GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

[Read July 11, 1776.]

Lebanon, July 6, 1776.

SIR: Yesterday I received your favour of the 29th June, ultimo, with the enclosed copy of the resolve of Congress, to which I shall attend, and will send as soon as can be obtained an account of the cannon left at New-London by Commodore Hopkins, their number, size, bore, and weight; and also an account of the other cannon there.

I am, with great truth and regard, sir, your obedient humble servant,

JONATHAN TRUMBULL.

To the Honourable President Hancock.

GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

[Read July 11, 1776.]

Lebanon, July 6, 1776.

SIR: I received your letter of the 24th June, ultimo, enclosing the resolution of Congress with respect toGovernour Franklin. He has given his parole in writing. I have thought proper to assign Wallingford to be the place for his residence.

I am, most respectfully, sir, your most obedient humble servant,

JONATHAN TRUMBULL.

To the Honourable President Hancock.

GOVERNOUR TRUMBULL TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Lebanon, July 6, 1776.

SIR: I this day wrote to the Continental Congress, "that the ancient laws of this Colony enable the Colonels of the Militia to call out their respective regiments upon any alarm, invasion, or appearance of an enemy, by sea or land, giving notice to the Captain-General or Commander-in-Chief for the time being, of the occasion thereof. This, with a general order to them to call out their regiments upon notice from General Washington, or the Commander-in-Chief for the time being, to march to his assistance, may supersede the necessity of any new regulation in respect to the Militia, at least until the next Assembly, as it is very inconvenient for them to come together at this busy season." By this post general orders are accordingly given to Colonel Jonathan Fitch, of New-Haven, commander of the Second regiment of Militia; to Ichabod Lewis, of Stratford, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fourth, Colonel Silliman being absent in the service at New-York; to John Mead, of Greenwich or Horseneck, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninth, Colonel Webb being with you; to Benjamin Hinman, of Woodbury, Colonel of the Thirteenth; and to Joseph Plat Cooke, of Dan-bury, Colonel of the Sixteenth. These are the field officers present in the several regiments next towards New-York, on whom you may call when needful.

Our battalions are raising with all possible diligence, and will soon march to the places of their several destinations. Many have marched for New-York, and the rest will soon follow. And the three regiments of Lighthorse mentioned in my last, I hear are moving on fast.

An extraordinary bounty is given to the two battalions raising for the Northern Department; it will be attended with difficulty to alter their destination. The Continental battalion destined To Boston, under Colonel Ward, and the other battalion, raised in May last, for the defence of this and the neighbouring Colonies, it will be hard to send to the northward, which hath lately been moved to me from Congress; this last is probaably now at your camp at New-York. Will it not be best to send in their room a battalion who have had the small-pox, and to order Colonel Ward to Boston, as destined at first, instead of sending thither any other of our battalions, who have already begun their march for New-York? Probably not one in twenty of our men have ever had that distemper, when the New-York, Jersey, and Pennsylvania men have generally passed through it.

Our intelligence from Crown-Point is, that the infection is very great in our retreating army. This distemper strikes a greater dread in our men who have not had it, than the British troops. Cannot measures be taken to cleanse the army, and, in the mean time, keep the infected from those who are not? I have provided two companies of ship carpenters, twenty-five in each company, who will march next week, and carry their tools with them, to go to that work at Crown-Point; but few of them have ever passed through that distemper.

I hear from Captain Niles, that there are four thousand head of neat cattle on Montauk-Point, on Long-Island, great part of them good beef cattle, fit (or slaughter. We have ordered the stock of cattle, sheep, and swine, from Fisher's Island. Many of both cattle and sheep are fit for the use of the Army, and ordered accordingly. Is it not best, that you procure those at Montauk likewise, and prevent their being used to feed the enemy ?

I am, with great truth and regard, sir, your most obedient humble servant,

JONATHAN TRUMBULL.

To His Excellency General Washington.

COMMITTEE ON PRISONERS.

Hartford, July 6, 1776.

Colony of CONNECTICUT, ss:

In Committee for ordering Prisoners stationed in this Colony, it is

Resolved and Ordered, That no Prisoner under the care of this Committee, not enlarged on parole, may go out of the Parish wherein such Prisoner is stationed, without a permit in writing, under the hand of one or more of this Committee, or the person under whose care he is or shall be placed, and riot exceed the limits prescribed in such permit, on pain of imprisonment.

And it is further Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, it will be improper and unsafe to employ said Prisoners in making Firearms, Gunpowder, casting Can-non, Cannonball, or in erecting Fortifications.

And it is recommended to all the Towns in this Colony, in which Prisoners are stationed, to set a watch to guard the avenues into and out of their respective Towns, said watch to be set at or before nine of the clock in the evening, and to continue through the night, for the purpose, of preserving peace and order in such Towns, and for preventing the conveying intelligence prejudicial to the liberties of America.

Per order of the Committee:

JESSE ROOT, Chairman.

Boston, July 6, 1776.

We learn from Halifax, by a person who left that place this day three weeks, that the troops General Howe left there were supposed to be about fifteen hundred, mostly Marines, and the Regiment of Lighthorse (which lately were wantonly tutored in a house of God in this town) was at Windsor, waiting for General Howe to get foothold at New-York, when they were to follow, and march (or gallop) through this Continent; that they were busily employed in fortifying Citadel-Hill and other places, being under apprehension of an attack; that Brigadier Ruggles and son from Hardwick, William Tyng, formerly High-Sheriff, John Hicks, and John Howe, Printers, were gone volunteers with General Howe, and a number of others, which our informant could not recollect.

We also learn from Halifax, that when the New-York Tories arrived there, they applied to General Howe for subsistence; but were informed that, unless they took up arms in defence of Government, they could have no relief; when some of them voluntarily entered the service, and others, through necessity, were obliged to; and that the fourth day after their inlistment, they, together with the Boston Tories, were ordered to dig in the Coal Mines at Nova-Scotia, where we hope they may remain during life—a proper shelter for all the Tories in America.

NEHEMIAH ESTABROOK TO NEW-HAMPSHIRE ASSEMBLY.

Province of New-Hampshire, Lebanon, July 6, 1776.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOURS: The necessitous and alarming circumstances the inhabitants are under in these infant and frontier towns, since the Army have retreated to Crown Point, out of the Province of Canada, leaving a large extent of our frontiers open to the ravages of the savage Indians, being almost destitute of arms and ammunition, and many of our inhabitants leaving their houses and fields a prey to our enemies, we humbly trust your Honours will compassionate and afford us such relief as you in your wisdom shall judge necessary, from time to time, especially at this present time. We would inform your Honours that the Committees of several of the adjacent towns met together