on their way to you, and will be transmitted by General Sullivan. I wish, and doubt not but that you will, make every preparation at Albany for expediting the troops to Canada. The situation of our affairs there calls aloud for despatch and the most vigorous exertions.

A Mr. Ray, of this city, has informed Colonel Ritzema that a Mr. Philip Van Rensselear has above three thousand stand of arms in his possession at Albany. Do make strict inquiry into the matter, and if any can be had, send them here immediately, Colonel Ritzema’s Regiment, and others now raising, being greatly deficient, I may say almost destitute, and without any.

I am, dear sir, with great esteem, yours, &c.,

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

To the Honourable Major-General Schuyler.

Colonel JAMES REED’S receipt for three hundred thousand Dollars, for General SCHUYLER.

New-York, April 29, 1776.

Then received from General Washington three boxes, said to contain three hundred thousand dollars, to be delivered to General Schuyler, at Albany.

JAMES REED.

GENERAL WASHINGTON TO JOHN AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON.

New-York, April 29, 1776.

DEAR BROTHER: Since my arrival at this place, I have been favoured with two or three of your letters, and thank you for your kind and frequent remembrance of me. If I should not write to you so often as you do to me, you must attribute it to its true cause, and that is, the hurry and multiplicity of business in which I am constantly engaged, from the time I rise out of my bed until I go into it again.

I wrote to you a pretty full account, just before I left Cambridge, of the movements of the two Armies, and now refer you to it. Since that time, I have brought the whole Army which I had in the New-England Governments (five regiments excepted, left behind for the defence of Boston, and the stores we have there) to this place; and eight days ago I detached four regiments for Canada, and I am now embarking six more for the same place, as there are reasons to believe that a push will be made there this campaign, and things in that country not being in a very promising way, either with respect to the Canadians or Indians. These detachments have weakened us very considerably in this important post, where, I am sorry to add, there are too many inimical persons. But as our affairs in Canada can derive no support except what is sent to them, and the Militia may be called in here, it was thought best to strengthen that quarter at the expense of this; but I am afraid we are rather too late in doing it. From the Eastern Army, under my immediate command, it was impossible to do it sooner.

We have already gone great lengths in fortifying this city and the Hudson River. A fortnight more will put us in a very respectable posture of defence. The works we have already constructed, and which they found we were about to erect, have put the King’s ships to flight; for, instead of lying within pistol-shot of the wharves, and their sentries conversing with ours, whilst they received every necessary that the country afforded, they have now gone down to the Hook, near thirty miles from this place, the last harbour they can get to; and I have prevailed upon the Committee of Safety to forbid every kind of intercourse between the inhabitants of this Colony and the enemy. This I was resolved upon effecting; but I thought it best to bring it about through that channel, as I now can pursue my own measures in support of their resolves.

Mrs. Washington is still here, and talks of taking the small-pox; but I doubt her resolution. Mr. and Mrs. Custis will set out in a few days for Maryland. I did not write to you by the ‘Squire, because his departure, in the first place, was sudden; in the next, I had but little to say. I am very sorry to hear that my sister was indisposed when you last wrote. I hope she is now recovered, and that your family are well. That they may continue so, and that our once happy country may escape the depredations and calamities attending war, is the fervent prayer of, dear sir, your most affectionate brother,

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

To John Augustine Washington.

PROCLAMATION

By His Excellency GEORGE WASHINGTON, Esq., General and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the United Colonies.

Whereas an intercourse and correspondence with the ships-of-war, and other vessels belonging to and in the service of the King of Great Britain, is highly detrimental to the rights and liberties of the said Colonies:

And whereas the Committee of Safety of the Colony of New-York, taking the same under their consideration, on the 18th ultimo, did resolve and order “That no inhabitant of the said Colony, on any pretence, or for any purpose whatsoever, either in person or in writing, should, directly or indirectly, presume to have or maintain any intercourse, whatsoever with any Ship belonging to or employed in the service of the said King, or with any of his Officers or Ministers, or with any person or persons on board the same, on pain of being dealt with in the severest manner;” notwithstanding which, there is reason to believe that sundry base and wicked persons, preferring their own present private emolument to their country’s weal, have continued to carry on the same, particularly some who, under pretence of coming to the market of this city by water, have put themselves, their vessels and effects, in the way of the said ships-of-war, for the purposes of giving intelligence, and furnishing them with supplies of provision, and have been taken:

To the end that such evil and pernicious practices may be remedied and prevented in future, I hereby publish and declare, that if any person or persons shall hereafter presume to have, hold, or continue to carry on such intercourse, or any kind of correspondence whatsoever, or furnish and supply the said ships-of-war, and other vessels in such service, with provisions and necessaries of any kind, that he or they, so offending, will be deemed and considered as an enemy or enemies to the rights of the said Colonies, and, if apprehended, will be treated accordingly.

And I do hereby will and require all officers and soldiers in the Army under my command, and most earnestly entreat all persons well attached to the interest of the said Colonies, to use their utmost care and diligence for preventing the same, and apprehending and securing all persons who shall be guilty thereof.

Given under my hand, at Head-Quarters, in the City of New-York, this 29th of April, Anno Domini 1776.

GEORGE WASHINGTON.

NEW-YORK COMMITTEE OF SAFETY TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

In Committee of Safety, New-York, April 29, 1776.

SIR: Your favour of the 27th, we have received. In answer to which, we would inform you that we shall, as soon as possible, take measures for putting our Militia in such a situation as to afford the Army the most speedy and effectual assistance in our power, whenever you shall think it necessary to call for their aid, either for the defence of this or the neighbouring Colonies.

We thank you for the information respecting the signals, fixed upon below, to give intelligence of the approach of an enemy. We assure you, sir, we meant not by our letter to intimate the least desire of being consulted in that matter, for which the gentlemen of the Army must be more competent than ourselves; but as you intimated that similar signals might possibly be of service in assembling the Militia in the neighbourhood of this city, and the adjacent parts of New-Jersey, we proposed to appoint a Committee to wait upon you, sir, that we might be informed of any plan that you might have thought of for that purpose.

We omitted, in our last, to inform you that we have not been entirely inattentive to the subject of this part of your recommendation. Every regiment of our Militia has its place of rendezvous appointed, and riders are fixed at different stages in this and the neighbouring Colonies, to alarm the country in case of invasion; but if, upon consideration, we shall judge that signals may be of service in calling in our Militia more speedily than can be done in that way, we shall communicate to you our determinations on that head.

We are sorry to find there was a possibility of misunderstanding the passage in our letter respecting the four battalions

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