or of the Committee of the County or District in which they reside, that they are friends to the liberties of America.

3d. That the above Resolutions be signed by the Deputy Chairman, and published in all the newspapers of this Colony

WILLIAM MILLER, D. Chairman.

COLONEL LIVINGSTON TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Fort Constitution, June 11, 1776.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY: I received an answer to the letter I wrote your Excellency on the 14th of May last, yesterday, dated the 19th of May, by a sloop from Albany. Since my last returns, we have received ninety-five arms from Dutchess County and the Manor of Livingston, most of them out of repair. Permit me once more to represent to your Excellency the necessity of workmen to repair the arms in these garrisons, and to furnish them with new. There are now at this garrison four soldiers that understand the business; they will engage to work at their trade, one of them at four pounds ten, two others at four pounds, and one other at three pounds per month, their wages as soldiers included; the man whom I would propose for head-workman, and who is well known to understand the business in all its branches, must have twelve shillings a day, and says the business cannot be carried on to any advantage without three or four hands to assist in making stocks, locks, and bayonets, &c. Should your Excellency think proper to employ those people, it will be necessary to give the Commissioners orders to build a sloop for them to work in, as the carpenters are under their direction.

The Deputy-Commissary has furnished us with rum, in consequence of which we have fewer on the sick list, and the works go on with greater spirit, though the duty is very hard; we have not the least time for disciplining our men, as they work nine hours a day. This duty I am obliged to exact of them, or we should not get the intended works finished in a great while with the few hands we have.

Mr. Harrison writes that your Excellency is at a loss to know what the supplies of money I mentioned to you were, and that the Committee had not furnished us with; the Committee at New-York undertook to pay the billeting rolls and arrears due to these new-raised regiments to a certain date, from which time we were to be paid by the Paymaster-General.

When in New-York, your Excellency may remember, I applied to you for money for three Captains from Long-Island. Your reply, if I recollect right, was, that we could not be paid till the Committee had furnished us to the time they had fixed on, as they were in advance to some of our Captains. Before I came from New-York the Committee had determined to have nothing to do with the accounts of particular Captains, but proposed to advance certain stipulated sums to the commanding officers of regiments, resolving that they should pay to each Captain what was necessary, and making the commanding officer accountable for the whole of what was advanced. This money I was in expectation the Committee would have furnished me with for the purpose above-mentioned. An account of the moneys due I now transmit to your Excellency, in order to found a warrant upon, if you should be so inclined.

I cannot learn that any provision is made for a Barrack-master, or a conductor of stores, though they are persons we can scarcely do without; there are people here capable of both, if your Excellency should think proper to appoint them.

Since my return to your Excellency of the state of these garrisons, I have ordered ten pieces of cannon to be removed from hence to Fort Montgomery, with as many stores as could be spared for them; this I thought necessary, as they had only six pieces mounted there. I have also made up into cannon-cartridges the small stock of ammunition we have, reserving a proportionable part for musketry; and by reason of the great distance of the magazine from our two southernmost batteries, I have been obliged to order moveable boxes to be made, each to contain one budge-barrel with cartridges, and constructed so as to secure them from the weather. These, if approved of by your Excellency, I intend shall be placed (according to the proportion of guns, allowing one to every two guns) upon each battery, in order that we may be in readiness upon any emergency that may happen. I thought this cheaper than building a magazine, which I did not care to venture upon without particular instructions.

A few days ago I had the pleasure to see Mr. Chase and Mr. Carroll, (two of the Commissioners sent from Congress to Canada,) on their return; and in the course of a conversation with them, I mentioned to them the judgment of a General Court-Martial, held at this fort on the 17th of May last, relative to some prisoners found guilty of mutiny by said court, which appeared so singular to them that they insisted on my sending your Excellency the proceedings, which I now transmit; they should have been sent before, had I thought they merited your Excellency’s attention. I am in hopes that a little experience will teach our officers the necessity of a stricter discipline; we are young yet; and, with deference to your Excellency’s superior judgment, I cannot help thinking it would be of great service to us to be at New-York, or where there is a larger detail, and more corps of troops than our own; we move in a narrow circle— rather too confined to afford much improvement.

I was under the necessity of permitting the bearer, Captain Child, to go to New-York, as his men are almost destitute of clothing.

14th of June.—May it please your Excellency: Since I wrote the above, Captain Bedlow, one of the Commissioners for laying out the fortifications at this place, arrived from New-York, and communicated the instructions he received from your Excellency relative to the completion of these works; from which design we were clearly of opinion that the work of most consequence is excluded, as it commands, at point blank, all the fortifications erected on this island: this spot lies directly opposite to us, on a point called West Point, and contains about forty acres of level; it would be easy of access to our enemies should they either pass or take Fort Montgomery. Colonel Putnam when here thought it ought by no means to be neglected. Comparing this circumstance and the situation together, we imagined that Lord Stirling and Colonel Putnam, immersed in a world of business of equal importance, had omitted to mention this eligible situation, either for a grand battery, which might be so constructed as to command a long reach both up and down the river, or for a post for the enemy, which we conceive would be of infinite prejudice to us. If I could obtain your Excellency’s approbation, a work should be immediately thrown up at this place, to be defended by fifty men, with small-arms. Captain Bedlow tells me that one thousand men are to be called to these forts: if they are from the Minute service, we shall want an immediate supply of tents for them, as the barracks, and those intended, will by no means contain them. Tents for at least eight hundred men will be wanted.

I ought to make an apology for taking up so much of your Excellency’s time; but the evident necessity for it will, I hope, plead my excuse more powerfully.

I remain your Excellency’s most obedient, humble servent

HENRY B. LIVINGSTON, Com’g Officer.

To His Excellency George Washington, Esq.

COLONEL LIVINGSTON TO LORD STIRLING.

Fort Constitution, June 11, 1776.

MY LORD: According to your request I send you enclosed a list of the arms sent us from Dutchess County and the Manor of Livingston. Those from Dutchess are appraised at extravagant rates, only one being fit for service; those from the Manor are much too low—they are most of them good fowling pieces, but unfit for war. on account of their prodigious length, some of them being no less than seven feet.

On the 8th instant, Colonel Nicoll resigned the command of these garrisons to me.

Those unhappy wretches made prisoners by the County Committees, whom they command us to keep at hard labour, I have not exacted that drudgery of, as I conceive those commands to be rather a tyrannical exercise of power in those gentlemen, which they have no right to exercise, and such as no Continental officer is bound to conform to without a particular direction from Congress or a superior officer. However, if your Lordship should be of a different