[Extract]

Mr Martin Govr of North Carolina, in his Dispatches to the Earl of Dartmouth dated in July 1775, & which were received on the 10th of Septr makes a full representation of the State of that Province, and it appearing that notwithstanding he had been reduced to the humiHating necessity of taking refuge on board His Majesty's Sloop Cruizer in Cape Fear River, & of submitting to the disgrace of seeing the King's Fort burnt by the rebels, yet he continued to be of opinion, that if he was supported with a small Force, and a supply of Arms & some Field Pieces, he could raise a Body of Men in that Colony sufficient to reduce the rebellious Subjects both there, and in South Carolina, to obedience, & to awe the Colony of Virginia, & prevent any Auxiliaries being sent from thence to the Northward. He further says that. Addresses, in support of Govt had been sent to him from the back Settlements, & that these Addresses had been signed by 14 or 1500 Men.

In consequence of these Dispatches the Earl of Dartmouth on the 2d Septr² signified The King's Commands to the Master General of the Ordnance, that he should send to the Commander in Chief in No America, 10,000 stand of Arms & 6 light Field Pieces, together with 200 rounds of Powder & Ball for each Musket & field Piece in order to enable him to afford such aid & assistance to the Governor of No Carolina, as the situation and circumstances of that Province, might from time to time, require; And the Mastr General of the Ordnance was at the same time informed, that one of His Majesty's Ships of War would be ordered to take under her convoy such Storeship as the Board of Ordnance should provide for the conveyance of the Arms & Artillery abovementioned.

On the 15th Septr Lord Dartmouth acquainted Major Genl Howe by letter, with the substance of the Advices which had been received from Govr Martin & with the orders which had been given respecting the Arms and Artillery which were to be sent to him; and at the same time signified to him, His Majesty's Pleasure, that if he should find, when the letter reached him, that there was good ground to suppose that the sending to No Carolina a Detachment of his Army under an able & intelligent Officer, would have the good effect Mr Martin seemed to expect from it, & His Majesty's Service would, in other respects, admit of it, he should in that case, send such Detachment accordingly, consisting of, at least, one Battalion, together with the Arms & Field Pieces above mentioned.

On the 23d Septr a letter was recd at Ld Dartmouth's Office from Lord Wm Campbell the Govr of South Carolina, containing a very full representation of the State of that Province, from which it appeared that a very considerable part of the People suffering under the tyranny & oppression of the traiterous Acts of the Congresses & Committees, had shewn a disposition to resist them, & to support legal Governt & therefore as this was a circumstance deserving attention, in any plan which the Commander in chief might have in view, in consequence of Lord Dartmouth's letter of the 15th Sepr for employing a part of his force during the open part of the Winter in an Expedition to the Southward, it was judged proper to transmit this intelligence to him in a Dispatch dated 25th of Septr.

These Advices recd from the Govrs of No Carolina & So Carolina were in great measure confirmed by other intelligence received thro' variety of channels. Persons of property & interest in the Southern Colonies complained that the friends of Govt there, were neglected; & Lord Dunmore, in a Dispatch recd much about the same time, made himself responsible for securing the obedience of Virginia, with the assistance of a small Force.

Upon a view of all these Circumstances, it was resolved early in Octr to take up the consideration of an Expedition to the Southern Colonies upon a more extensive plan; & His Majesty's Pleasure was signified that 5 Regiments of Infantry, Vizt the 15th 37th 53d 54th & 57th and also 2 Companies of Artillery, taking with them 10 Battalion Guns, & as many Howitzers & Ammusettes as the number of Artillery Men could serve, should hold themselves in readiness to embark on or before the 1st of December.

On the 22d of Octr Lord Dartmouth acquainted Major General Howe with the grounds & reasons upon which this plan was adopted, & with the orders that had been given, for the several Corps to hold themselves in readiness. His Lordship further acquainted the General, that the whole would be ordered to proceed under convoy of a proper Naval Force to Cape Fear River, where there was good reason to expect, from the representations made by Govr Martin, they would be joined by a large Body of Highland Emigrants. The General was also told that it was The King's Intention that this Body of Troops should, upon their arrival, be under the Command of one of the General Officers then with him, & that one of them should proceed immediately upon the arrival of that Dispatch in a ship of War to Cape Fear River, & to remain on board either within the River, or in the Offing, as should be judged most proper, until the arrival of the Forces from Corke, before which time it was observed, he would probably have been able to collect such information & materials as might enable him the better to judge of the plan of operations to be pursued ー And as there was reason to believe that the Navigation of that part of the Coast of North America was both dangerous & difficult, the having 2 or 3 small Vessels furnished with able Pilots to cruize off the Coast for the arrival of the Fleet was mentioned to him as a circumstance deserving his attention.

It was further observed in that Dispatch that the representations made by Govr Martin, of the great probability there was, that any body of Troops sent to No Carolina would, upon their arrival, be joined, by a considerable number of Highland Emigrants, & by the well-affected Inhabitants of 4 or 5 Counties, were the reasons which had principally induced The King's Servants to advise the Armaments proceeding in the first place to Cape Fear River in North Carolina, but that at the same time it was not His Majesty's Intentions that the Genl should in his plan of operations, be confined to any particular Province, & that his choice, in that respect, must be governed by his own judgment, after maturely weighing every circumstance of greater or less advantage & facility, in the means of restoring the public tranquillity & reestablishing the authority of The King's Govt which object being once effected in any one of the Southern Colonies, the Troops might proceed to another, leaving the support & protection of that which had been so reduced to a Corps formed out of the well-affected Provincials who should have taken up Arms in The King's Cause.

With regard to the steps which it might be proper for the General to take in case he should possess himself either of the Capital of any of the Southern Provinces, or of any other Town in which the Civil Govr might exercise the functions of his Office with safety, it was suggested that it would be proper; in that case to require that all Committees of Towns or Congresses of such Committees, as well as other unlawful associations which had been formed, should be dissolved. That the Courts of Justice should be opened. That all persons whatsoever should take the oaths of allegiance before the Judges of such Courts, & that those who had, by the instigation of the Committees, taken up Arms against lawful Authority, should surrender the same, & make such declaration of their future obedience as the Govr should, by the advice of the Council, direct & require. But that if the Inhabitants of the Province, or any part of them, should refuse to comply with these requisitions, it would be the duty of The King's General, to employ the Troops under his Command, to force them to obedience, by seizing the persons & effects of the Delinquents, & by proceeding against any Towns in which the People should assemble in Arms, hold meetings of Committees or Congresses or prevent The King's Courts of Justice from assembling.

It was further observed that the sending so considerable a body of Troops, was a Measure adopted principally upon the encouragement held out by the King's Governors, that if such a respectable force was sent as might make it safe for the friends of Govt to shew themselves, they would soon prevail over those, who having found means to get the sword into their hands, had been able to effect their rebellious purposes without control, & therefore at the same time that the Rebels were to be encouraged to hope for mercy upon submission, it would be proper that every species of reward should be offered to. those who should consent to list under the Royal Banner, & who, besides an allowance of the same pay as the King's Troops rec'd so long as they continued in service, should be encouraged to expect a remission of all arrears of Quit rent due to the Crown. & an exemption from the payment of any, for a few years to come.

There are a variety of other circumstances pointed out in Lord Dartmouth's letter to Genl Howe not necessary to recite in this Narrative,