[Received the beginning of January 1776]

The following is a Coppy of what was written under a bill of Such Goods as was immediately to be procured the List of the Goods I havent time to Coppy but they were various Sorts ー Gunpowder Lead flints &c to the amount of Twenty five Thousand pound Sterling ー

Viz. Those Goods Should be purchased in Holland & france and the most Probable way to affect it will be immediatly to Send Vessels with Provisions for Portugal Spain & the Streights ー Order the proceeds to be Remitted by Bills to Amsterdam or London ー A factor Capable of Transacting this Business in Holland Hamboro & France Should be Imeadiatly imployed, Goods at Holland may at a Small Risk & Charge be Sent to Dunkirk & there be Sent off ー

At Holland Dutch Bottoms may be Got for St Ostatia at Holland or hamboro Danish Bottoms for St Croix ー

I Cannot find that the persons Nominated as yet for this Buisiness, I Shall endea[vo]r to Learn who they are to be and what Vessals I think by what little I Can discover that the Vessals fiting out here is part of them that are to be employd for the Above Expedition one of them is a Ship of 36 guns the head is the figure of a man as Drawing his Sword Bottom white, Sides black & yellow above ² ー the Brig has no head at all however as they Don't Sails as yet I will inform you of more particular[s] about them and who will be their Comanders ー

There is to be issued a further Sum of three Millions of [Dollars] I have Inclosd part of a letter from Mr [Michael] Hillegas the Treas[urer] it is Broke to pieces but twill Serve to Convince you that anadditional Sum is to issued ³

The Congress are very Resolute to Persefere in their wars now so Came that yesterday that one Regt of foot & 3 Companys of Light horse was Come to Long Island Coll [William] floyd Said he was Glad if they ware & that they would Soon be their horses he Said if the Regulars Should Guard a Sertain place he between Sume [Noted Hand] & hell Gate it would be Difficult for the Provincial Troops to Get on Long Iland ー

Here are three persons from N york one Capt Greenol one Brasier & one palmer with a new Draft of Hudsons River Signyfing the Nesessaty of Building another fort on pooplopers Kill [Pooplopens Kill] in the above River ー They also Brought Letters from the Convention of N york ⁴ I Coppyed off the follow[in]g but oppertunity would not alow me any further ー

We take the Liburty to in close you a Coppy of our Proceedings Respecting the Delinquents in Queens & Richmonds Countys we aprehend we have proceeded against them as far as a prudent Regard to present Circumstances of the Cappital of this Collony Capital &c the Safty of the Colony in General as far as it Depends upon the Security of its Capital will permit & for this assertion we beg to Suggest the following Reasons to Witt

1st The power which the Kings Ships have for Distroying the property in this City ー

2dly our being allmost utterly Destitute of powder for the Defence of this City ware it in other Rspects Defensible against Naval force

3dly The Great Probility that an array of Troops against the above mentioned Delinquents by athority of this Congress even ware we sufficiently Provided for the Purpouse with Powder, would Bring on a firing upon this City ー

4ly We are now Expetiting Vessals from the Importation of Powder &c &c this Object Should we. unnessarily Incence the Navy we may lose, as well as the oppertunity of Supplying the Inhabitants of this City with the Nessarys of Life in a Severe Season which Nessarys it is well known we are allmost entirly Supplide with by water ー

The Latter part of the Letter Signifyd that Troops should be Sent from Sume other parts against the above m[ost named] Countrys ー ⁵

Another Letter and a Coppy of one that had been Sent to Governor Thrumbull Requesting of him that the Type &c Taken from [James] Rivington might be Delivered into the hands of the Chairman of the Committy of N york & that he would Use his endevors to prevent any inroads or incurtions in to the province of N york for the future ー

Here Is one Capt [Simeon] Sellick in this Town with Three others that Came Down from the Back forts with the priseners taken at St Johns &c I have made it my Buisness to Get acquainted with them Sellick is the Fellow that Took the Goods & Stores from Turtle Bay with his owne Sloop which he made free to tell me (being a friend of his) Says he "I had athority and went to N york on purpous to Take that Old Tryon my Self I warant I would have Secured him but when I Came there the D--md Toris pretended to Say it would be best to Lett him alone a little longer hadent it been for Them I should have had him Safe enough" ー he is now applying to the Congress for a Reward for his Bravery he Told me he Intend[ed] to fit out his owne Sloop with 6 guns & a Number of Swivels for Privateering he is one of Conecticut he further assured me that there [are Jat that Place two fine Scooners fiting out one for Capt Seears of n york the other for one Capt Craig ⁶ one of the others Told me that 3 Companys of Troops was Stationed at Tycontoroga & ft George, with a greater Number at St Johns 27000 more was fixt on to be embodied nex Spring but Since the News Came from England than an army of 30000 are to be Sent over I believe they are about to Augment their forces however Probly I may Learn what Numbers they will Resolve on The privateers is froze up but now the Thaw will free them and I Shall know when they Saile here is upwards of 100 flats Built to be Set on fire if any fleet Gurne up this River they are to Chained one to another in two Rows across the River and a Large Chaine to be put a Cross there is Sumething of Great Consiquences going to be put in motion at Boston as Soon as the frost Sets in they mean to Use the utmost in their power as I herd s[o]me of tham Say that it would be of Greater Consiquences than the Reduction of Cannada ー