No 26
My Lord  Under the charge and care, of the Revd Mr Lyttleton, I send your Lordship several Dispatches; which I hope hath reach your Lordships hand, to Inform your Lordship that the People here, had Chosen Delegates (or Deputies,) and had Petitioned the Congress at Philadelphia.
And that some evil minded People, had prevented the Owner of a Vessel, to fulfill his engagement to me, to hire His Vessel, to inform General [Thomas] Gage, of the Robbery committed, on the powder Magazine, in the night of the 14th of August.
And the Attempt made to detain or stop a Sloop, I had engaged and hired to go to Boston, to carry the Intelligence of the loss of the Powder, and to forward letters, by way of Boston to your Lordship.
And on the 3d of September, the Master of another Sloop, I had engaged, with only three Negroes, got under Sail, and put to Sea, when about 16, or eighteen People, and two of them were Delegates, and three of them were assembly men, took a Boat and pursued the Sloop, and the wind being at that time light, it seems they got up with the Sloop, and four or five white men, got on board, and asked the Captain for letters, and upon his answering that He had not any (which was true, for my Negro had the letters) they beat and abused the Captain, but the Wind springing up pretty fresh, they got into their Boat, and returned into Harbour: and the Sloop made Sail, in obedience to a Signal by a fire I made from the Hill, and carried my Dispatches Safe to Boston. And did not wait for Mr Lyttleton, who was to have gone in the Sloop.
I have been in constant expectation, of having some Support, either by the arrival of Some Soldiers, or a Sloop of War but I am disappointed hitherto.
And as most of the Assembly Men were Delegates and Some of them, had acted in that audacious manner; to go in pursuit of the Vessel, that I had sent, with Government Dispatches, I have been obliged to adjourn the Assembly, from time, to time, as I thought, it would be very improper, to Suffer them, to Act in both Capacities, as assembly Men and deputies; especially as some of them had acted so audaciously. And having received, neither any Orders, or any Support, I Dissolved the General Assembly, on the 22 of february, and I have ordered writts to be Issued for a new Election of assembly men. I have the Honor to be [&c.]