finish loading the latter, leaving her as she is, or discharging both of them. I am waiting your orders.

Gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,

HUGH YOUNG.

To the Hon. the Council of Safety of Maryland.

MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY TO THOMAS RUSSELL.

SIR: You will please deliver two hundred and seventy-one quarter-barrels of powder, belonging to this Province, that arrived at Indian-River, together with seventy pounds of musket-balls, two brass blunderbusses, and twelve swords, to the officer that may be appointed to guard the same to Chestertown, in Maryland, who will deliver this letter; and any expenses you may have been at in landing or guarding the same, shall be paid on application to yours, &c.

To Mr. Thomas Russell.

MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY TO KENT COUNTY COMMITTEE.

GENTLEMEN: About two hundred and seventy-one quarter-barrels of gunpowder, belonging to this Province, have arrived at Indian-River, in Sussex County, and is now, we are informed, in the custody or possession of Colonel John Dagworthy. We request you would hire wagons to convey the same from thence to Chestertown, there to wait the further orders of this Board. A guard will be appointed by the Captain of the Independent Company in your County, to whom we have written on the occasion.

We are, &c.

To the Committee of Observation for Kent County.

P. S. There are two brass blunderbusses, twelve swords, and about seventy pounds of musket-balls, which are also to be brought with the powder.

MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY TO CAPTAIN VEAZEY.

SIR: We have written to the Committee of Observation of Kent County, to hire wagons to go to Indian-River, in Sussex County, in order to convey from thence a quantity of powder, ball, &c., to Chestertown; and as it will be expedient that a guard should attend the carriage of the powder, we request you would order one of your Lieutenants, with ten men, to accompany the wagons down, and guard them on their way back to Chestertown. The greatest care and attention is recommended to the officer you entrust on this business. We are, &c.

To Captain Edward Veazey.

ROBERT MORRIS TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Philadelphia, May 11, 1776.

SIR: In compliance with an order of Congress, passed yesterday, we forward, by the bearer hereof, ten tons of gunpowder, which your Excellency will cause the proper officers to receive; and upon this and every similar occasion, we beg the favour of a line from you or the Commissary, acknowledging the receipt of such powder or other stores as we may send to your department.

We have the honour to be your Excellency’s most obedient, humble servants.

By order of the Secret Committee of Congress:

ROBERT MORRIS, Chairman.

To His Excellency General Washington.

MEMORIAL OF THE COMMITTEE OF PRIVATES OF THE CITY AND LIBERTIES OF PHILADELPHIA.

[Read May 11, 1776. Referred to a Committee of the whole Congress.]

To the Honourable the Continental Congress: The Memorial of the Committee of Privates of the Military Association belonging to the City and Liberties of PHILADELPHIA, respectfully showeth:

That your Memorialists, considering that this House would reject no application which the most pressing necessity urged on the one hand, and the most reprehensible negligence produced on the other, applied some time since for a Continental General and a few Continental Battalions. The defenceless state of this Province, the prospect of an attack being made on this city, and the great discouragements which our Military Associators have met with, and the injustice done to their patriotick exertions by men who, if they wished well to our cause, would have treated us in a very different manner; these, with many other circumstances, pointed out the necessity of having a General of courage and experience, with a few Continental Battalions, stationed here. This we requested, and had reason to expect to have our prayer attended to, as it is impossible for us, in the present unconnected state of our Battalions, ever to exert their force to the greatest advantage, and as we, in consequence thereof, run the greatest hazard of a division in the hour of action. We understand that some of our Delegates give great opposition to the measure, alleging that, were such a thing necessary, the application ought to come from our Committee of Safety. We wish not to fall a sacrifice to the ignorance and inattention of a Committee, in a number of whose members we have not the least confidence, especially since their influence, in all probability, prevented the burning of the Roebuck; and we earnestly entreat that men who endeavoured to withdraw us from the Continental Union, may not have too great weight in the councils which regard our safety. We thought our application so reasonable, that there was scarcely a necessity of hinting the matter, and therefore declined troubling the Congress with unnecessary solicitations; and now that opposition is made, the opinion of his Excellency General Washington, and the other General officers at present in this city, may save us the labour of further applications. We do therefore pray Congress to take their sentiments on our present defensive preparations; and if, on a survey of our river and city, it appears to them that we are sufficiently secured against all attempts of the enemy, and that a number of half-disciplined battalions, which have never seen an action, hastily called together, on an open and naked beach, without regular order, subordination, or head to direct them, and under the sense of being oppressed by the very men whose liberties and estates they are called out to defend, are sufficient to the exigency of our affairs, we shall reluctantly submit, until that fatal day shall arrive in which it will appear that the present opposition to our request proceeds more from a desire to keep the way open for our enemies, than from any attachment to the cause of liberty. We rest the success both of our present and former applications on their justness and necessity, begging leave to retire, after returning our warmest thanks to this honourable House for promoting our favourite fellow-citizen, General Mifflin, on whom we earnestly wish to see the chief command in this Province speedily devolve.

Signed on behalf of the Committee of Privates:

SAMUEL SIMPSON, President.

CHESTER COUNTY (PENNSYLVANIA) COMMITTEE.

Resolved, That the inhabitants of each Township in this County, that have not already appointed persons to collect the Arms from the Non-Associators, as enjoined by the resolves of the honourable House of Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania, be requested, and they are hereby requested, to meet at the most convenient place in their respective Townships, on the 25th day of this instant, to choose suitable persons for that purpose, and proceed as enjoined by the aforesaid resolves.

WILLIAM EVANS, Chairman.

Berks County, Pennsylvania, May 11, 1776.

Whereas it has been proved before the Committee that I, the subscriber, have designedly thrown out many expressions to discourage the good people of this and the neighbouring County of Northampton from taking up arms against Great Britain, and have also written several letters for that purpose: I do hereby acknowledge the truth of the said charge, and beg pardon of the publick for my conduct, and do promise and engage that I will support the present opposition, as much as in my power, against all the enemies of

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