In the Council of Safety [Charleston],
Wednesday, December 20th, 1775.
Mr. President laid the following copies of letters, which he had been desired to write, before the board
Charles-Town, Dec. 19th, 1775.
Gentlemen ー Your several dispatches of the 14th came to hand last night, and were considered at our meeting this morning.
There is no resolution of the Continental Congress against vessels going away in ballast, and no doubt but that such may be permitted to clear out at the custom house. The resolution respecting the clearing vessels in Georgia, North-Carolina, &c., commonly termed privileged colonies, extends only to vessels with cargoes. Ellis' case seems therefore to be settled. You were nevertheless extremely right in prohibiting the exportation of stores beyond a sufficient and necessary quantity for the intended voyage; nor is there any resolution forbidding the exportation of cash to purchase salt, the importation of which is allowed, and as the shipping produce is prohibited, there is no other way of procuring necessaries, (arms and ammunition excepted) but by cash or bills. A colony trade, with the licence of committees of inspection, is allowed for the purpose of supplying some of the colonies with the produce of others. We presume the papers which you speak of, brought by the Gloucester vessel, give a good character of the master, and assurances that he had given security to deliver his cargo at a proper port. If you have a good opportunity and time, we desire you will transmit those papers to us for inspection and approbation. We cannot in our present circumstances be too watchful against attempts to elude and violate the resolutions of Congress, which ought to be held sacred.
We desire likewise to be informed, if Mr. Scott's scooner was, or is now actually loaded. It is true he has applied to us for permission to load on the public account, but he did not apprize us of his having first attempted to commit a fraud.
Your letter to the committee of intelligence of the same date as above, came also before us. We are ignorant of the writer's character; and his application to you, on the. back of one for the same purpose to us, gives no encouragement to advance him a sum of money, which we would readily do to a man in whom we could confide, for the services which he seems to have entered into as a volunteer. His first pretensions were to procure seamen in your port, and to conduct them to Charles-Town, for which, the business being actually performed, he was to be properly paid. We know not what were his motives for going further off without acquainting us.
By order of the Council of Safety.
Henry Laurens, President.
The Committee at George-Town.
Charles-Town, Dec. 19th, 1775.
Lord Dunmore had set up the king's standard in Virginia, near the county of Currituck in North-Carolina; received and armed all negroes who would come in to him; had skirmished with some of the Virginia troops, without any considerable effect on either side. Lord William Campbell had gone great lengths in harbouring and protecting negroes on Sullivan's Island, from whence those villains made nightly sallies, and committed robberies and depredations on the sea-coast of Christ-Church. This alarming evil received such a check yesterday morning, as will serve to humble our negroes in general, and perhaps to mortify his Lordship not a little.
The company of foot rangers, or fifty-four of them, under the command of Lieut. [William R.] Withers, made a descent on that island, burnt the house in which the banditti were often lodged, brought off four negroes, killed three or four, and also took white prisoners, four men, three women, and three children, destroyed many things which had been useful to those wretches in the houses, men of war's water casks, a great loss to them, exchanged a few shot with some of the men of war's men, and came off unhurt.
We learn from Georgia, where some daring attempts had been made to violate the Continental Association, by loading ships with rice and indigo, that the spirit of our friends being roused, had put a stop to such proceedings, by obliging the concerned to unload one ship, and deterring our enemies from taking such pernicious steps in the future.
By order of the Council of Safety.
Henry Laurens, President.
Col. [Richard] Richardson.
Mr. Clegg, from the Indian company of Rovers reported, that they had yesterday morning made a descent upon Sullivan's Island; that they had burnt the pest-house there, exchanged a few shots with some of the men of war's men, without hurt, destroying a quantity of water casks, brought off four white men, four women, three children, and four negroes, among them John Swann, a mulatto, and Peter, the property of George Powell, shipwright; and that they had killed three or four negroes.
Ordered, That John Banks and William Chambers, who were taken going clandestinely to the men of war in Rebellion-Road, on the 15th, be now discharged, being properly cautioned not to offend again in like manner.
A petition of Sarah Mitchell was presented and read, praying for the discharge of two negroes belonging to her, which had been taken going to the Cherokee armed ship, with Banks and Chambers aforesaid, and committed to the work-house.
The prayer of the said petition being taken into consideration,
A question was put, whether the said negroes be discharged, Mrs. Mitchell paying the fees.
And it was resolved in the affirmative.
Ordered, That the warden of the work-house do discharge the two negroes in his custody, belonging to Mrs. Sarah Mitchell, upon her paying the fees.
Ordered, That John Swann, the free mulatto, and Peter, a slave belonging to George Powell, taken upon Sullivan's Island and last night committed to the work-house, be brought before the Council this afternoon at 5 o'clock, in order to be examined.
In the Council of Safety,
Wednesday Evening, Dec. 20th, 1775.
John Swann, and Peter, were according to order, brought before the Council and examined, and after examination, remanded to the custody of the warden of the work-house.
Ordered, That John Coram, Esq., do, as soon as may be, call another magistrate to associate with him, and summon five free-holders, to proceed upon the trial of John Swann, a free mulatto taken off Sullivan's Island in the morning of the 19th instant; and that Michael Bates, overseer to Mr. John Ash, Mr. William Coats, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Farrow and Mrs. Walker, be summoned for examination in relation to some robberies lately committed upon Haddrel's Point, wherein the said Swann is said so [to] have been a party.
Mrs. Walker, wife of George Walker, late gunner of Fort Johnson; Mrs. Farrow, wife of William Farrow, pilot; Mrs. Robinson, wife of Robinson, who had the care of the pest-house on Sullivan's Island, and William Carrington, a lad, son to the carpenter of the Tamar sloop of war, four of the persons taken by Capt. [John] Allston's company of Rovers upon Sullivan's Island, were brought before the Council and examined.
After having been severally examined, they were discharged.
