or, in other words, they wish for peace, without attending to the conditions.

General Lee, I expect, is with you before this. He is the first officer in military knowledge and experience we have in the whole Army. He is zealously attached to the cause, honest and well meaning, but rather fickle and violent, I fear, in his temper. However, as he possesses an uncommon share of good sense and spirit, I congratulate my countrymen upon his appointment to that department. The appointment of Lewis, I think, was also judicious; for, notwithstanding the odium thrown upon his conduct at Kan-hawa, I always looked upon him as a man of spirit, and a good officer; his experience is equal to any one we have. Colonel Mercer would have supplied the place well; but 1question (as a Scotchman) whether it would have gone glibly down. Bullitt is no favourite of mine; and, therefore, I shall say nothing more of him, than that his own opinion of himself always kept pace with what others pleased to think of him—if anything, rather ran ahead of it.

As I am now nearly at the end of my eighth page, I think it time to conclude; especially as I set out with prefacing the little time I had for friendly correspondences. I shall only add, therefore, my affectionate regards to my sister and the children, and compliments to any inquiring friends; and that I am, with every sentiment of true affec-tion, your loving brother and faithful friend,

GEOBGE WASHINGTON.

To John A. Washington.

SOUTH-CAROLINA PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.

At the Second Session of the Second Provincial Congress of South-Carolina, begun and holden at Charlestows, on Thursday, the 1st of February, 1776:

The Honourable Captain William Henry Drayton, as President, having taken the Chair, and the bad weather having prevented the attendance of a sufficient number of Members to proceed upon business:

Mr. President adjourned the Congress to ten o'clock, tomorrow morning.

In Congress, Friday, February 2, 1776.

The Congress met according to adjournment.

The Resolution of a Committee for a District between Broad and Enoree Rivers, appointing John Thomas, Jun., Esq., to be an additional Representative for that District, being presented, as a Return, and read:

Resolved, That, upon examining the said Resolution, it appears that the said John Thomas, Jun., has not been so elected as to entitle him to a seat in the present Congress.

Ordered, That the Committee for the lower District in the fork between Broad and Saludy Rivers, not having yet returned any Members to represent the same in the present Congress, do cause three Members to be elected, in the usual form and manner, and after due notice given, as enjoined by a Resolution of this Congress of the 29th of November last.

The Honourable Henry Middleton and John Rutledge, Esquires, two of the Delegates of this Colony to the Continental Congress, being lately returned from Philadelphia, and being in their places as Members of this Congress, presented a manuscript copy of the Journals of the present Session of the Continental Congress.

Resolved, That the Journals of the present Session of the Continental Congress, presented by the Honourable Mr. Middleton and Mr. Rutledge, be read in this Congress.

And the Journals of the Continental Congress were read accordingly, from the 10th day of May, 1775, to the 29th day of June following, inclusive:

Resolved, That this Congress do sit, to do business, from nine o'clock in the morning to three in the afternoon, every day.

Adjourned to nine o'clock to-morrow.

In Congress, Saturday, February 3, 1776.

The Congress met.

And yesterday's Journal was read.

Mr. Harrington having delivered in a special Return, of this date, addressed to the President of the Congress, which was read, and is as follows:

“Charlestown, February 2, 1776.

“SIR: Claudius Pegues, Esq., one of the six Deputies duly elected to represent the Parish of St. David in Congress, signified by letter, addressed to the Committee of the said parish, that he declined serving the said parish in Congress. He delivered the letter to me, to lay before the Committee, who were not to meet till the 19th of last month; and as the Congress were to sit on the 1st instant, I, as Churchwarden, and not recollecting the resolve of the last Congress relative to elections, advertised the 23d of January as a day of election for a Deputy to Congress, instead of Mr. Pegues, when it appeared that William Henry Mills had a majority of votes, of which I acquainted him by letter.

“I am, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,

“HENRY WILLIAM HARRINGTON.”

Resolved, That a Member of Congress cannot resign his seat during the continuance of the Congress in which he took his seat as a Member; and, therefore, as Claudius Pegues, Esq., could not decline his seat in the present Congress, the election of William Henry Mills, Esq., as a Member of Congress, in the room of Claudius Pegues, Esq., was null and void.

Ordered, That, for the more expeditious publication of the proceedings of Congress, Colonel Laurens, Mr. Bee, and Mr. Thomas Heyward, Jun., be a Committee to extract from the Journals, and send to the press from day to day, such parts thereof as are proper to be made publick, and to cause a sufficient number of copies to be printed for the use of the Members.

Colonel Laurens, President of the Council of Safety, reported that a packet of very interesting intelligence had this morning been received by that Board, by express from Philadelphia, which they were ready to lay before the Congress, if it should be their pleasure.

Ordered, That the contents of the said packet be immediately laid before the Congress, and read.

The following were accordingly read, viz:

Letter from the Delegates of this Colony in the Continental Congress, dated Philadelphia, January 2, 1776, enclosing the following copies of intercepted Letters, certified by Charles Thomson, Secretary to the said Congress:

From Lord William Campbell, Governour of this Colony, to General Gage, in Boston, dated Rebellion-Road, September 20, 1775:

From John Moultrie, Esq., Lieutenant-Governour of East-Florida, to Colonel James Grant, in Boston, dated St. Augustine, October 4, 1775:

From Frederick George Mulcaster, Esq., Engineer at St. Augustine, to Colonel Grant, containing a draft of this Harbour, and plan of this Town, with references and remarks, dated St. Augustine, October 3, 1775:

Two from John Stuart, Esq., the King's Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Southern District of North-America, both addressed to General Gage, and dated St. Augustine, October 3, 1775—one of them enclosing copy of a talk from the Cherokee Indians to Alexander Cameron, Esq., one of Mr. Stuart's Deputies, delivered at Chote, August 8, 1775:

From Major Jonathan Furlong to General Gage, dated St. Augustine, October 5, 1775:

Extract from Patrick Tonyn, Esq., Governour of East-Florida, to General Gage, dated St. Augustine, September 14, 1775:

Extract from Frederick George Mulcaster, Esq., to Colonel Grant, dated St. Augustine, September 29, 1775.

The originals having been taken by Captain Manly, of the Continental Armed Schooner Lee, within a few hours' sail of Boston, in a sloop that was, at the same time, conveying Moses Kirkland to General Gage, after having first carried him to Lord Dunmore, in Virginia.

Resolved, That it is expedient and necessary that the Lady and Daughter of John Stuart, Esq., be restrained from absenting themselves from his house in Charlestown.