Hond Sir

I wrote you 25th Inst to wch Refer ー Capt Nichs Power who went to Newport a 2nd Time to Enlist seamen as Mention in My last return'd last evening, after the Most Disagreeble perplexing Jobb in the very Seveer Wheather of last Week has bro't to this Town sixty four Seamen, Affected thro' his Grait Zeal And Indefaticable Industory I just now left him paying of[f] & Setling with the Seamen Sixty of wch he is Assur'd May be got onbord Messrs C[lark] & Night[in]g[al]e Sloop ² tomorrow wheath[er] permitg. & will sail emediatly for Ph[iladelphi]a this has bin Something Expensive Aswell as Troublesome Jobb, but Conducted with as Much prudence as the Nature & Circumstances of things would admit, Capt Power out of Choice has Advanced the whole Money out of his Own Pocket, Supposing it May be less Trouble to settle the Affair, As I look upon it apice of singular Servis to the Grand Cause I have no doubt but the Honbl Congress will readily reimburse Capt Power with some future Notice of him Capt Wm Grinnal of Newport is now on the same Business Collecting what Seamen May be left had got Abot 9 or 10, & in Expectation of getg in All this Week Upwards of thirty, if so they will be forwarded as Soon As they Can be got way, but Hope before they get to Pha the fleet may be Saild sufficiently Man'd for Some Important expedition, in that Case they must follow, or Entr onbord Some Other Vessel wch May be fitg on the Same servis ー These Seamen of Powers have some wages due & Some [things] advancd by the Commesary wch it was Impossable Could be got setled for Want of three Accots wch would have taken time, Therefore it was tho't Ad vis[able] to Dispach them & forward these Accts with this Govrmt As soon as may be, & whats found due to be Stoped out of there next Mos pay ー There is no such thing as getg them Away with our Advanc[in]g for them ー doubtless you'l Observe by our last weeks paper that Coll: Wanton &c was bro't here as they refus'd takeing the Oath Genl [Charles] Lee had Tender'd them, which being Alter'd And expunging the last paragraff, wch Obgd them to take up Arms in Defence of the Country Agt the Kings Troops if Call'd upon tho' Other ways as Strong as before, They took the Oath & Return'd To there Own Homes, I have not Copy [of] the Oath or wo'd forward it. Its tho't Adviseable that the Regmt now rais'd by the Governt Shod be Exchgd for One from the Camp near Cambridge wch will be of emenent servis As there is now no kind of Order amongst our Troops at Newport Its Also Absolutly Necessary The Genl Officer Commandg in this Colony Shod be from Some Other Governt If these regulations are not Come in to & no More Regements rais'd & station'd in the Colony, the Eneme will doubtless take possession of Rhode Isd in the spring ー Every possable preperation for the Good of the Whole o[f] each Governt Ought to be forth with put in to execution As its found by experience to be A thing of Some [time] to raise Men & fortifie there minds Agst Cannon So as to be Usefull in Many Circumstances

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