cares which rests upon you will permit, that I may have the honour of a line from you next post. If the Congress adopt the scheme, which I believe would be of publick utility, will immediately wait upon them.

I am, with the greatest esteem and profoundest respect, your most obedient and most humble servant,

HENRY BOBCOCK.

To the Hon. John Hancock, Esq.

COLONEL BAYLEY TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Newbury, May 28, 1776.

SIR: The 17th instant I received your Excellency’s di­rection for making a road to St. Johns. On the 18th called together the Committees of Haverhill and Newbury, and consulted them what wages to give the men; it was concluded that good men at this season could not be had for such labour for less than ten dollars per month, and that whoever engaged in that service and were found dila­tory, to be dismissed and receive no more pay than the days he laboured. The 21st, sent two men to collect men for two or three months, or until the road should be done, and if they inclined to enter the Continental service any longer, to receive soldier’s pay. I directed to advance to each man twenty shillings. Mr. Wallace purchased what was needful at Hartford; not yet arrived, but expect the stores in two or three days. On my hearing of the retreat from Quebeck, I thought it might be for the Continental service to cut a bridle road at first, that men and cattle might pass freely. The 27th, sent ten men to do the work; I make no doubt but they will complete it and return in twenty days., I shall begin the wagon road next Monday. Our provi­sions are collected, so that we can supply those that may be sent this way, either with droves or otherwise. Any di­rections or orders to me may be sent by the bearer, Colonel Mash, or a gentleman he will direct to.

I am your Excellency’s most obedient, humble servant,

JACOB BAYLEY.

To General Washington.

NEWBURYPORT COMMITTEE TO TRISTRAM DALTON.

Newburyport, May, 1776.

SIR: The Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety, for the town of Newburyport, would beg leave to inform the honourable General Court by you, that the bearer of this letter, one Mr. Dalton, was sent up to this town by the Committee, &c, of Falmouth, with a desire that he might be sent down to the honourable Court. They inform us that he was a Midshipman on board of the Miford; was taken in a sloop that he was on board of, bound up to Bos­ton, by one Captain Drinkwater, and carried into Falmouth. He will come down under the care of Mr. Davis.

We are, with respect, your most humble servants.

By order of the Committee:

MICHAL HODGE.

To Tristram Dalton, Esq., or any of the Representatives for the Town of Newburyport.

“IN COUNCIL, June 1, 1776.-Read, and ordered that the above-named Philip Dalton be sent to Concord Jail; and that the keeper of said Jail be directed to grant said Dalton the liberty of the Jail yard, on his giving his parole in writing that he will not pass without the limits of the same till the further orders of the Council, or to be otherwise discharged by due course of law.

“PEREZ MORTON, Deputy Secretary. ”

PETITION OF INHABITANTS OF WELLFLEET TO MASSACHU­SETTS COUNCIL.

At a meeting of the Freeholders and other inhabitants of the Town of Wellfleet, legally warned and held on Tuesday, the 28th of May, A.D. 1776:

Voted, That Messrs. John Greenough, Samuel Smith, and Winslow Lewis, be a Committee to draft a Petition to the Great and General Court, praying for an easement of their Province Tax; and report at the adjournment of this meeting on Thursday, the 30th instant.

The inhabitants being met according to adjournment, the Report of said Committee was read and voted, and was as follows:

“To the Honourable the Council and House of Represen­tatives of the Colony of MASSACHUSETTS-BAY:

“The petition of the Freeholders and other inhabitants of the Town of Wellfleet humbly showeth, That your Peti­tioners are situate on the most barren soil of any part of the Province; the whole lands that can be tilled will not afford corn for more than one quarter part of the inha­bitants; and the harbour, which is convenient for small vessels, is the only advantage they have had, in carrying on the whale fishery, in which they have employed about two thousand tons of shipping; and nine-tenths of the inhabitants got their whole subsistence thereby; that the other tenth part of the inhabitants got their livelihood by the oyster fishery; that ever since the 1st of June, A. D. 1775, they have not been able to send out one vessel on the whaling business, there being constantly men-of-war and cruisers in Cape-Cod Harbour; and most of their vessels are now hauled up and perishing; the few that have attempt­ed to go out on mercantile business, or to fetch provisions, have most of them been taken, so that your Petitioners have suffered the total loss of the greatest part of their employment. Their property, mostly consisting of vessels and whale craft, which is very costly, is perishing, and they themselves in fear of being put to the necessity of living without bread corn; and they are humbly of opinion that no town in this Colony hath, in proportion, suffered so much in their business and employment since the commencement of hostilities by the Ministerial troops as your Petitioners have, except only the towns of Boston and Charlestown. They therefore humbly pray, that as the principal means whereby they were enabled to pay their taxes is now quite destroyed, that you will take the same into your wise con­sideration, and order that they be eased of at least a part or whole of their Colony tax, or otherwise grant them relief as you in your wisdom shall see meet; and your Petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

A true copy from the Record.

Attest:

HEZERIAH DOANE, Town-Clerk.

Wellfleet, May 30, 1776.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM BRIGADIER-GENERAL ARM­STRONG TO BRIGADIER-GENERAL HOWE, DATED CHARLES-TOWN, MAY 29, 1776.

Last Saturday a sloop arrived here from St. Eustatia with ten thousand pounds of powder, the master of which says that a large vessel had arrived there from Holland, deeply laden with arms and ammunition, and that some Philadelphia vessels were loading out of her. He also says that the French ports in the West-Indies are open to us, and that the French men-of-war have orders to protect our vessels in and out of their harbours; that the French are fortifying Dunkirk, which produced a remonstrance from the British Court, but without effect.

CAPTAIN NICHOLSON TO MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY.

GENTLEMEN: Your order of the 25th instant came to hand yesterday noon, three o’clock. I was then off Wicomico. About an hour after, we imagine, the Governour’s boat passed us; the Commodore still continued at anchor, but, as the weather was thick, imagine the boat passed her Commo­dore. The other two ships that were under way stood into the mouth of Rappahannock, and suppose anchored, as we stood off and on all the ebb, and did not see them come out again. It blew very fresh, and imagined they would weigh again on the flood to chase me, which would have given them a great advantage, therefore would have gone into Wicomico, but the Governour’s boat passing me at anchor off the mouth, made me conclude to beat all night at a risk, since which have not seen them. I shall make the best of my way up, and expect we shall have a southerly wind; in which case should the enemy be standing up the bay, it is necessary I should have your orders as early as possible, where you would have the ships go to. We did