(No 26)

My Lord  The series of dangerous measures pursued by the People of this Colony against Government, which they have now entirely overturned, & particularly their having come to a Resolution of raising a Body of armed Men in all the Counties, made me think it prudent to remove some Gunpowder which was in a Magazine in this place, where it lay exposed to any attempt that might be made to seize it, & I had reason to believe the People intended to take that step. I accordingly requested of Lieut. [Henry] Collins commanding His Majesty's armed Schooner the Magdalen, to convey the Powder on board the Foway [sic!] Man of War now on this station, which that Officer, with a party of his Seamen Diligently executed; but tho' it was intended to have been done privately, Mr. Collins & his party were observed, & notice was given immediately to the Inhabitants of this place, Drums were then sent thro' the City ー The Independent Company got under Arms ー All the People assembled, & during their consultation, continual threats were brought to my House, that it was their Resolution to seize upon, or massacre me, & every person found giving me assistance if I refused to deliver the Powder immediately into their Custody.

In a short time the Mayor & Corporation came to my house leaving their armed force at a little distance, with an Address in reality milder in terms than I expected, but still from the maner in which it was presented can be deemed, if not a treasonable proceeding, at least nothing less than one of the highest insults that could be offered to the Authority of His Majesty's Government. The Address represents the alarm into which the People had been thrown at the taking away the Powder in a private manner by an armed force, particularly at a time when they are apprehensive of Insurrections among their Slaves (some reports having prevailed to this effect) & concludes with a request amounting to a peremptory demand that the Powder be delivered up immediately to them. I thought proper, in the defenceless state in which I find myself to endeavor to sooth them and answered verbally to the effect, that I had removed the Powder lest the Negroes might have seized upon it to a place of security from whence, when I saw occasion, I would at any time, deliver it to the People, ー But in the ferment in which they then appeared it would be highly improper to put it into their hands, as it would be inconsistent with the Authority I represented to comply with any demand made in the manner of the present. This did not satisfy them & the fury of the People was still represented to me as uncontroulable & the dreadful consequences of it as not to be averted by any other means than complying with their humour, to which I replied only by declaring, I would never depart from the resolution which I had already signified to them I had taken, & by arming myself and the persons of my family to oppose the threatened Attempts. There happened to be then in Town, Capt [George] Montagu commanding the Fowey, with his Capt of Marines, a Mr Stretch ー & Lieut Henry Collins the Officer already mentionedThese gentlemen immediately joined themselves to my little party, & offered me all the Assistance which could be spared from on board the Ship & Schooner, which only amounts to between 30 & 40 Men.

I was not long after unexpectedly informed the People, by the persuasion of Mr Peyton Randolph & Mr [Robert Carter] Nicholas [III] the Treasurer, had dispersed & appeared satisfied with the answer which I had returned ー But parties of armed Men were continually coming into Town from the adjacent Counties the following days, offering fresh insults ー and two days ago, three gentlemen of principal families in the Country, arrived deputed as they declared, from a body of 2000, armed Men, who were collected in the neighbourhood of Fredericksbourg, about 100 miles, from this place, & who only waited to be informed by these Messengers that I would deliver up the Powder, as they were determined otherwise to proceed to Williamsburg & assault my house, & spare neither me, nor any person adhering to me.

The Messengers, as they were informed the Powder would not be given up returned vowing the vengeance of their enraged Confederates against me, & I am consequently in hourly expectation of their appearance.

Some of the families have removed from here to avoid the scene that is expected. I have been obliged to send Lady Dunmore & my children on board the Man of War, & I shall remain here until I am forced out ー But as I cannot expect to be able to make any effectual resistance in this place against the numbers that are said to be moving towards me, I intend to retire towards the Town of York, where the Man of War, a 20 gun ship & an armed Schooner lie, under the protection of the Guns of which, & under cover of a little entrenchment which I shall throw up, or at worst on board the Men of War, I shall wait for His Majesty's Orders, & I have already signified to the Magistrates of Williamburg, that I expect them on their allegiance to fall upon means of putting a stop to the march of the People now on their way, before they enter this City, that otherwise I shall be forced, & it is my fixed purpose, to arm all my own Negroes, & receive all others that will come to me, whom I shall declare free ー That I do en join the Magistrates & all others professing to be loyal Subjects, to repair to my assistance, or that I shall consider the whole Country in an actual state of Rebellion, & myself at liberty to annoy it by every possible means, & that I shall not hesitate at reducing their houses to ashes & spreading devastation wherever I can reach. I have likewise summoned the Council to attend me about the time which these Insurgents are expected here.

I have dispatched a small Vessel to Boston to Genl [Thomas] Gage & Admiral [Samuel] Graves, requesting of the one a small Body of Men, & of the other one of the large Ships under his command ー The appearance of such a ship in the interior parts of this Country, where the great depth of water in the Rivers here will permit it to go, would strike the greatest awe, & if I obtain 2 or 300 Men, who might be entrenched under the protection of the guns of such a Man of War, they would there (tho' I should receive no assistance from among the People here) at least 'till I can receive His Majesty's orders to regulate my future conduct, protect me & those Officers of Government who would choose to attend me, & I have reason to believe this would be sufficient to determine many persons to join me, who hitherto from the terror spread by the Committees & other disturbers of Government have been deterred from ever declaring their sentiments.

Whatever may be the issue of this present Insurrection in this Colony, or whether the People will now proceed or not to the atrocious extremities which they have been hardy enough now to avow their intentions of committing ー Their conduct has already afforded sufficient evidence of the rebellious spirit with which they are possessed, And therefore if His Majesty thinks it necessary to maintain an appearance of Authority in this Colony during the unhappy struggle between America & Great Britain,² it cannot be affected without a force to support it, which I am in hopes His Majesty will judge requisite to send me, that I may be enabled to protect myself & the other faithful Officers and Friends of Government, who knowing themselves in security will, I am persuaded, exert their utmost efforts, in the service of His Majesty. Every person who has manifested the least partiality to the King's Government, are now become suspected by their furious Countrymen, & are in the greatest danger of falling victims to the rage & violence which accompany all the transactions of these People pretending to contend for Liberty.

If the servants of the Crown should be of opinion that the Authority of Government ought to be inforced here, I am persuaded that if His Majesty should think proper to add to a small Body of Troops to be sent here, a quantity of Arms, Ammunition, & other requisites, for the Service, I could raise such a Force from among Indians, Negroes, & other persons, as would soon reduce the refractory People of this Colony to Obedience.

I am &c.