May it please your Excellency

Having this opportunity by M^r. Backer do my Self the pleashure To Inform you that a briggenteen has ariv'd at Senepuxent With a Very Valuable Cargo from France among which I am Inform'd their is a Considerable quantity of Dry Good Sutable for the Army. The Oners is not yet Com'd down and there fore Cannot Informe you the Particulars. the Brigg Tuck Two Prises on her passage One of them a Briggn. with five thousand hhs Salt the other of them Laden with Fish. but neither of them is Yet ariv'd. The Capt^n. Made applycation to me to Receive the prisonars which I did and have Sent them to Cambridge Under guard, fifteen of them and one man Taken by a bote out of Senepuxent. I Shall be much oblidge to you to let me know Wheather the Oners of the Vesils that Brought them in is not to pay The Expences, or wheather it is a Continental Charge—I am extreamly glad to heare of Capt^n. Walkers¹ safe arival as we have bin much Alarm'd here on his Acct. And very fraid he was Taken, but am Since informd the Cannonade we heard was Cap^t. Nicholson² Scaling his Guns—I have Recd. About five hundred pounds worth of Good, Which I Shall forward to Cambrig as soon as I Calect what shoes &stokins will be ready this Week from the people. I should have got a much Larger quantity of Shoes if the Disaffected Shoemakers would have made them up, but as Soon as they heard the Shoes was Wanted for the Armey, they Ras'd the price of Making from five shillings to fifteen shillings and those who has Leather plenty will not make a pare up for feare I should Seaze them—I am of oppinion a few Liens from the Gov^r. & Council on the Occation would have a good effect; the purchasers of Beef Cattle have Desir'd me to Inform you that Late as your Order has Com'd their is many more Bullocks to be bought in this County then their is money to pay for, and that if they Could Collect a large Drove that Less than Twenty men, would Do to Drive them up as these two Countys mean to Join their Droves if you aprove of it,—Should be exceding Glad to heare wheather the goods I Sent in Cap^t. Walker has mett your approbation as I shall be able from that to Regolate my Conduckt

I am exteamly Sorry to troble your Excellency on this head and do assure you that nothing but solisitation of a near Relation Should have made me attempt it. I have a frind a M^r. William Merrill, who was taken Coming from Burmuda pasanger, and is now on board the prince of Wales Prison ship at New York, where he has bin Very Illy Us'd this Eight months. If it Shou'd be in your power to git him Exchang'd I Shall always acknowledge it as a singalar favour done me & his Wife who is my sistors Daughtor, and a woman as Illy able to bear the Loss as any Woman Living—I have the leasure to Inform you that their is a Large Ship Cast away near Metomkin in Virginia, her Cargo which is Very Large will be al sav'd, and is a grate part of it fitt for the Use of the Armey. I heare Col^o. Simson³ has purchas'd it for the Armey. their is Three or fore Thousand pare of Shoes & Stokins & a large Quanty of Cloth of All kinds—There is Briggn. off Senepuxent to day which we hope is the prise Loaded with Salt Taken by the Brigg, in Senepuxent. Col^o. Simson is Ingaging all the Salt he can git for the Armey. if You want Any for any troops plese mention it that I may Ingage it, as we have abundance of Tidewaters here on errend. I have the Honor to be [&c.]