The Committee appointed yesterday for that purpose, brought in and reported a draft of a letter, and also a draught of instructions to the agents for superintending the removal of the cannon and stores from Ticonderoga.

Mr. [Isaac] Low informed the Congress that he had been informed that some of the inhabitants of the northern counties in this Colony have designs of making incursions into the Province of Quebec, and that, therefore, he moved (and was seconded by Abraham Yates, Esqr.) that a letter be wrote to the inhabitants of the northern counties, to the same purport as the postscript to the letter to the Governor and Company of Connecticut; and the same being unanimously agreed to,

Ordered, That Mr. Low, Mr. John Williams, Mr. [William] Marsh, Mr. Robert Yates, and Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris, be a Committee to prepare and report to the Congress a draft of such a letter . . . .

A written request from the gentlemen who are a committee from the House of Representatives of the Colony of Connecticut,² requesting a conference with Mr. [John Morin] Scott and Colo. [Abraham] Ten Broeck, was read.

Ordered, That Mr. Scott and Colonel Ten Broeck have leave to wait on the said committee immediately. . . .

Messrs. Ten Broeck and Scott, who with leave, went to confer with Messrs. [Nathaniel] Wales, [Thaddeus] Burr, and [Pierpont] Edwards, the Committee of the House of Representatives of the Colony of Connecticut, returned and reported from their memory to this Congress, that they had conferred with those gentlemen, who informed them that they had detained Mr. President's Letter to their Governor and company, relative to Ticonderoga, till this Congress could be informed of the following facts, to wit: That their Assembly is not now sitting; that their recess was supplied by a council of war, with limited powers; that the said council have only authority to direct the movement of their troops but not to appoint any command.

That their Assembly had destined three hundred men to be quartered at Salisbury, who probably would be allotted to assist in maintaining the fortress at Ticonderoga, if necessary; that the persons who had taken that post were not any part of their regular troops, but adventurers; that among these Colonel [Benedict] Arnold, from Massachusetts, and Captain [Asa] Douglas, who lives on the line between that Colony and this, were present at the capture; that Captain Douglass was a principal, and had great merit in the success of the enterprise; that almost all the rest of the adventurers were inhabitants of this Colony; that they were confident their council of war would not take upon them to appoint any person to take the command of that post; that besides, they were apprehensive that the people now there probably would dispute the delivering up that fortress to any person appointed by their council of war; that it was impossible for the said council of war to grant us any other assistance than the three hundred men above mentioned, which they judged insufficient to maintain that post; that Captain Douglass is guardian of the Stockbridge Indians, and had great influence over and almost the entire direction of them; that he is a person of great influence in that quarter; that he had raised for the enterprise two hundred men at his own expense, and could in ten or twelve days augment them to seven hundred, all of which except one hundred would be inhabitants of this Colony; that they recommended Capt. Douglass as meriting the attention of this Congress; that they thought it necessary for this Congress to appoint to the command of the abovementioned post, and that in that case their council of war would have it in their power to supply the above mentioned assistance for that service.

Which Report being made, Mr. Scott moved that the letter to the Governor and Company of the English Colony of Connecticut be withheld and the subject matter thereof reconsidered. This motion being seconded, a debate thereon arose, after which the question was put, whether the said letter should be withheld, and the subject matter thereof reconsidered. And on a division, the said question carried in the negative.

The draft of a Letter to the agents for superintending the removal of the cannon and stores from Ticonderoga was read and approved, and is in the words following, to wit:

In Provincial Congress, at New York, May 25th, 1775.

Gent ー  By the recommendation of the Continental Congress respecting Ticonderoga, already forwarded to the committee of your county, and by our resolution thereon, you will readily perceive the expediency of appointing proper persons to superintend the business therein mentioned, who will undertake it with cheerfulness, diligence, and dispatch. This Congress being convinced that persons in the vicinage of Albany would be most proper to put in execution the directions of the Congresses, left it to the Deputies of your county, now here convened, to propose some fit men for the approbation of this Congress. And you, Gentlemen, were accordingly nominated and appointed. We hope, therefore, that you will not hesitate, but enter upon what is enjoined by both Congresses with all expedition; and in doing of which you will please to have regard to the enclosed instructions for your better government.

We are, Gentlemen, [&c.]

N.B. You will please to be as secret as the nature of the work will allow you.

To Messrs. John N. Bleeker and Henry I Bogert, of the City of Albany, and George Palmer and Dirck Swart, of Still water, and Peter Lansingh of Saraghtoga, in the county of Albany.

The draft of instructions to the said agents was also read and approved, and are in the words following, to wit:

Instructions for John N. Bleeker, Henry I. Bogert, Dirck Swart, George Palmer, and Peter Lansingh, commissioners or agents to superintend and put in exe cution the recommendation of the Grand Continental Congress, of the 18th of May, 1775, relative to Ticonderoga, &c.

1st. You will immediately endeavour to have a meeting together if possible, and see which of you it will suit best, and can most conveniently, reasonably and expeditiously discharge this trust reposed in you.

2. After that is fixed upon among yourselves, that you will then immediately repair to those places, either by yourselves or such fit persons as you know can and will complete the business effectually and reasonably.

3. It will be necessary that you have an armourer or engineer whose skill ought to determine which of the cannon are useless, that such may remain where they be, and no expence arise from them.

4. One at least of you ought to attend from time to time at the different stations, as occasion may require.

5. You will please, whenever you employ labourers, wagoners, or others in this service, that you engage none, if it possibly can be avoided, but industrious and sober men, and such as have or will sign the association.

6. You will agree with every man for ,the sum to be allowed him for his wages, and show the resolution of Congress of yesterday respecting the mode of payment, that no person may be ignorant of that point. You will also keep books of accounts and make exact entries and take just and true vouchers of all the expenses and proceedings, so that you may be able to swear as to the rectitude of your conduct for the satisfaction of the public when thereunto required.

7. You will endeavour as much as in you lies, to cultivate harmony and friendship between the New-England troops and all others that are or may be engaged by the Northern Governments in those services, and such persons as or may be employed by this government.

8. That you will keep exact lists and inventories of all such artillery, ordnance and stores, likewise their condition, as you may find on your arrival at those posts, vizt. Ticonderoga and Lake George ー of all such things as may be left there or removed from there.

9. You will be also careful in providing boats and materials for water carriage in transporting such cannon as should upon examination be thought useful, to the south end of Lake George.

10. It may be necessary to inform you that there is lately sent up from this city, for the use of the people at the garrisons, and others engaged in these services, one hundred barrels of pork and some stores and materials, of which an inventory will be handed to you; you will take all these things under your care, direction and inspection, and see that they are forwarded and properly used and applied according to the true intention, and also procure such other provisions, materials and things, as may be deemed by you absolutely necessary to fulfill the design the Grand Continental and this Congress have in view.

11. It is the determination of this Congress not to countenance any person to make any incursions into Canada, and in order to prevent as much as in us lies any. projects of that kind, you are hereby directed to withhold any succours or supports from any person or persons whomsoever for such an expedition.

Ordered, That the said Letter and Instructions be engrossed and signed by the President, and transmitted with all convenient speed.

Benjamin Kissam, Esqr., dissented to the said letter and instructions, and desired that his dissent might be entered on the minutes.

5 ho. P.M., May 25, 1775

The committee appointed this morning to prepare a draught of a letter to the inhabitants of the northern counties, to the same purport as the postscript to the letter to the Governor and Company of the Colony of Connecticut, reported such draft; and the same being taken into consideration and amended, was unanimously changed into a resolution, in the words following, to wit:

Whereas, the enemies of American Liberty are indefatiguable in their endeavours to disunite these Colonies, and in the prosecuting of this measure evil minded persons may insinuate that the northern Colonies have hostile intentions against our fellow subjects in Canada,

Resolved, That this Congress do most earnestly recommend it to all persons whatsoever not to commit any hostilities against the people of that country; and do hereby declare to the world that we do consider every such step as infamous, and highly inimical to all the American Colonies.

Ordered, That the above resolution be published.

Whereas, this Congress has resolved to comply with the direction of the Continental Congress, respecting the cannon and stores at Ticonderoga, and the other matters recommended in their Order of the eighteenth of May instant, and wrote a letter to the Governor and Company of the Colony on that subject,

Resolved, That it is necessary that a letter on the same subject be wrote to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, and a like letter to the Colony of New Hampshire: and

Ordered, That the committee who drew and reported the draft of a letter to the Governor and Company of the Colony of Connecticut, be a Committee to prepare a draft of a letter to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, and a draft of a like Letter to the Colony of New-Hampshire, and that they proceed to prepare and report such drafts immediately.