Mr. President... laid before them the following letters which had been written by their order:

Charles-Town, Jan. 31st, 1776.

Gentlemen ー We beg leave to refer you to our last under the 27th instant, which accompanied 2003¾ lb. gunpowder, sent by way of Beaufort, for the use of your colony.

Mr. Pooler, a merchant of Savannah, on behalf of himself and others, has laid in a claim to the Brigantine William and her cargo, which were lately seized at Tybee and conducted to Beaufort, upon an information that the whole cargo had been loaden contrary to the resolution of the Continental Congress, and particularly that the most considerable part of the cargo and the whole of the vessel were the property of persons resident in this colony ー among divers papers which were preferred [proferred] to us upon this occasion, there appeared a copy of a resolution by your late Council of Safety, dated the 8th instant, certified by E. Longworth, Secretary, in which it is

Resolved, That the President do write to the Council of Safety, in Carolina, and the faith of the province is pledged, that the vessel with her cargo shall not sail contrary to the laws of Congress.

As we have not heard from the Council of Safety, nor from you, on this momentous affair; and as Mr. Pooler himself has given us such information, as confirms our belief, that a considerable part of the indico on board the William, is in very fact the property or was shipped by order of persons resident on this side of Savannah, we have ordered the vessel to be detained until we shall learn your further determination, and Mr. Pooler has very willingly acquiesced in this measure.

We would not presume to dictate nor to intermeddle in matters within your jurisdiction, yet we cannot refrain from offering our opinion that the whole loading of the William's cargo is contrary to the plain meaning of the laws of Congress. The owner of that vessel candidly confesses his belief, that much of the indico now on board, was growing in the field on the day on which the clearance is dated.

Whatever your deliberations and further resolutions may be, we trust will in no wise oppose our present order, to the committee at Beaufort, to unlade and detain such parts of the cargo as do now, or shall upon further investigation appear to be the property of Carolina. In order to ascertain facts, we have directed that it be proposed to the claimants of such parts of the cargo as are upon good grounds suspected to be under cover, that their letters should be opened and perused in presence of the committee, and the goods to be held or returned according as the truth shall appear, perhaps you may order all the letters to undergo such examination.

As we are struggling in the same great cause, and that a strict observance of the laws established by our common representatives is essential to our success, we cannot doubt of your concurrence in the measure which we have taken upon this occasion.

We impatiently wait to hear further from you on the state of your town, and the welfare of our friends in Georgia.

By order of the Council of Safety.

Henry Laurens, President.

The Provincial Congress, or Council
of Safety, Georgia.

P. S. To the letter written the 30th ultimo, to the Committee for St. Helena.

The Brigantine is to be detained until we hear again from the Provincial Congress, or Council of Safety, at Savannah.

The indico shipped by Mr. Le Vien, if not the property of Mr. Grove, or if his property therein shall be so covered as not to be visible ー we are informed Mr. Cane a resident in Beaufort, is certainly interested therein as one of the partners.

By order of the Council of Safety.

Henry Laurens, President.