Commissioners of the Navy Board
at Boston
Gentlemen

Your several letters of the 3^d & 9^th of September and of October 11^th have come to hand, but the removal of Congress & the necessary attendance to other very im­portant matters has hitherto prevented an attention to them. You are doubtless to have a general superintendance over the Agents for building the Continental Ships, as well as to furnish them with such articles as you shall judge Necessary, but as they were constituted Agents before your appointment, they are to continue their more immediate attention to that busines. We enclose you a resolution of Congress em­ powering any two of your Board to act in the absence of the third; but it is the ex­pectation that this will happen as seldom as possible. Enclosed you also have two War­rants one upon the Loan office of Massachusetts Bay for 50,000 Dollars, and the other for the like sum upon the Loan office of Rhode Island.¹ You are sensible of the great call for money from every quarter. The drafts upon these Loan Offices have lately been large as well as upon every other.

Should there not be money sufficient for the immediate payment of the whole of these sums, yet we apprehend the whole will not immediately be wanted, and you'l draw only as you want, that other drafts may stand an equal chance, where the monies are as much or more wanted—doubtless you'l be able to satisfy some demands with the loan office Certificates which these Warrants will enable you to procure, and which we recommend always to be attended to when it can be done. we also inclose you a resolution of Congress making an additional allowance to your Clerk and giv­ing you power to appoint another if absolutely necessary²—The Navy Board how­ever in this Department has but one.You will have inclosed a List of the several Ships names and their Commanders and we have directed the Navy Board of this Depart­ment now sitting at Bordentown to send you a number of the printed resolutions of Congress. The getting the ships out of Providence River and the Ship Trumbull out of Connecticut River is a matter of great importance, and what Congress has much at heart; the procuring this with the hazard that may attend it, may be left to your prudence and the good conduct of their Commanders. We are sorry to find that a disaffection subsists between Captain M^cNeill and his Officers & Seamen. This Ship must be got to sea at all events. Captain M^cNeill writes us that he expects to be able to man her notwithstanding the obstructions and dificulties he meets with.³ But if you find he is unable to do this, you must appoint some other Commander to the ship at least for the present cruize in whom you can confide, and Captain M^cNeill must be otherwise provided for, more especially as an enquiry must be had (if not a Court Martial) upon the Conduct of the late Cruize, with Captain Manly, but which its apprehended cannot be fairly done till captain Manly is exchanged. Captain M^c­Neill seems to think such a measure necessary. We think injustice to his Character, as well as to the public good, it is so. You have inclosed a Resolution empowering you to suspend any officer 'till the pleasure of Congress shall be known—This power we doubt not will be exercised with proper prudence. By the words commander in Chief must since the suspension of Commodore Hopkins necessarily mean and intend the oldest Commander in Rank of the Continental Ships or vessels of war in any One Port or Harbor. Or when Court Martials are necessary, the oldest Commander within your district that can be applied to. The procuring Iron & Flour we must leave to be done when absolutely necessary, by such means as would think prudent and proper under a like necessity acting for yourselves. Lead is not to be obtained here, but or­ders are sending to the Eastward for that article for the Army. We hear a very con­siderable quantity has lately arrived there, we think at Bedford, perhaps the whole may not be taken up. We have no immediate employ for Captain Tucker, but shall attend to the appointment of Commanders for the Ships building at Salsbury and Norwich⁴—In the mean time you'l please to transmit us the names of such persons within your district as you can recommend for Captains and officers of them paying attention to such as are at present in Commission but out of actual service, inform­ing us at the same time of their particular Merits and pretentions. Captain M^cNeill has already Instructions where his Ship is to proceed viz to france—A form of like Instructions is herewith enclosed, to be by you given to each of the Commanders of the Ships at Providence. We are [&c.]

P:S: the Warrants for the Money are not enclosed but will be forwarded by the Pres­ident of Congress—