Gentlemen ー

Considering myself placed by the [Provincial] Congress in a very conspicuous rank, which requires it of me, that I should watch the interests of America as far as in my power lies, and having frequently observed, that the plan we at present pursue is a very lame one, for the remedying of which I have often offered my discourse, but as we are momentarily interrupted by our discontented gentry, I resolve to pen down and lay before you the following considerations in our present situation, at the post of Martelaars Rock, in the Highlands:

The number of men now employed on the fortifications are 137; they being distributed as follows, vizt:

This distribution is the most erroneous that can possibly be imagined, and must tend to retard our works; nor can we pretend to do any thing, till better regulations take place.

This will appear from the following estimate, which I judge to be right, but am willing to submit the same to the opinion of any able engineer or engineers:

Each mason ought to have as attendants 2 stone breakers, 2 stone carriers, 1 mortar carrier ー 5 in all.

With this assistance, each mason will with ease make 100 cubical feet of stone wall in 12 hours' time, provided to every 4 masons one miner be allowed to work in the quarry.

Thus it is evident, that our 27 masons, attended by 135 labourers and 7 miners, would have completed the 2400 perches of stone wall, contained in my estimate in 28 days of 12 hours each; but to allow for extra occurrences I will say 30 days.

Then it follows that 27 masons, suppose them to have 9s.6d. per day each, including provisions, will daily cost £12 16s. 6d. Seven miners, suppose them 6s. provisions included, is daily £2 2s. which will amount in 30-days to £454 10s.

N.B. Please to observe that in my estimate the labourers' work stands as a separate article. But instead of such a regular arrangement, a very different one has unhappily taken place at this post, by which means only about 700 perches are done. What need have I to animadvert on so palpable an absurdity, as that of half of 51 labourers to attend on 27 masons? I say one-half; for surely the other half must be allowed for the attendance on our carpenters. But what makes it worse, this very day on which I write, I am reduced to the dilemme of keeping only 7 masons on the principal work; the other 20 are necessarily employed in breaking and carrying stone, by reason that all the labourers are employed in unloading of vessels there being now 3 craft at the pier head; and for fourteen or fifteen days past there have generally been 2; nor are we ever without one (at least,) to unload; thus the labourers are all taken off, and men, who are hired at 7s.6d. per diem, do that labour for the doing of which men may be had at 50s. per month. Where then is the wonder, that we advance not as we should do, and that the expense becomes great.

With regard to the timber work, I have the following to offer.

We are on an island where we have not a single stick of timber fit to do any thing with, except making firewood, and not even that, as most is a shrubby kind of pine. If we had it, the expense of carrying it out of the woods and bringing it to the work, would be to the amount of 10s. per 100 feet, especially if done by the labour of men (only) without oxen; whereas now we have good oak delivered at the landing, at 6s.

I will undertake and promise to build a block house, such as we have now erected, in 6 weeks, with 6 hands and 2 oxen, including 1 week as allowance for bad weather; whereas now 12 carpenters and 20 labourers have been employed on the timber work thereof since the 10th of October, and will not have completely done till the 10th of November; nor happens this by reason that the men are idlers; no, but they are not conversant with similar work. It is true, they receive the timbers in a muddy dirty state, with a bad appearance; but it is hewn truer than they are able to do it; then to reduce it to what they judge to be a true square, they line it and hew half way down; afterwards turn it, line it again, and hew the other half way: thus a piece of timber is lined eight times, and hewed to these eight lines, to make it worse than it was; next the piece, through lack of oxen, is drawn by 20 men, to the place where it is wanted; here the carpenters discover it not to be hewn in the square, and line it and hew it again eight times over; then the dovetail is cut, and when put together, they see it makes bad joints, therefore have it to dub over again; whereas the country carpenters, (used to such work) hew the whole side through by one line, and thereby leaves it, when he parts with it, truer than our people (unacquainted with such work,) can possibly do.

The country carpenter is still inferior to the ship carpenter for our work, provided we can get him equally honest.

From the above small specimen it is evident that even in the cheapest method, timber at this place comes infinitely higher than the masonry, and I am now convinced that stone towers of the nature of block-houses, would not amount to above £100 each complete at this place, and when finished they are preferable.

Among other bad regulations that have taken place here, there is one most grievously against the sound policy that ought to prevail; beside the carpenters from the city, some country carpenters are employed who have a chief as well the former, and being a more diligent set of people than those from the city, have very deservedly (though somewhat injudiciously) some marks of special favour shown them.

From this distinction sprung envy, who never fails in all similar cases to rear her head. I will only remark that such favours ought to have been shown in a manner somewhat less open; yet in favour of the country carpenters. I must say that they labour harder and do not stand on the punctilium of stated hours. Likewise I believe had the country carpenters been first engaged, they might have been hired for 6s. per day, and thus been an example to the others. The breach is already pretty large between them; should it continue to widen so that it becomes necessary to remove one party, my advice is to remove those from the city.

We have seen that the two oxen in one day drew twelve pieces of timber and four pieces of cannon from the landing to the block house, a labour which would have employed, according to our experience, twenty men for two days. In other matters this holds exactly similar. Therefore twenty men, at 3s. per day, provisions included, is for two days, £6; and two oxen, with the teamster, cost, if hired for one day, 12s.; here rises a balance of £5 8s. per day.

Your winter's firing will be impossible to get without oxen; in getting that and drawing of timber, each yoke will do the work of thirty men at least.

This makes the reason appear evident why I have so strenuously recommended the procuring of oxen. They will cost thirty bushels of corn and one load of hay per head in four months, equal to about £7; and then, if care is taken of them, they will sell for the original price; but if they are kept in the same manner as the two we have now are, I confess they had better been left alone, for you will want new oxen every fourteen days.

The next and greatest grievance to be considered is the erroneous principle on which our labourers are procured. Instead of hiring them for a month, and thereby giving them an opportunity of harrassing us in the shocking manner they do, I humbly think, gentlemen, that you ought to recommend it, that they be enlisted for a limited time, suppose six months, be it under the denomination of pioneers, or whatever else may be thought a proper appellation for such a body.

I cannot omit mentioning that when I first took a superficial view of the ground, I judged it to be less rough than it proves to be. I likewise thought that there was more wood, which made me put down more axes, billhooks and spades than I now find it necessary, we being here in the very extreme of rough ground; yet the number sent up is more disproportioned than even my rought estimate. I will point out the just proportion of tools as they ought to be given to the workmen; it may be of use.

The mediums must be calculated according to the nature of soils between these two extremes.

We cannot work here without powder. I know it is scarce, but suppose it to cost even 10s. per pound, and that four miners make eight holes per diem with an inch augur, which require each 2½ inch of powder, this will make twenty inches of powder; now twenty-one inches of powder in an inch hole makes three pounds; therefore three times 10 is 30s. and four miners at 6s. per day is 24s. together £2 14s. and these four miners will break more stone than thirty men with mauls can do; yet these thirty men would cost you, provisions included, 3s. each, which amounts to £4 10s. per diem.

Another thing I have to remonstrate to you, gentlemen: this is, that the steward never yet has been made to keep a regular book of the accounts of his delivery of provisions, &c. which, however, in my opinion, is highly necessary; likewise that a person ought to be appointed who should take an exact account of what tools are delivered out in the morning, and to whom, observing at night that the same person returns a similar tool, be it whole or broken. This method is far preferable to that of throwing by a broken axe, maul, or crowbar, while nobody knows how tools are expended. In my humble opinion, the steward could do this without adding much vexatious labour to his present employment.

The number of strangers who come nolens volens to visit us, is a gross grievance. A rascal, who does not vouchsafe to lift his hat to us, nor even avoids to insult us, comes in to our innermost recess and interrupts us perhaps at a time when we are consulting the welfare of the community.

By noticing the above mistakes and properly amending them, I make no doubt but we will, in this day of need, save a great sum of money for our country.

I entreat you therefore to endeavour the making the necessary alterations, in which I am highly interested, by reason that the rank I hold endangers me of being made the butt against which all resentment may break; because if the present measures continue, my calculations will prove erroneous; but if these mistakes in proceedings are altered as I propose, my estimate must prove true, or nearly so; the power lies with you, gentlemen. I have never received any kind of instructions from the Congress or Committee that may serve me as a line for the regulation of my conduct, except that I understood their intentions were that I should give you my advice, and therefore consider myself in duty bound to be content under your direction of affairs in every particular; but I could not forbear taking this liberty in telling you what I think the most eligible path to pursue. I am, with the greatest respect, gentlemen, [&c.]

P.S. The draft of the above writing was prepared before Capt. Bedlow and Grenell came up; since that some variation in our distribution of labourers and masons has taken place; though it is better than the former, it is still very absurd and only serves to shew the instability of our plan.

They now stand thus, vizt: