raising in this Colony. Be assured, sir, that we never considered them as under our direction, except so far as concerned the forming and equipping them; and if you will be pleased to refer yourself to our last letter, the distinction taken therein between the four battalions and Van Schaick’s Regiment, will convince you that we meant nothing more than, in obedience to Congress, to have the completing of them for the command of the Continental General; nor do we esteem them so pointedly under our direction in this respect as to exclude your solicitude, as Commander-in-Chief, to have them speedily completed and armed—a solicitude highly becoming your station, and which, instead of affording the least ground for umbrage, serves to heighten the opinion which your former conduct has invariably taught us to entertain of your vigilant attention to the important duties of your office, and of your zeal for the defence and security of the rights of this much injured country. You have an unquestionable right to know the state of the regiments raising in this Colony; and it has given us no small concern that we have not been able to procure the necessary returns from the Counties, (though we have some time since taken the proper steps for that purpose,) to enable us to give you other than a very partial and unsatisfactory information on that head. We enclose you a return, by which you will find the First Battalion is most deficient. The return is from information which came to hand since we had the honour of writing our last letter to you.

We send you herewith a blank warrant, containing our terms of inlistment, which are substantially a copy of the resolutions of Congress. But upon these we would observe, that although it appeared to us that the defence of this Colony was the primary or more immediate object for which the four battalions were designed, yet we took particular pains to inform the recruiting officers that we did not conceive that to be the only object; but that they would be liable to be ordered into any of the neighbouring Colonies, (Canada excepted,) where the commanding officer in this department should judge their assistance to be necessary, for repelling the invasions of our common enemy.

We hope, sir, that the general nature of the cause we are engaged in, the generous attention of the Continent to the defence and security of this Colony, and the readiness of our neighbours to come to our assistance from time to time, when they have apprehended us to be in danger, will serve to exclude from our minds the narrow distinction of Colonies, and teach us to esteem the British Fleets and Armies as much our enemies while on the coasts of Connecticut, New-Jersey, or Carolina, as if they lay in the East River.

We have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this day, enclosing the resolve of Congress on the subject of arming the New-York Battalions. In answer to which, we beg leave to refer you to our letter of the 25th instant, and to assure you that we shall exert ourselves, by every means in our power, for their being properly armed and accoutred.

We are, sir, with the greatest respect and esteem, your most obedient and very humble servants.

By order:

PIERRE VAN CORTLANDT, Chairman.

To His Excellency General Washington.

List of Officers recruiting in the City and County of ALBANY, and number of Men inlisted for each Company.

In Committee, Albany, April 11, 1776.

Cornelius Van Santvoort, Captain; Abraham Becker, First Lieutenant; Obadiah Vaughan, Second Lieutenant; David Becker, Ensign—eighty-nine men inlisted.

Samuel Van Veghton, Captain; John Hoogkerk, First Lieutenant; John Ball, Second Lieutenant; Daniel Everts, Ensign—forty-seven men inlisted, officers included.

John H. Wendall, Captain; John C. Ten Broeck, First Lieutenant; John Welch, Second Lieutenant; John Ostrander, Ensign—forty-nine men inlisted, officers included.

Garret S. Veeder, Jun., Captain; Solomon Pendleton, First Lieutenant; David Bates, Second Lieutenant; Ephraim Snow, Ensign—thirty-eight men inlisted.

Herman Vosburg, Captain; Barret Slates, (Salisbury,) First Lieutenant; Isaac Bogart, Second Lieutenant; Silas Howard, Ensign—seventy men inlisted, officers included.

The two Companies of Tryon County.

Henry O’Hara, Captain, Charlotte County.

In Committee of Safety, New-York, April 27, 1776.

The Committee took the Letter and Return from the Committee of Albany into consideration; and thereupon

Ordered, That the Companies within-mentioned, the two Tryon County Companies, and Captain O’Hara’s Company, compose Colonel Wynkoop’s Regiment.

And Resolved and Ordered, That Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Esq., as Treasurer of the Provincial Congress of this Colony, advance to Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Cortlandt the sum of one thousand Pounds, out of the first moneys that shall come into the Treasury, for the recruiting and billeting of Colonel Wynkoop’s Regiment.

That Lieutenant-Colonel Cortlandt proceed to Albany, to forward the recruiting of the said Regiment; that he wait on his Excellency General Washington for such directions as he may choose to give; and that he call on Colonel Wynkoop, in his way, for his aid, direction, and assistance.

Extract from the Minutes:

JOHN MC KESSON, Secretary.

List of the Field Officers of the four Battalions ordered to be raised for the defence of the Colony of NEW-YORK.

First Battalion: Alexander McDougall, Colonel; Herman Zedtwitz, Lieutenant-Colonel; Joseph Benedict, Major.

Second Battalion: James Clinton, Colonel; Henry B. Livingston, Lieutenant-Colonel; Peter P. Schuyler, Major.

Third Battalion: Rudolphus Ritzema, Colonel; Frederick Weisenfels, Lieutenant-Colonel; John Fisher, Major.

Fourth Battalion: Cornelius D. Wynkoop, Colonel; Philip Cortlandt, Lieutenant-Colonel; John Nicholson, Major.

The following Companies are placed in Colonel Ritzema’s Regiment, viz:

Captain Billings, a full Company, at the Fortifications in the Highlands; ordered down.

Captain Denton, a full Company, at New-York.

Captain Riker, a few men.

Captain Hardenburgh, full, at the Fortifications; ordered down.

Captain Horton, no return made.

Captain Hobby, the like.

Captain Hutchens, nearly full, at New-York.

Captain Pearce, the like; ordered to the city.

Besides the above Regiments, Colonel McDougall’s, and that raising in Albany and Tryon Counties, the following Companies, at the time of the last returns to the Committee, consisted of the following number of men, and will be speedily regimented:

Captain Swartwout, fifty men, at the Fortifications.
Captain Rosekrans, seventy-seven men, at the Fortifications.
Captain Belknap, full, at the Fortifications.
Captain Jackson, full, at the Fortifications.

Captain Griffin,        full,	}	(On duty in Suffolk County, by order of General Heath.)
Captain Davis,          full,
Captain Roe, nearly   full,

Captain Childs, no return made.

NEW-YORK COMMITTEE.

Committee-Chamber, New-York, April 29, 1776.

Whereas the honourable the Continental Congress, by their Resolves of the 13th instant, have permitted the sale and use of such Teas as then remained on hand, and upon which no duty had been or should be paid, and to prevent the Tea holders from availing themselves of the scarcity which a stoppage of the future importation thereof might occasion, and exacting exorbitant prices; they resolved that Bohea tea ought not to be sold in the smallest quantity, at a higher price than at the rates of three-fourths of a dollar (or six shillings New-York currency) a pound; a price which this Committee think generous, and will fully compensate the importer for extraordinary expense, risk, and loss of interest