Dear Sir

Inclosed you will receive a Letter which is wrote by order of the Provincial Council, which met at Johnston Court-House the 17th of last month, the Absurdity of having two Regiments of men in pay without a possibility of their being of any Service for want of Arms and Ammunition was too striking to escape the observation of any one  several Schemes were proposed to remedy this inconvenience, as the least exceptionable, that mentioned in the enclosed Letter was adopted, tho in my opinion wholly inadequate to the purpose as I have no doubt the men will be disbanded before there can be any returns, and as from the begining I was perfectly convinced of the impropriety of raising the Troops so now I am well satisfied that they will answer every purpose of those who were the most sanguine for the Measure equally well without Arms as with them  I could therefore have wished that the general Association had not been infringed without a real necessity; but the general sense of the Council was for the measure and I was in no condition at that time to wrangle, being too heavily affiicted with Apprehensions for the safety of my own dearest connections and which the event proves to have been too well founded, to feel so sensibly for the honour of the province as I should have otherwise done ー

One Blunder is always productive of others  the raising men without discovering they would be useless without arms & ammunition has in order to remedy that mischief induced a Necessity of breaking thro the Association, what mischiefs may arise from this last Manoeuver time will discover, I am sure no good can come of it.

I hear Lord Dunmore is at Logger heads with the Virginians; should our Governor have a small supply of men, the poor unarmed Men stationed below Wilmington will be in a piteous taking unless supported by the Militia which from the present temper of the inhabitants there is very little reason to expect.

I heard yesterday that Lord Dunmore had stationed a tender at Oc[r]acock and that she had already taken two vessells laden with Salt, one of them supposed . to be B. Baker's Brig. I am much afraid that our being unrestrained in our trade will prove a dangerous Trap by which many will suffer if these people are allowed to continue their pyracies and I can see no Remedy. Give my best Respects to [William] Hooper I intend by the next Post to write him as dull a Letter as this; I expect every day to hear from you what or whether any thing is doing to the Eastward ー I am Dear Hewes, [&c.]

P.S. If there were ten blots & Interlinations where there is one I could not Copy it.