[On board the Ship Dunmore, off Norfolk]
[January 9, 1776]
[Extract]
[No. 34]
Since writing the above William Goodrich is arrived. He informs me the two thousand Pounds worth of Powder, that was sent for to France, is not yet arrived, and that all the Bills were Sold except the inclosed two of £400. ーー that I now send your Lordship (No 11) that you may make such use of as you think proper against the parties concerned in them, I have kept the seconds and thirds of each for fear of accidents, and shall send your Lordship the Seconds with Duplicate of this, I here also send your Lordship a Copy of all that passed between William Goodrich and Mr Van Dam (No 12) at St Eustatia, when last there; And with this I send your Lordship (No 13) a Letter I intercepted a few days ago of Mr. John Norton's to His Son John Hatley Norton in Virginia, who is Married to a Daughter of Mr Robert Carter Nicholas, Treasurer of this Colony, Your Lordship will see by the Contents of this letter that the writer must be well acquainted with the use the Money was to be put to, for which Mr. Robert Carter Nicholas draws on him, from his earnestness, when he Speaks of honoring the Bills, that "He hopes he shall be able to bring it about some way or other, and will make a point of it, if he is obliged to pawn his Coat."
In your Lordships dispatch No 22, you are pleased to inform me of the Situation of North Carolina, and from every thing I can learn, I believe it to be a very exact account of it; Your Lordship at the same time desires that I will supply Governor [Josiah] Martin with such a Number of the Arms &ca sent me, as he may want, or I can Spare; Since the Arrival of the Liverpool, a Tender arrived here from Governor Martin, requesting me to supply him with three thousand Stand of Arms and Ammunition in proportion, this Your Lordship knows was impossible for me to do, as I had only received three thousand in all, but I have sent him one third, which I do assure your Lordship goes to my very heart, for was I even now to receive any reinforcement I am sure I could get men enough for double the Number of Arms now left me.
I am happy to have it in my power to inform your Lordship, that by depriving the Rebels from every supply of Salt, Rum, or Sugar, in my power, the first as I observed to your Lordship before, is raised from one Shilling per Bushel to fifteen, Rum from two Shillings and Six Pence per Gallon to twelve and fourteen Shillings, and Muscovado Sugar (for they have no White at all) which used to Sell from five to Six pence per pound, now Sells at four and five Shillings per pound, the want of the first of these Articles must distress them beyond Measure, as they cannot without it either preserve the Cattle in the upper part of the Country that are alive, nor can they, in the lower part of the Country cure the Meat they live upon during the whole of the Summer. I think the want of Rum will damp their Courage more ways than one, and I know they will feel the want of the last Article tho' only a luxury of life.