Sir

Your several letters of the 4th. 15th & 26th August to this Committee have beeh duly riceived with the skeral enclosures and the whole have been laid before the Congress. We can therefore communicate that satisfaction which we dare say it must afford you to know that you have so far obtained the approbation of that august Body

It is not necessary that we shou'd enter into minute reply to the Contents of your letters, therefore we shall only Notice such parts as seem to require it

Capt Wickes's behaviour meets the approbation of his Country & For-tune seems to have had an Eye to his Merit when She Conducted his three Prizes safely in, You made a very proper use of his engagement, by your Question to the General and it is extreamly satisfactory that our Prizes may be carried into iQ Protected in the French Ports, but hitherto the Congress have not thought proper to entrust Blank Commissions beyond Seas, Neither can their Resolve for bringing Prizes into some of these States for Condemnation be dispensed with. These matters are now under Consideration of a Committee & shou'd any alteration take place you shall be informed of it. We are bound to return thanks to His Excellency the General for the information he authorized you to give us, as mentioned in your letter of the 4th. & particularly for his disposition to favour our Commerce in Port & Protect it at Sea and likewise for that Concern he expressed at not having it in his power to assist us with the Arms & Powder we requested You will therefore, signify to His Excellency that this Committee entertain the warmest sentiments of Esteem & respect for his person & Character, and of Gratitude for His Favourable attention to the Concerns of our much Injured Country, that we request the Continuance of His Friendship and hope during your residence at martinico ther? will be many opportunities of benifiting by His favourable disposition ー particularly in Countenancing you in the purchase & Exportation of Arms, Ammunition & Cloathingー

We are not Surprized that admiral Youngs letter should have altered the Generals Sentiments respecting Convoys, but we esteem much his spirited Answer to the admiral which may probably be productive of some altercation. We like well your proposal for a Constant intercourse by Packets and the Sloop Independence Capt Jno Young is now Sent on that Service in which we hope she will be successful and Continue. more of the like kind shall follow and probably this may be found the best Method of supporting our intercourse with Europe and as these Vessells are properly Commissioned we cannot see any Impropriety in fitting out Tenders with Copys of their Commissions provided the Commanding officers of those Tenders are really officers belonging to the Vessell whose Commission they bear, but the Prizes must be sent to America for Condemnation (unless the Cargoes are perishable & in such Case if properly Certifyed we suppose it might be best to make Sale of themー

We thank you for Mr. [Richard] Prices Pamphlet² and wish you woud write to Mr Deane & Mr [Thomas] Morris to Contrive you a constant & ample supply of the English, Irish k French News Papers Political Publications &c. We send you by this opportunity The Journals of Congress as farr as Published & the News papers to this time.

We received the Arms & Powder by the Reprisal They came Seasonably & we wish there had been more of them. The Secret Committee will supply you with Funds for the payment for these & more Since the arrival of Ld Howe & General Howe in the neighbour hood of New York with their Forces, they have been rather too strong for our People to Cope with and Consequently have succeeded in their Enterprizes which however have not been of that Importance that they will probably represent to the World, they have been ten tor twelve Weeks with a powerfull fleet & a Numerous Army well provided & appointed with every thing necessary and what have they done,

They have got possession of three small Islands on the Coast of America, these were hardly disputed with them & yet if every Acre of American Territory is to Cost them in the same proportion, the Conquest would ruin all Europe. Our Army are now Collected to a point, and are strongly entrenched on New York Island & at Kingsbridge so that in Fact Mr Howe is Hemmed in as he was at Boston, except that he has more Elbow Room & a powerful Fleet commanding an extensive Inland Navigation. Our Northern Army are strongly Posted at Tyconderoga & expect they will be able to keep Mr Burgoyne from Crossing the Lakes this Campaigne. We are worse off for Woolen Cloathing for our Army than any other matter and you must exert your utmost Industry to buy & send us every thing of that kind you can meet with in Martinico or any of the Neighbouring Islands. We have gone into this detail of our present situation, that you may have a just Idea of it & be able to make proper Representations to the General 8~ Inhabitants of Martinico

We Recommended the French officers that came with Capt Wickes to Congress & the Board of War have provided for them to their satisfaction, on this Subject your remarks have been very proper. officers unacquainted with our Language cannot be useful therefore we do not wish to encourage such to come amongst us, at the same time Men of Merit & abilities will always meet with suitable encouragement. You must therefore pursue the line you set out in, give general discouragement to those that apply & recommend none but such as the General will pledge his word for and you may even intimate to him that if too many come over the Congress will not know what to do with them.