Philadelphia 11th April 1776
Dear Sir
I rec'd your favor of the 24th ult ー Col. [Josiah] Bartlett took with him the Marine money, you mention ー the 10,000 dollars from the Secret Committee shall send by the first opportunity which I expect will be in about a week by Mr Jos: Henderson who is here in a carriage and will set out about that time. I find you are going to Boston and shall expect from you a particular account of the situation that town was left in by the Barbarians, also what Tories are left behind &c &c. There are several contracts for guns ー if your ship cannot be supplied nearer home they must be sent from here. I congratulate you on Admiral Hopkin's success, the particulars of which no doubt you-have before now. Yesterday arrived there a sloop-she was a tender fitted out by the Liverpool with 6 carriage guns and 35 picked men commanded by the first Lieutenant of the Liverpool ー she was sent in by the Lexington whom she engaged an hour and killed two of his men anci
wounded two; the sloop had one man kill ed and 5 or 6 wounded; there
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are ~everal more of these small fellows on the coast, which I expect the Lexington will give a good account of. The army have converted all the Yankees. I expect the statue.of the Royal Brute now standing in Bowling Green will soon be demolished. In my last, I mentioned the officers for the ship you are building-I shall be glad if you'll also think of proper persons for Marine officers. I suppose there must be a Captain and two Lieutenants; the officers for all the ships will soon be appointed ー the day is set for appointing Agents, so expect my next will enclose your commission.
I suppose the late Act of Parliament declaring all Americans rebels has reached you before now; I should have sent you a copy had I have been able to obtain one but it has not yet been printed here. On the arrival of that Act in South Carolina, the Convention there seized a ship loaded with sugars bound from the West Indies to London (and had put in there to repair some damages she had rec'd and was then ready to sail) ordered ship and cargo to be sold and the money lodged in the Treasury and have sent to Congress for approbation: their conduct no doubt is justified by some late Res9lves which I now enclose you. refer you to the papers for news. Yours sincerely
Wm Whipple.