My Dear Sir  In great haste I wrote you but a very few lines by [Edward] Chappell this day in Answer to all your letters, wch I beg you will Excuse, for our City has been in Such Tumult & confusion ever since Sunday last that Scarcely any Business has been done, and every day we have had People Marching booth day & Night through the Streets with Arms & they are Exercising & Entering into Companies every day ー there has been no Such thing as Collecg mony since the News from Boston, as most Refuse to pay & hope your People will have a Little Patience with me & I beg you will advise all my friends, that they Send nothg down here Just now, for their Interest is Saifer in their own hands, than here. I am Determind to sell nothing but for Cash in hand now & most People be of the same Mind & I want much to git my family & Effects from this place for from what we can learn this Place is to be the Seat of War in America and we have Reason to Expect the Troops booth from England & Boston will make their head Quarters here & many are Sending out their families & Packing up their goods to Send them off ー yesterday a very great Number of People (some suppose about 300 with arms) met in the Common from whence they Proceeded to our Collector about two Miles out of Town to Request he would Clear no Vessells with Provision or Lumber, but his Oath would not admit his Consenting (he being obliged to Clear all Vessells that Properly Applyed) from wch they went to the Custom house & obtained the Keys, so that no Vessell can Just now be Cleared or Enterd wch Seem to me to be a hardship, for all Vessells in Ballast ought to be Cleared out & all Vessells not Contrary to Congress ought to be admitted to Entry ー but hope in a few days all will be put Right ー this City is now in as much Confusion, as if we Expected an Attack from a foreign Enemyー

This day a great Number of Cannon is Removed from this Town to Kingsbridge & Expect a great Number will go tomorrow as also powder & Ball ー the People begin to Unite & those we deemed Tories before now come out hearty in the Cause, and I Judge some out of fear ー the Western Provinces are heartily United, as is North Carolina in a Particular Manner ー our Cause is good & if we be only serious, we shall Baffie all the Designs of the Ministryー

our Cause of Liberty gains fast here & if no Troops Come for one month, we shall be better United than any Province, a Provintial Congress is Called to Meet here the 22d of Next Month, as also in Jersey the 15th & Expect they will Unite ー the Ministry Mean to Push hard against us, but when they come to have True Accots in England from Boston & this, make no doubt the Populace will Oblige them to desist their opperation

the Jersey People have sent Word they will come to our assistance when Called for, & Many People from your Province are now on their March to Kingsbridge ー I am [&c.]

PS. I beg you will Caution all to send nothing down here untill We know how Matters are like to go with us