In the Council of Safety, [Charleston]
Monday, Dec. 18th, 1775.
The following letter was written to Capt. Thornborough, of the Tamar sloop of war.
In the Council of Safety,
Dec. 18th, 1775.
Sir ー We would have wished, if it had been possible, to have continued the permission which lately subsisted for supplying his majesty's ships with provision for a longer term, even until a happy reconciliation with our parent country had taken place; but the measures adopted in Rebellion-Road, which we do not impute to you, sir, of harbouring and protecting negroes, who fly from their masters to Sullivan's Island, and on board the vessels in the road, oblige us to determine to cut off all communication, until justice is done to the inhabitants, by a restitution of those negroes. There is the less reason, too, for supplying provisions at this time, when we have daily complaints from the inhabitants on the sea-coast, of robberies and depredations committed on them by white and black armed men, from on board some of the ships under your command.
By order of the Council of Safety.
Henry Laurens, President.
Capt. Edward Thornborough.
Letter to the Committee at Beaufort:
Gentlemen ー Alexander Rose, esq.,for himself and Mr. Torrans, is permitted to load a cargo of rice on board the scooner Islington, on public account, at Beaufort, in your district.
In the Council of Safety, Dec. 18th, 1775.
Henry Laurens, President.
To the Committee at Beaufort, Port Royal.
The Secretary, from the committee of observation, reported, that he had yesterday caused the four packages belonging to Lord William Campbell, that had been shipped in Capt. Mills' sloop, to be landed and placed in Mr. Gibbes' store, to be removed to Lord William's house, when the parties appointed to inspect the same can attend. And that he had also caused Mr. James Trail's trunk of books to be placed in the same store.
Ordered, That Mr. Trail's trunk of books be brought to the state house, under the care of Mr. Calvert.
