler.

COSMOPOLITAN, NO. VII.

To the Inhabitants of the AMERICAN Colonies

FRIENDS AND FELLOW-CITIZENS: If rebellion against hiscountry, can mar the retired repose of our hero, he must be consummately wretched. If treason, if carnage, ff the tears of widows, and the cries of orphans; if the laying waste whole towns, and mowing down whole communities; if the sacrilegious pilfering, and prostitution of dissenting churches; if the din of war, and garments rolled in blood; if poverty, anguish, barbarity, cruelty, and a distressed Continent, as it were, with indignant contempt, starting from its foundations, to repel the hostile stroke of the procuring hand, can arrest his feelings, it will, it must plant daggers in His heart, and harrow up his soul.

Ministerial measures against America, since the year 1763, are the declared, and true causes of present calamities. The wretch who procured those measures, together with their aiders and abetters, are by every principle of law and of logick, equity and common sense, justly chargeable with their nefarious and sanguinary consequences. Their origin, their qualities, their progress, their ends, their authors, planners, supporters, and abetters, are made as conspicuous as the meridian beamings of the sun, by a number of original letters, which the Representatives of the people gave the publick in the year 1773, which then discovered the infernal scheme that was laid for the total destruction of the liberties of all America, and by the recent publication of another series of detestable letters from the same author. This number will have for its subject-matter the contents of the former.

The shades with which our unmatched bashaw arrayed himself, are too dark and complicated to admit of a complete description. With a legion of merely imputed virtues, dead to the feelings of gratitude, and the principles of common integrity; deaf, deaf as an adder to the tongue of truth and the voice of justice; his first returns to that munificent country that gave him being, yielded him nourishment, loaded him with honours, furnished him with wealth, raised him to importance, and crowned him with applause, were a laboured concatenation of aspersions, calumnies, and as abominable falsehoods as ever were propagated by a child of Adam. The past mistaken confidence of his country-men, bore a lying; testimony to the goodness of his heart, and the purity of his conduct. This he perverted to complete the ruin of those who made him what he was, and even what he wished to be. It gave villany a varnish, and untruth the blush of credibility. It gave a sanction to those vile, repeated misrepresentations, which, under the ostensible, hypocritical ardours of loyalty, and the bare-faced pretensions to an attachment to the happiness of his countrymen, and the rights of mankind, he was incessantly making; that the reins of Government were totally relaxed; that society was unhinged; that all was chaos, confusion and anarchy; the friends to good order and government insulted; the Constitution subverted, and the laws under the feet of a licentious insatiated rabble. This trafficking in lies was carried on by cargoes at a time, when, in point of loyalty and good order, we stood unrivalled by any people on the face of the earth. I dare to appeal to all mankind; to Mr. Hutchinson himself; to challenge every individual in the Province, to produce an instance in which Government was enfeebled, the laws obstructed, guilt unpunished, of innocence unguarded, where it did not connect with the usurped authority of the King or his Parliament. How infamously base, how preposterously infamous was it then, to represent the natural and necessary effects of oppressive laws, as the preexistent causes that produced them, and to justify the destruction of a peaceable and regular Government, by the jarrings and distresses of tyranny.

This was his policy: First to wrong and injure the subject, and then to make the least opposition or complaint a justification for the injury done them, and even a reason for increasing the pressure. Good God! what slavery to be denied not only the liberty of acting, but the privilege of speaking? At this period, was not our internal Executive Government in its full vigour, and every purpose of society completely answered? Was there even an attempt to screen a felon, to cover a trespasser, or other transgressor from the lash of the law; to defraud the publick, oppress the individual, bias the jury, or to derogate from the dignity of the upright judge? Cannot every town, every County, evince the contrary? Will not every unprejudiced peace-officer, and the recorded transactions of every impartial court, fly in his face, and give the Ire to the wicked aspersion? The people looked up to the civil