difficulty of placing younger officers before older ones, they will never consent to serve together in companies, as that arrangement will place them. Suppose, sir, that the troops from Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, should form one regiment, and the different New-York battalions another, and the officers be ranked according to seniority? From some conversation I have had with several of the officers, I am persuaded the other plan cannot be effectuated. I shall, therefore, be obliged to you for your thoughts upon this, and am, in haste, your most obedient and very humble servant,

DAVID WOOSTER.

To General Schuyler.

A Return of a number of articles which are in the Stores at MONTREAL. (Return of all the articles not yet made.)

Six barrels ten-inch spike nails; I barrel eight-inch spike nails; I barrel seven-inch spike nails; 1/2 barrel four-inch spike nails; 3 barrels three and a half inch spike nails; I barrel twentypenny nails; 1(1/2) barrel tenpenny nails; 1/2 barrel eightpenny nails; I barrel sixpenny nails; 1(1/2) barrel shingle nails; 237 common, and 26 bell (new) tents; 160 old tents and markees; 5 old bell tents; 63 campkettles; 1,406 canteens; 100 pair of shoes; 7 soldiers' coats; 574 new felt hats; 47 old felt hats; 1,000 haversacks; 144 spike gimblets; 43 chisels; 15 pair creapers; 23 augers; a large quantity of spun yarn; I anvil; 215 tomahawks; 3 batteau sails; 600 lent poles; II camp colours; I box of bolts and screws; 100 rods of nail-wire.

A return of all the articles in the stores will soon be made.

Montreal, February 13, 1776.

An Estimate of Pay due to Troops of the UNITED COLONIES, Raised in the Colony of CONNCETICUT, employed in the Northern Department.

Colonel WATERBURY'SRegiment.

Colonel Waterbury,	£1,557	7	2
Lieutenant-Colonel Whiting,	1,329	6	4(1/2)
Major Hobby,	1,399	14	10
Captain Mead,	1,305	5	9
Captain Benedict,	1,259	2	10
Captain Beardsley,	1,214	1	1
Captain Doolittle,	1,171	18	1(1/2)
Captain Dimon, (say,)	1,400	0	0
Captain Smith,	1,233	18	2
Captain Reed, (say,)	1,330	0	0
Lawful money,	£13,200	14	4
Billeting, say £100 per Company,	1,000	0	0
	£14,200	14	4

Brigadier-General WOOSTER.
8 Companies, say £1,300 each,	£10,400	0	0
Billeting, say £100 each,	600	0	0
Colonel HINMAN'S Regiment.
4 Companies unpaid, say,	4,200	0	0
Billeting, say £100,	400	0	0
	£30,000	14	4
Reduced to New-York currency,	10,000	4	91/3
	£40,000	18	11/3

JONATHAN TRUMBULL, JR.

Paymaster-General, Northern Department.

Albany, February 17, 1776.

JOHN BIGELOW TO GOVERNOUR TRUMBELL.

Hartford, February 20, 1776.

SIR: I have been down as far as Haddam, but cannot inlist any men. There are upwards of three hundred gone from Weathersfield, Rocky-Hill, &c. Middletown and Haddam are likewise drained. The men are mostly gone from the West Division and East-Hartford. There is a number left on this side the river, but they cannot be persuaded to enter into the service. I have spared no pains in endeavouring to raise a company, but have inlisted but four men. The matter seems new to the people, and they want to be informed what wages a Sergeant, Corporal, &c., are to have.

I ave received a letter from Mr. Strong, in which be gives but little encouragement, as their people are already engaged hall try to-day at Windsor

I am your Honour's most humble servant,

JOHN BOGELOW.

To the Honourable Jonathan Trumbull, Esq.

MAJOR HAWLEY TO ELBRIDGE GERRY.

February 20, 1776.

Pray, Sir, will it not be extremely difficult for us to hold on with our defence, and support all our inhabitants without trade? Will people who have been bred and accustomed to trade till they have arrived at men's and women's estate ever get into any other business? Be sure they never will be dexterous at any other, nor contented; nay, they will be a weight on the community, and a very heavy one, too. But, if we resolve on independence, what will hinder but that we may instantly commence a trade, not only with Holland, France, and Spain, but with all the world, as the Government of the new independent state shall permit? Then we shall have dpne with the unmanageable plans and chimeras of non-importation agreements, which, with non-consumption agreements, never were and never will be kept, and tend inexpressibly to debauch and wickedize a people, by means of the irresistible temptation which trading people will always be under to violate the general agreements, not only for the sake of profits, but really for any reputable subsistence; whereas, the instant you resolve on independence, and give leave to trade, your trading people will immediately fly to it, whatever risks and hazards there may be of losing; and, indeed, the greatest part will escape.

Pray consider this matter, with regard to Canada, and the Dutch of New-York. Will they ever join with us heartily, who, in order to it, must sacrifice their trade, to which they are so much addicted, and whereby they have always made good profits, and expose themselves to want and beggary? Whereas, the moment that we resolve on independence, trade will be free for them—for the one to France and the other to Holland; to which they always inclined, and would heretofore go at almost as great risks as they will then at first run; then we shall have done with our impracticable associations for non-consumption, the source of infinite feuds and animosity.

Independence, in short, is the only way to union and harmony, to vigour and despatch in business; our eye will be single, and our whole body full of light; any thing short of it will, as appears to me, be our destruction, infallible destruction, and that speedily. Amen.

JOSEPH HAWLEY.

To Mr. Gerry.

MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL.

Wednesday, November 29, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourables Walter Spooner, Joseph Gerrish, John Whetcoinb, Benjamin Lincoln, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

Colonel Bowers came up with a message from the House, to inform the Board that the House had now a quorum of Members, and were proceeding to business.

The Committee of both Houses, appointed to take into consideration the Letter of his Excellency General Washington, dated November 29th, 1775, to the General Court, report, as their opinion, that a Committee be immediately appointed to wait on him, and with the General Officers, to devise some method whereby the deficiency in the Army, which may be caused by the Connecticut Forces leaving the service, and the furloughs granted to the part of the Forces inlisted for the next year, can be supplied, and make report.

And whereas, his Excellency, in the last paragraph of the same letter, mentions that he cannot help observing, as his opinion, that our paying our men by the lunar, and not by the calendar months, will throw the rest of the Army into disorder; we also report, that a Committee bo appointed to draft a letter to his Excellency, in answer to the said paragraph of his letter, showing the reasons of our conduct in thus paying our men: that it is not an innova-