Sir.

I have this Moment received a Letter from General Wooster, ² Copy of which, with Copys of Sundries inclosed I now do myself the Honor to transmit to you.

I shall order him to send every person from Canada, that may be dangerous to our Cause, if left in that Country.

From General Wooster's Letter one would be led to imagine, that I had sent back vast numbers of dangerous persons, he has before wrote to me on the Occasion with an unbecoming Subacity, I therefore trouble you with the Detail.

Seers, whom he mentions, was sent to me from Connecticut with a Recommendation from the Committee of [blank] to permit him to return to Canada, which I did, ordering him to wait on the commanding officer. Captain Godwin and Lieutenant Schalk I permitted to remain at Ticonderoga at the Request of General Montgomery until they could be informed if their Wives & Children, whom they had left at Quebec where [sic] gone to England or had come to Chamblee If to the latter then he wished they might be permitted to return and convey them into these Colonies. They, their Wives and Children are now at Chamblee. Mr McCullough a Commissary was another, a Widower, who had left four small Children in Canada, and whom I likewise permitted to Return on the same Account, these together with the Canadian Peasants taken at St John's are all that I recollect to have sent back, and not even the last without the Approbation of General Montgomery first had ー The peasantry were too insignificant to have any Influence, and there seemed at that Time little Danger from the others, and yet I took the precaution of their Word of Honor, not to say any Thing on the Subject of the Controversy; If they have abused my Confidence they are Scoundrels, and I will treat them accordingly, without repenting that I gave them the Indulgence; for that was an Act of Humanity ー If they are not culpable they are in ju red, and I shall sift the Matter to the Bottom, and my Resentment without any Kind of Exception, shall be experienced by those that deserve it.

I have just received a letter from Colo: [Seth] Warner of which the following is a Copy.

Bennington Jany 22d 1776

Sir

My prospect in raising Men seems very encouraging one hundred and upwards I have sent forward, A Number more is ready to march soon ー I have twelve Companies a raising tho' the Men shall be sent forward as fast as possible. More Money is necessary as I have paid the chief out that I received, two companies more I expect to raise, as they have sent me they wish to engage ー Major [Samuel] Safford will be the receiver of what Money will be disbursed for said purpose from [&c.]

Seth Warner

In Answer to this I sent the following which I shewed to Mr [Philip] Livingston our Brother Delegate and of which he approved.

Albany Jany 25th 1776

Sir

Major Safford has delivered me your Letter of the 22d Inst I was in Hopes that by that Time a much larger Number of Men had marched than what you mention; the Bounty I promised was in Consideration of their immediately marching, when therefore as many Men are actually marched (which I expect will be without Delay) as I gave you the Bounty for, I shall furnish you with a farther Sum to send as many more as willamount to a Regiment on the present Continental Establishment which is 720 Men, Officers included, but I do expect that the whole march by the first Day of February, such as are not marched by that Time will not be entitled to any part of the Bounty.