Dear Governor/
The plan against the Colonies, & the means of executing it are now settled. Ten thousand men Brunswickers & british, are to go against Canada under General Burgoyne, who is accompanyd by Col. Phillips & Capt [Edward] Foy, who were the Engineers at Minden. Two thousand 300 of .the brunswic troops, & a thousand others are now embarked & saild this day from Plymouth for Quebec, with the General. Transports are not collected at Stade, & at Corke for the .remainder. Next month, the great Body of Hessians.and british Troops, amounting to about Sixteen thousand will sail to re-inforce Howe. Their rendezvous is to be on long Island, where they think the Provincials will not venture, & the People are their friends. . Howe is first to carry such of the provincial posts as woud annoy his embarkation, & leaving a garrison in Boston, is to land with the main Army of about.23 thousand men at New York, and begin the reduction of that province. Sr Peter Parker, has been saild some weeks for Cape Fear River in North Carolina with three thousand men, commanded by Lord Cornwallis, who is tojoin General Clinton & fall upon Virginia & the Carolinas. . Lord Howe has at length agreed to command tlie Fleet, & will'sail in about ten days in the Eagle line of battle Ship of 64 Guns; The 'whole of this Armament, however formidable in appearance, will be very inadequate to the business if the provincials act with their usual spirit & prudence. That is; if they' occupy good posts, entrench well, avoid a general Action but upon great & sure advantage, harrass the march & intercept the Convoys. All this their superior knowlege of the Country will enable them to do, so as to distress if not qestroy the invading Armf. The Regulars trust to their Artillery of which more has been sliipt off, three times over, than went out of this Kingdom before. All this will embarrass their motions, & may, by proper precautions on the part of the provincials, be renderd ineffectual. As the Landgrave of Hesse, is a notoriously dishonest man, it is probable the troops he furnishes will be the worst he has. The. british troops are mostly new raisd, & therefore in discipline :will be inferior to the Americans. It is conceivd too that if proper offers. are made to the Germans., they will desert in great numbers. Not one of the ships of war, has more than a third Seamen, the rest are landmen, therefore if the provin- cial vessels attack any of them, it will not be surprising if they succeed. Such is the terror entertaind of the service at land, that the officers of the Gaurds, now going, are cloath'd like the common men, that they may be in less danger; & it is supposd the whole Army will follow their example. .Their. apprehensions went so far, as to make them talk: of wearing breast plates: The Provincials with proper attention~ may be greatly superior in Cavalr.y, as there are but three british Regiments & those light, & some german. The Americans, both men & horse being accustomd to ride thro the woods will have an infinite advantage in forced marches, beating up quarters $ccutting off Convoys. There are a thousand Waggons & three thousand draft Hor~es sent far the Artillery & ~aggage, wch will cost them . near £200,000 & may soon be destroyd with proper attention. The expence of this Armament you may well conceive will be enormous. 6 millions are already . voted & it is computed that. full 6 more will be requird. The Extraordinaries only of last year exceeded £800,000. If they do not succeed this campaign, which they will not be able to commence till July, all men agree that this Country c;annot support it longer either in men or money. Every nerve is now stretchd & every resource exhausted: Lord George Germaine therefore gives it out as an encourage. ment, that the Americans will lay down their Arms, without a struggle, & that he has receivd the most humble offers from the Congress, but as he will not treat he sends this Armament to ensure an unconditional submission, :of which he is secure. you may depend upon this language coming immediately from his lips. The Corporation of London, have voted the freedom of . the City in a gold box tci Dr [Richard] Price, for a pamphlet .in defence of America, & petition!d the throne for a declaration of the difinitive terms intended to be granted to the Cqlonies. The King's Answer was, that when they laid d~wn their Arms & submitted, he shoud think of mercy. The Cqlonies will see that their safety depends solely on their firmness, unanimity, & prudence. It is no longer in their option to be independent or connected with this Country as before. Independency or Slavery is the only alternative. Lord Shelburne however still gives it as his opinion, that just & liberal terms offerd from hence for America wou'd be accepted. But the Ministry have no such intention. That Lord, & the Earl of Chatham, are still the firm friends of America. A forged Letter in the name of the latter, approving of the measures against the Colonies, was inserted in all the Papers. But it was soon contradicted by his authority. It is supposd this was a ministerial manouvre, to dishearten the Americans; as it is in their power to send the forgery & withhold the contradiction.
The whole of this Armament may be expected by the latter end of July, as they will sail in May. If the Provincials had attack'd Hallifax, it woud have been a capital stroke & an easy conquest; They are now strengthening it will all assiduity. Admiral Montague is saild to command on that
station. The french & Spanish are silent, but arming very fast; & certain intelligence is received of the former having collected a force in the East Indies that is very alarming. But, Such is the rage against America, that the Administration are deteimind, at every hazard; to make one desperate push. The whole Empire is put into the hazard, with the sole hope of enslaving a part, which the firmness & unanimity of the Colonies will, under God, infallibly disappoint. Farewell. Lieutenant Governor Colden a
