but ammunition is very scarce, especially powder, for none is to be had here. If your honourable Board could procure a quantity of powder, and send it up to the care of such person as you may judge proper, to be kept and disposed thereof to the regiment if necessity should require it, with directions how and in what manner we shall answer for the same, it would be satisfactory to the publick; for we have a general complaint for that article. And further, I must acquaint your honourable Board that the Captain of the Troop of Horse has been promoted to the office of Major of the abovesaid regiment; and therefore it is necessary that new commissions should be made out for the said troop, which I desire you will do, and send them to me, to wit: A Captain’s commission for Sylvester Salisbury, Esq.; First Lieutenant, Petrus Myndertse, Esq.; Second Lieutenant, Cornelius C. Newkirk; Cornet, Cornelius J. Dubois; First Quartermaster, James Rive; Second Quartermaster, Tobias Dubois. And also desire two commissions to fill the vacancies in Captain Mattys Dederick’s Company, to wit: First Lieutenant, Petrus Post; and Ensign’s commission for Thomas Van Staenburgh. I desire the commissions may be sent by the bearer; and in so doing you will oblige your sincere friend and humble servant,

JOHANNES SNYDER.

To the President of the Committee of Safety of the Colony of New-York, now convened in New-York.

State of the number of Officers and Privates of the First Regiment of Militia afoot in ULSTER County, viz:

Colonel, Johannes Snyder; Second Colonel, Jonathan El-mendorph; First Major, Adrian Wynkoop; Second Major, Philipus Hooghteling; Adjutant, Abraham A. Hasbrouck; Quartermaster, Jan Van Dusen, Jun.

Kingston, May 1, 1776.

To the Deputies of the several Counties of the Province of NEW-YORK in the honourable Provincial Congress, or Committee of Safety, of the said Province:

The Memorial of DIRCK LEFFERTS, of the City of NEW-YORK, showeth:

That some time in the month of February last past, a party of the Minute-men of the County of Westchester, under the command of Colonel Drake, came to the country-house of your memorialist, and upwards of thirty of them were quartered upon him at his house, where he frequently furnished them with many necessaries and conveniences, viz: firewood, vegetables, cider, &c.; that the said men have continued at his said house until now, or very lately; that after they had been there for some time, the said men, by order of Engineer Smith, (he supposes,) went upon the woodland of your memorialist, which he had purchased for his own particular use, to supply his family with firewood, and cut down and destroyed a great part of the trees then growing on the said land, and almost entirely ruined the young wood there; and although the said wood may have been cut down to be used in building the Fort at Horne’s Hook, (as your memorialist supposes it was,) yet as he has sustained great loss, and been put to great expense by the said men having been quartered upon him, and having cut down and destroyed his wood, whereby a greater part of the burden hath fallen upon him than is his part in proportion with the rest of his fellow-citizens; he prays the Congress or Committee of Safety to take the matter into their consideration, and to grant him such redress and compensation as they in their discretion may think reasonable, and adequate to the loss and damage he hath sustained.

DIRCK LEFFERTS.

May 1, 1776.

COMMISSIONERS IN CANADA TO PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

[Read May 16, 1776.]

Montreal, May 1, 1776.

SIR: After some difficulty and delay in getting through the ice of Lake George, we arrived here on Monday last, and were very politely received by General Arnold, who at present commands in this post.

It is impossible to give you a just idea of the lowness of the Continental credit here, from the want of hard money, and the prejudice it is to our affairs. Not the most trifling service can be procured without an assurance of instant pay in silver or gold. The express we sent from St. John’s, to inform the General of our arrival there, and to request carriages for La Prairie, was stopped at the ferry, till a friend passing changed a dollar bill for him into silver; and we are obliged to that friend (Mr. McCartney) for his engagement to pay the calashes, or they would not have come for us. The general apprehension that we shall be driven out of the Province as soon as the King’s troops can arrive, concurs with the frequent breaches of promise the inhabitants have experienced, in determining them to trust our people no further. Therefore the utmost despatch should be used in forwarding a large sum hither, (we believe twenty thousand pounds will be necessary,) otherwise it will be impossible to continue the war in this country, or to expect the continuance of our interest with the people here, who begin to consider the Congress as bankrupt, and their cause as desperate. Therefore, till the arrival of money, it seems improper to propose the Federal union of this Province with the others, as the few friends we have here will scarce venture to exert themselves in promoting it, till they see our credit recovered, and a sufficient army arrived to secure the possession of the country.

Yesterday we attended a Council of War, the minutes of which we enclose. The places proposed are proper to prevent the further progress of the enemy in case they should oblige us to raise the siege of Quebeck. The plank and timber for the gondolas are all prepared and ready at Fort Chambly, and some of the carpenters are arrived from New-York; others are to be engaged here; and as hard money is necessary for these, we have agreed to advance some out of what the Congress put into our hands for our own subsistence, to be replaced when cash shall arrive.

We understand that the troops before Quebeck have not now ten days’ provision; but hope, as the lakes are now open, supplies will soon reach them.

We have directed the opening of the Indian trade, and granting passports to all who shall enter into certain engagements to do nothing in the upper country prejudicial to the Continental interests.

We hope to-morrow to obtain an account of our debts that ought instantly to be paid. If, besides what is necessary for that purpose, we had a sum to manage, by opening a bank for the exchanging Continental bills, it is supposed that we might thereby give a circulation to these bills. The twenty thousand pounds above-mentioned will, we think, answer both these purposes. We are told that not less than the eight thousand ordered by Congress will be a sufficient Army for this quarter. As yet there are but about three thousand, including those now passing down to Quebeck, who are just come over the lakes. The small-pox is in the Army, and General Thomas has, unfortunately, never had it.

With great respect to yourself and the Congress, we have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient humble servants,

To the Honourable John Hancock.

At a Council of War, held at Head-Quarters, April 30, 1776:

	Brigadier-General Arnold, President.
	The Hon. Benjamin Franklin, The Hon. Samuel Chase, The Hon. Charles Carroll, Brigadier-General Woedtke, Colonel Moses Hazen, Colonel De Haas,		Members.

Agreed, that it is immediately necessary to take post at