[Extract]
Dear Sir,

I had great satisfaction in receiving your favours of 26th April and 3d May, from B[ermuda,] as I think there was little risque in the rest of your voyage & I flatter myself you have arrived safe previous to this date

This goes by Wm Bingham Esqr a young Gentn who has for some time Acted as Secretary to the Committee of Secret Correspondance. he carrys with him triplicates of your Credentials & instructions, the Duplicates went by another Conveyance, and each of these as well as yourself having an exceeding good Chance to arrive safe I think it needless to send you any more. Mr Bingham now goes out to Martinico in order to procure some Arms from the Governor & with another view that I need not mention as he will write to you. You can send advices under Cover to him but you'l remember he is a Young tho' a worthy Young man. The papers he carrys will give you the Public News, the worst part of which is an appearance of great division amongst ourselves especially in this Province, however I believe the King has put an effectual stop to those disse[n]sions by his Answer to an Address of the Ld Mayor & Aldermen [of] the [22d.] of March, as his Majesty has there totally destroyed all hope of Reconciliation. I confess I never lost hopes of Reconciliation untill I saw this Answer which in my opinion breathes nothing but Death and Destruction, every body see[s] it in the same light and it will bring us all to one way of thinking, so that you may soon expect to hear of New Governments in every Colony and in Conclusion a declaration of Independancy by Congress. I see this step is inevitable and you for this Event, for whatever might have been the original designs of some may depend it will soon take place. Great Britain may thank herself men in promoting the present Contest, I am sure that America in general never set out with any View or desire of establishing an Independant Empire, They have been driven into it step by step with a Reluctance on their part that has been manifested in all their proceedings, & yet I dare say our Enemies will assert that it was planned from the first movements. Thedogs of warr are now fairly let loose upon us. we are not dismayed but expect to give a good Account of the Numerous hosts of foes that are coming to Slaughter us especially, your Hessians, Hanoverians, Waldeckers &c Our climates will most probably handle them pretty severely before they get seasoned, and our Troops are pretty well prepared for their Reception but the Fortunes of war being ever uncertain God only knows what may be the Event.

Our affairs in Canada have been badly managed by your Countryman General [David] Wooster but I hope Genl [John] Thomas & your Friend [Benedict] Arnold will invigorate them, however I dont think we have any occasion to hold that Country, if we maintain the passes on the Lakes it is sufficient for our purpose and the Garrison that defend those passes will always be ready to Rush into Canada if the Enemy quit it, so that a good Force well posted for this purpose may keep Mr [John] Burgoyne with his 10 m Men uselessly employed the whole Year, without any expence of ammunition or loss of Men on our side unless they attack exceedingly to their own disadvantage.

...We are better supplyd with Powder than formerly our Mills make it fast and some of the Colonies have had great success in making Salt Petre. Arms we are most in Want of, but our Manufactorys of them improve and increase daily in short it appears to me we shall be able to baffle all attempts of our Enemy if we do but preserve Union amongst ourselves. I do not mean the Union of the Colonies, but union in each Colony. The former is safely fixed on a broad & firm basis, the latter has been greatly threatened. The necessity of assuming new Governments has been pretty evident for some time and the Contest is who shall f[or]m them & who upon such a change shall come in for the Power the divisions woud probably have been very high particularly in this Province, had not His Majesty determined so peremptorily that there can be no Reconciliation but through the door of abject Submission. This seems to bend all Men's minds one way and I have no doubt but Harmony will be restored & our united Efforts excited to defend our Country & its freedom in which God Grant Success to an injured & oppressed People

One of our Cruizers has lately taken a valuable Prize & carried her safe into Boston with 1500 bbls Powder, 1000 stand of Arms & a Variety of other articles on board,² & the two New York Pilot Boats that were fitted out as Privateers from hence³ have taken three large ships bound from Jam[aic]a to London with 1082 hhds Sugar 260 Puncheons Rum 300 Casks Piemento, 22000 hard dollars, 70 pipes Mad[eir]a Wine & a Number of other Valuable Articles. I fancy many more West India Men will be taken this Summer & probably Great Britain may have Cause to Repent of the prohibitory acts, especially as they have much more property to loose than we have.

Our Money holds its Credit but we must not Issue too much of it. Therefore when we find the circulation begins to Clog we must borrow it in & Fund it, pray what think you of Negotiating with Holland for a loan of Specie & how shall we offer them Security for at present I doubt if any Power in Europe will Trust us but probably after the Next campaigne they may think better of our Credit. Commodore Hopkins has [illegible] short of Expectation and his fleet which might have performed most signal service under an active vigilant Man, have been most useless he remains with the Alfred at Rhode Island & the rest are gone & going on separate Cruizes after Transports &c

Our Frigates are nearly ready but their Guns are not yet finished we shall be carefull who are trusted to Command them and from these we may expect good Services this Navy must be increased & you must Continue to make it known that Noble encouragement is given to Seamen of all Nations that will enter into the American Service....