the infection of the small-pox from spreading amongst the Militia daily expected from that Colony, and the other Eastern Governments. The Doctor highly approves of the method taken here to stop the progress of that pestilential disease, and goes to your post, by my direction, to give you his advice and assistance, to promote the salutary purpose of his journey to the Army. I have no doubt you will give him all the attention and countenance requisite to so important a business, and that you will continue to exert your utmost vigilance and power to make us once more a healthy Army. I send you by this conveyance a large quantity of provisions, five barrels of powder, two hundred and fifty weight of lead, some cartridge-paper and thread, and a set of bullet-moulds. You will employ proper persons, and, as quick as possible, have the ammunition made up into cartridges.

A gentleman, of credit and reputation, brings a report to Albany, that a French fleet had arrived at Rhode-Island, with Mr. Deane on board. I am, sir, &c., &c.

HORATIO GATES.

To General Waterbury.

GENERAL GATES TO GENERAL ARNOLD.

Tyonderoga, July 17, 1776.

SIR: As I am entirely unacquainted with the Lake below Crown-Point, I send the Commodore, with the largest and best schooner, to receive his instructions from you in regard to the cruise he ought to make. I think, until the rest of the vessels are fitted, it will not be advisable to send the schooner into the narrow part of the Lake below. I wish you were here to give directions for putting our whole squadron afloat. It seems to me they are very tardy about it; but I am entirely uninformed as to Marine affairs. I like Captain Mayhew, whom you sent here; but I think the Commodore seems slow, and wish he may retain all that prowess for which he says he was so famous last war. It is of the greatest consequence to our affairs, to have the armed vessels commanded by men of firmness and approved courage.

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

HORATIO GATES.

To Brigadier-General Arnold.

GENERAL GATES TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER AT FORT GEORGE.

Head-Quarters, at Ticonderoga, July 17, 1776.

SIR: I understand that there is a wanton waste of powder at your post, in firing a morning and evening gun, and in unnecessary salutes. It is my positive order that this practice be immediately discontinued, and no ammunition expended on any account whatever, except in opposition to the attacks of the enemy. I am, sir, your humble servant,

HORATIO GATES, Major-General.

To the Commanding Officer at Fort George.

GENERAL GATES TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GANSEVOORT.

Tyonderoga, July 17, 1776.

SIR: On the receipt of this, you will send any spare oars you may have to Mr. Donn, at the Landing on this side the Lake. The oars will be wanted here, therefore beg you'll forward them as soon as possible.

You will be very careful, sir, to prevent any desertion of those who are sent to the General Hospital: some villains may perhaps feign themselves sick, merely with the design of gaining an opportunity of deserting. The utmost care will be necessary to guard against this evil.

Many complaints, sir, are made by the officers here, that their letters, both going and coming, are interrupted, and sometimes broke open. I beg, sir, if anything of this kind has happened at your post, it may for the future be prevented. If any person can be discovered either to open or retard any letters going to or from the Army, he must be immediately apprehended and tried, for a crime of this kind cannot be too severely punished.

In fine, sir, you will in everything be very careful for the publick good and the security of your post.

I am, sir, your very obedient servant,

H ORATIO GATES.

To Lieut. Col. Gansevoort, commanding at Fort George.

CAPTAIN BROWNSON TO GENERAL GATES.

Pittsford, July 17, 1776.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR: I sent an express to Crown-Point, respecting Brice Dunlap, whom I confined on the 13th instant, a second time, for the murder of Corporal Colley, of the Pennsylvania forces. Your Honour being at Ticonderoga, I received orders from General Arnold to send the prisoner to you there. I have sent Lieutenant Samuel Tubs, with eight men, to convey the said prisoner to Ticonderoga.

These from your Honour's very humble servant,

GIDEON BROWNSON, Captain.

His Honour Major General Gates, Commander at Ticonderoga.

PETITION OF THE OFFICERS OF COL. BEDEL'S REGIMENT.

To Major-General Gates:

The petition of the Officers, &c., belonging to Colonel Bedel's Regiment, inhabitants on the frontier towns of New-Hampshire, and the interior parts of some other Provinces, of New-York, &c., humbly showeth: That your petitioners, from a true sense of liberty and an utter abhorrence of slavery, engaged in the honourable cause of liberty under the command of Colonel Timothy Bedel, under whose command we have cheerfully encountered many difficulties and sustained many losses without the least reluctancy. Beg leave to lay before your Honour, that it is not through any dislike to the cause, or any part concerned therein, that we do now petition for liberty to take post in the frontier towns, but from the first principle of nature, self-preservation itself; as, at this time, by information and letters received from the families of chief of us, we find that their case is truly deplorable, being under the disagreeable necessity of abandoning their farms, leaving their grain and the whole of their substance behind them, for fear of the savages coming upon them, and obliged to crowd into some of the lower towns for safety, where it is but meanly fortified, through want of men, as that part of the country was left bare, most part of the regiment being raised in those parts; and at this time it is obvious to view, from the behaviour of the savages, that the first incursion will be on the frontiers, and those parts are entirely exposed since abandoning Canada. There has, upon computation, for these several years past, been raised, in only two of the towns, upwards of ten thousand bushels of wheat for sale, more than what the families stood in need of, besides corn, &c., and great quantities of hay cut on said farms. The inhabitants have moved above one hundred miles below us, into the towns further down, so that they are one hundred miles from all assistance, which has been the means of a great number of good and brave men leaving the service.

Your petitioners beg leave to inform your Honour that since they were taken prisoners at the Cedars, (as also those at the retreat of Quebeck, which was made so sudden,) lost chiefly all they had—the officers in said regiment being stripped of every part of their clothing that was either comfortable or valuable, and have not had, since the 19th day of May, a shirt to make a change, but are obliged to put on their outside garments when they get their shirts washed; and are not in any capacity to appear among gentlemen, or even to do their proper tour of duty, and nothing can be purchased here to make us comfortable.

Your Honour's petitioners do not desire the liberty to take post in the frontier towns in any other view than that of taking care of their poor, distressed families, and also providing themselves with clothing. We are confident the men who have left the service would heartily and freely join the regiment again. Those whose families are most exposed would be glad to go upon furlough to take care of and remove them to some place of defence, if it is not your Honour's pleasure for the whole to go. Your petitioners are and shall always be most cheerfully disposed to stand firm, at the expense of our lives and property, to defend the cause we are engaged in, could we but ease the distressed situation of our poor families.

Your petitioners humbly hope your Honour will take the matter into your consideration, (as we are sensible your Honour is endowed with compassion and humanity for the distressed) and grant such relief as in your Honour's wisdom