Honord Sir

I embrace the opportunity of M^r Mumfords¹ return to Connecticut, of handing the Invoices & of the Cargoes of the Ship Cyrus & Admiral Kepple—² Agreable to your Excellencys direction I have dispos'd of such Articles as were of perishable Nature, which are mark'd in the Manifest.—As it was for the Interest of the State to have an early Sale, I obtain'd permission to dispose of them before Condemnation, and upon my petition to both houses of Assembly, setting forth my reasons for, I was indulg'd with a publick Auction, for which I hold myself under an Obligation—As soon as, the accounts can be obtain'd from the Sheriff, they shall be forwarded to Connecticut—The Board of Warr of this State, and the Continental Navy board,³ had some Articles, for which they are to pay the same as the others Sold for—

It has been a tedious undertaking, we have been oblig'd to Open, and take an Inventory of all the Packages, for want of the Invoices—it has employ'd five Men Constantly, We have now gott them arranged properly for a divission, which shall be made as soon as I receive your Excellencys Orders, I hope they will be perticular in regard to the Goods which are to be dispos'd off, and what are to be sent forward to Connecticut—Your Excellency will pardon me, I think it would be best to reserve the States half off all Naval Stores 

When I receiv'd your Letter ⅌ M^r Shirley,⁴ I made enquirey of several Gentlemen of the Hon^ble: Councill, and many other Gentlemen upon the propriety of granting his request of purchasing such a Vessell as would be agreable to him,—some were for his purchasing a Vessell, others were against it—upon the whole M^r Shirley tho't best to charter or hire a flag, and we petitioned to purchase or hire, as would be most agreable to the Hon^l Councill, the report of the Committee was favorable, and I expected before this time to transmit the report for your Excellencys Approbation, and that M^r Shirley might have been in readiness to leave this place before the 20^th of this Month—My Surprize was great when I was informd that our Petition was order'd to lay on the Table, their motive I am at a Loss to determine—by what was hinted by a Gentleman, I found two reasons Assign'd, the first that Letters respecting M^r Shirley should have been directed to the President of the Councill,⁵ the other, a determination of Lord Howe to exchange no Prisoners till a Number were accounted for, who rose and Captur'd the Ship Royall Bounty,⁶ bound from Hallifax to New York in January last—To Obviate the first, I would earnestly entreat, that a Letter might be sent to the Hon^l M^r Powell respecting M^r Shirley, and also the Seamen Prisoners, that are now in this Town, and those who may be captur'd in future, and bro't into this State—

The other I think does not affect M^r S: as Lord Howe has no Controul over the Fleet, or any thing Else belonging to Jamaica—I have reason to think Some of our Councill are displeased, that they have not the whole direction of the Prisoners brot into this State,—I beg leave to assure your Excellency, I have closely adher'd to the Instructions of my Hon^l Constituents, and if I am blamed it is for doing duty—With due respect [&c.]