New York 2d Mo 14th 1776
Respected Friend
Yesterday I returnd from the Contenental Congress We presented a Memorial requesting they'd Either give posative Orders to the Committee of Norwich to let the Ship proceed on her Intended Voyage or give us leave [to ship] the Arnot of the Wheat in produce from here or Philadelphia to Ireland or the English Islands in the West Indies and give thy Ship Imployment If agreable to thee raither then come here to take another Cargo, 2 the Affair was long debated in Congress at last all we could Obtain was an order that the Ship must proceed without any alteration of her destined Voyage the Committee only to Aprove the Master, but the time of her Sailing is out of their Controul. 3 We therefore desire the Ship may be got Rig'd with the Outmost dispatch Should thou Incline my Son should have the Command of her wod be very agreable to him and I believe wo'd be very Satisfactory to thy Self, he is weary of Staying at home. I will be answerable for his Conduct. I have wrote my friend Clements to propose him to the Comm[ittee] at Norwich If he is so recomended by our Committee or Provencial Congress whether they wo'd Approve him. As thy Ship will toutch at Falmouth thou can have her an English bottom, pray let me hear from thee !mediately and prepare the Ship, we Shall Wait on Capt De St Croix to do the Needfull with him the Charter party being only in his name If my Son gos in her I shall use my Interest at Every Port she gos to to procure her afreight. I forwarded duplicate of Protests &C. I am &c.
Via Philadelphia
Jacob Watson
1. Christopher Champlin Papers, Ms. 628, NYSL.
2. The ship Peggy, Captain William Barron, which had put into Norwich, Connecticut, in distress, but under suspicion of having a cargo intended for Boston, or to deliberately fall into British hands. She was owned by Christopher Champlin, of Newport, Rhode Island, and the shippers were three New York firms, Murray, Sansom & Co., Jacob Watson and Frederick's Rhinelander.
3. See Journal of Congress, November 15, 1775, February 7, 8 and 9, 1776.