in abundance of the scarcity of money, the weight of ruinous taxes, the distresses of the times, and what not, and with so feeble a voice that letting of blood would, to human appearance, be the only thing which could ever recover him to health and usefulness again. Let a man call upon one. of them to pay a debt of several years’ standing, and he has no money to spare; his family is starving, nothing in the house to eat, drink or wear. But let any of them get a hankering after the East-India herb, and they can give six or nine or ten shillings per pound for anything which resembles it in smell or taste. I call upon you, whoever you be, high or low, rich or poor, men or women, who conduct in this manner, to reconcile yourselves with any rational principles. I do not direct you to go to Committees for relief—a miserable subterfuge, like Job’s comforters. I call you to wake up, and exert every generous principle, and deliver yourselves from the chains which you are forming and putting upon your own necks. Cease to wonder at the trader; suffer him to dupe you out of your reason, your senses, and your money, and I warrant you will lose them. For Heaven’s sake, for the interest of liberty and religion, for your own interest, and that of endless ages, act in every instance, in the whole of your deportment, in an irreproachable manner, and by the means within the reach of mortals, procure distinguished blessings for this land, and descend at last to your graves with the highest marks of honour and applause.

A FRIEND TO HIS COUNTRY .

Connecticut, June 3, 1776.

TOWN-MEETING, PROVIDENCE, RHODE-ISLAND .

At a Town-Meeting of the Town of Providence, held on the first Monday of June, A. D. 1776, being the third day of the month:

Mr. JOHN JENCKS , Moderator.

Voted, That the Town Council be, and they hereby are requested to revise and continue the Town Watch by night, under the same regulations as established by them on the 11th day of November last; that the Master of the Watch go through with the assessment then made by the said Town Council, in the same manner as would have been done, had the Colony done nothing respecting the Watch until that assessment shall be finished.

Whereas it does not appear necessary to employ any person for the present to watch the Battery at Fox-Point by day, and in the night it may be done by the Town’s Watch:

It is, therefore, Voted, That the person who now watches the said Battery be dismissed from said employ.

GENERAL WARD TO GENERAL WASHINGTON .

Boston, June 3, 1776.

SIR: Enclosed are the judgment of a Court of Inquiry upon the complaint of Colonel Varnum against Lieutenant Merril, and a return of this division of the Army.

Some of the articles which General Putnam sent to me for are on the way to Norwich, and the most of them will set off to-morrow morning.

I am your Excellency’s obedient, humble servant,

ARTEMAS WARD

To General Washington.

Proceedings of a Court of Inquiry held at BOSTON, by order of Major-General WARD, to examine a complaint exhibited, by Colonel VARNUM against Lieutenant DANIEL MERRIL, of Colonel PHINNEY ’s Regiment, MAY 24, A. D. 1776.

Colonel Sargent, President.
Members.

The Court being convened, proceeded to inquire into a complaint exhibited by Colonel Varnum against Lieutenant Merril, for inlisting Sergeant Thompson and fifteen men, who were before inlisted with Lane and the aforesaid Sergeant, by his order, (as he saith.)

After examining the Officers of the Company, as well as the Sergeant and Privates above-mentioned, and getting what light we possibly could in this matter, the Court being cleared, after the most mature consideration, are unanimous in the opinion that Lieutenant Merril is not guilty of any part of the charge alleged against him, nor in any way culpable in the matter; and that said Sergeant and men are not held (or ought not to be) by said Captain Lane, as it doth not appear that they were properly inlisted.

PAUL DUDLEY SARGENT, President.

Watertown, June 3, 1776.

The beginning of last week, a vessel arrived in this Colony, having on board ten tons of Sulphur, and the remainder of her cargo Salt. The former article will greatly help in manufacturing the amazing quantity of thirty-four thousand nine hundred and seven and one-quarter pounds weight of Saltpetre, made in this Colony, and brought to the Commissary-General’s store, in this town, during the course of the week past, exclusive of what has been carried to the Powder-Mills at Haverhill, Stoughton, &c.

On Tuesday, the 21st ultimo, the Continental frigate, of thirty-two guns, built at Portsmouth, under the direction of John Langdon, Esquire, was launched, amidst the acclamations of many thousand spectators. She is esteemed by all those who are judges that have seen her, to be one of the completest ships ever built in America. The whole time of her building did not exceed sixty working days,

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM GENERAL HOWE TO LORD GEORGE GERMAINE, DATED HALIFAX, JUNE 3, 1776.

I have the honour of your Lordship’s despatches of the 2d of February, enclosing his Majesty’s warrant to explain and confirm, under the King’s sign manual, the powers with which I am vested to post officers to vacancies, as were before expressed in your Lordship’s letter of 5th January.

Permit me, my Lord, to represent, that, when his Majesty was pleased to order two additional companies to each regiment under my command, (one of them to be formed by a regular regimental promotion, and the officers to return to Britain for the purpose of recruiting the company,) I did, with a scrupulous regard to his Majesty’s pleasure, make the appointments accordingly, reporting my reasons for the few deviations that occurred. Notwithstanding this, I have the mortification to find that my appointments, on their arrival, were not confirmed, and that all those Ensigns who had merited promotion by their personal good behaviour, and who have ever since been doing duty as such, remain superseded by others commissioned in Britain.

Many appointments have also been received from the War-Office, since the 5th of January, on vacancies that have happened under my command, and which, of course, have been filled up on the spot; occasioning such embarrassment and confusion in the Army, that I have been obliged to give the enclosed order, to prevent murmurs, and remove all doubts in consequence of those double promotions, until his Majesty’s further pleasure is known.

I beg leave, therefore, to entreat your Lordship to lay before his Majesty the particular situation of the gentlemen aggrieved, and to present my humble request that his Majesty may be graciously pleased to confirm them in their respective ranks—permitting me to issue pay to the Ensigns appointed at home, by recommendation from the War-Office, until vacancies happen in the different regiments for their admission; in which view, I shall keep all Ensigncies open in expectation of his Majesty’s further pleasure. I must also flatter myself that directions may be given to prevent the like inconveniences in future, as his Majesty’s service, by their continuance, must be greatly impdeed.

VOTES OF SEVERAL TOWNS IN MASSACHUSETTS RELATING TO INDEPENDENCE .

TAUNTON, BRISTOL COUNTY .

At a Town-Meeting, legally warned and held at Taunton, on Monday, the 3d day of June, 1776, on the second