in consequence of which, I am desired to forward you the enclosed resolve; and enclose you copies of Lord Howe's letter and declaration, which require no comment. I am to inform you that Congress wish to know by what means that letter to Mr. Kinsey reached his hands, and am to desire you will take every method to prevent any communication with the enemy from your Colony. This I have in charge most earnestly to recommend to you, and beg your immediate attention to it.

I most sincerely congratulate you on the agreeable intelligence just received from South-Carolina, by express. Have not time to be particular; can only say the enemy twice attempted to land, and were repulsed; their capital ships disabled, one blown up, and, in short, a total stop put to the business of the fleet for a long time; the Commodore wounded, one Captain killed, one Captain lost an arm, and many officers and men killed on board the several ships. General Lee writes, the officers and men on our side behaved as well as any old troops could. Our loss very trifling, not one officer killed, and not more than ten men killed, and twenty-two wounded. General Lee writes, he never saw such a fierce, incessant fire in all his life. I hope He who controls all events will still espouse our cause, and give such success to our arms in other quarters, as, from the righteous-ness of our cause, and our real reliance on Him, He shall judge fit.

I am, with real regard, gentlemen, your very humble servant,

JOHN HANCOCK, President.

To the Honourable Convention of New-Jersey.

N. B. I am vastly hurried. Excuse me, I have not time to have it copied.

WILLIAM GODDARD TO THE BOARD OF WAR.

Philadelphia, July 19, 1776.

RESPECTED GENTLEMEN: Your complaisant reception of my application to be taken into the service of my country, and your attention to the meritorious officers of the Army, in which I am desirous of serving, do equal honour to the benevolence and justice of your Board, and call for my warmest acknowledgments. As I presume the cause of my not being hitherto provided for arises from a want of information how it might be done with propriety, I beg leave to lay before you the following particulars, collected from several officers of distinction. At the same time, permit me to assure your honourable Board, that I do not wish to be gratified at the hazard of disobliging any worthy officer; neither, indeed, should I incline to serve in any corps in which I was not perfectly agreeable.

In the Army under the immediate command of his Excellency General Washington, there are two regiments whose Colonels are removed, viz: the Fourth, late Larned's, and the Twentieth, Arnold's. Lieutenant-Colonel Tyler, of Colonel Parsons's regiment, is the first Lieutenant-Colonel in rank in the lines; and Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd, of the Fourth Regiment, is the second in rank. These two gentlemen served all the lust war, and distinguished themselves as brave and gallant officers, and during the present struggle for" peace, liberty, and safety," have been highly esteemed. It appears, therefore, to be their right to take the command of those regiments. Arnold's was raised in Connecticut, and Lieutenant-Colonel Tyler would, I am persuaded, be as acceptable to them as any man out of the regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd, if preferred, will command the regiment he now belongs to. Major Prentis, of Colonel Parsons's regiment, is the first Major in rank in the lines, and has always approved himself an able commander. Lieutenant-Colonel Putnam, of Colonel Wyllys's regiment, is chief Engineer, and does no duty in battalion; and as he cannot act in both capacities, and he is very skilful in that important profession, the good of the country, it is thought, might be better promoted by making an establishment for Engineers, and confirming Mr. Putnam in that office, with the rank of Colonel. If this should take place, and Major Prentis should be preferred in Colonel Wyllys's regiment, there would then be, a vacancy in Colonel Parsons's regiment, in which I am assured there would be no objection to my appointment to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Captain Chapman, of the same regiment, an officer of real worth, would then of course be appointed to the rank of Major, he being the oldest Captain in the regiment.

In addition to what I have here recited, I am further informed that there is a Lieutenant-Colonelcy vacant in a new battalion of Artificers, commanded by Colonel Parke.

I have mentioned these several particulars with great deference to your honourable Board, as well as to his Excellency the General, and hope I shall not be considered as in the remotest degree dictating to either. If I have gone further than I ought, I beg it may be imputed to my anxious desire of stepping forth, at this very interesting crisis, in defence of my country.

I am, gentlemen, with the highest esteem, your most obedient humble servant,

WILLIAM GODDARD.

To the Honourable the Board of War, &c, for the United States of America.

To the Honourable Commissioners, or Delegates, from the several American States, now sitting in General Congress in the City of PHILADELPHIA:

The Memorial of WILLIAM GODDARD, most respectfully showeth:

That the intolerable severity of Ministerial oppression having exposed to innumerable hardships your memorialist, and other printers who manifested their zeal in defence of the invaded rights of America; and the iron hand of tyranny having, by means of the Parliamentary Post-Office, pressed upon him more heavily, perhaps, than upon any other; his own sufferings, and an ardent desire of serving his country, prompted him to devise a plan for the total abolition of that engine of Ministerial extortion, fraud, and revenge, by substituting to it a Post-Office on constitutional principles.

His undertaking was countenanced by all the friends of American freedom, several of whom contributed largely towards raising a fund sufficient to prosecute his plan, which the artifices used by the tools of despotism to discourage it rendered more expensive than it might otherwise have been. He was, however, very near reaping the fruits of his labour, and reimbursing his friends, when your most honourable House appointed one of your colleagues to superintend that important department, under your direction; but the worthy officer intrusted with it, not having been authorized to indemnify your memorialist or his friends for the expense incurred by establishing Postmasters, hiring riders, and bringing the temporary establishment, in all its parts, to that state where your officer found it when it was resigned with all those advantages, a great loss is sustained by your memorialist, as well as the persons who were more intimately connected with him in that voluntary service of the publick.

The Secretary and Comptrollership (the two principal places which the Congress instituted under the Postmaster General) having been disposed of, it was judged that, as your memorialist has repeatedly travelled through most of the Colonies, for the purpose of carrying on his own projected plan, he was more capable than many others to make a proper choice of inferior officers, and knew many local circumstances that would be essentially useful in the regulation of that department, should he be invested with the Surveyorship, on the present establishment.

To serve this country, he accepted it, insufficient as the salary was to afford him a decent maintenance, and though he well knew that the greater his exertions should be, the sooner his office must be discontinued, all sinecures being inglorious to the incumbents, and burdensome to the State.

Having brought the Surveyorship to that period, for one year at least, he entreats your honourable House to favour him with an opportunity to serve his country in the Army, wherever the scene of action may be, if he be permitted to share in the glorious struggle in which his country is now engaged, and be rendered as serviceable as may be reasonably presumed from his known principles and character.

He is informed, by officers of distinction, that there are three vacancies, one of which, the Mustermaster-General's, being more lucrative, might indemnify him for a part of the pecuniary losses already mentioned; but as it is less liable to those personal dangers which his natural disposition impels him to encounter, he would think himself more happy should you honour him with a commission amongst the gen-