[Extract]

My Dear Brother I congratulate you on the honor of Virginia being fully restored, by the desastrous attempt of Dunmores troops on our lines at.the [Great] bridge. He, & his maimed ragged crew, find no safety for themselves but by skulking on board the ships. The tories of Norfolk & inhabitants of Princess Anne [&] Norfolk have forsworn their allegiance to Dunmore; many of them, after petitioning, & acknowledging the authority of convention, are now under the examination of a committee; amongst these are the two Messrs Moselies, a Doctor Campbell, & Mat. Phrip. An express from Hampton this morning informs that Capt Barron of that place, who commands an armed vessel in the service of the colony, has taken a tender of Dunmores with 16 men, & a vessel belonging to a couple of Tories in Norfolk with 2400 bushels of salt on board; Some other vessels belonging to these gentry, with the same commodity, were taken before; by which you see that our infant attempts on the water have been also crowned with success. We have already provided a respectable little navy for James river, & are proceeding to take care of the other rivers. Most of the objects recommended in your letters have been already attended. to, & encouraged. A Test is now before convention, which will oblige all those to decamp who are the objects of its rigour. Since writing to you on the subject of a naval assistance from your way, the Liverpool, a frigate pierced for 36 guns, but mounting only 28, has arrived at Norfolk, together with a brig laden with naval &military stores, out three months & upwards from England. The intelligence reports them to have 400 men; ー I suppose meaning seamen & marines ー... Yr Afft

Wmsburg December 23d 1775.