at his request, by a committee, when among other things, he informed us that there was no prospect of peace this spring; that France and Spain were making preparations for a powerful diversion; and that it was expected on our part, that we should exert ourselves with vigor this campaign ; that successful operations would hasten and facilitate negotiations of peace, &c. &c. This is the substance of what we think ourselves now at liberty to communicate. We have lately received a letter from our Minister at Paris; but not a word of news, saving that our invoices for clothing and military stores had just arrived, and that he was encouraged to think, that our application would meet with success. The King of Britain's speech is more moderate than usual; but he is still determimed, it seems, to prosecute the war with vigor. It is our duty to be prepared to resist his efforts, and to regain the possession. of such parts of the United States as the enemy have taken from us, if we This we should be able to effect, if we had a naval force superior to that of the enemy; but our own naval force is weak, and what force our ally will have in America the ensuing compaign, we know not. Count D'Estaing, with twelve sail of ships, has gone to France. It is said, that on his passage, he had taken a sixty-four gun ship and a frigate, but I believe this account is uncertain. We presume that their places will be supplied, because we cannot conceive that our ally will leave the West Indies exposed. can. No certain intelligence hath yet come to hand relating to the famous York fleet. They have been seen at sea. Yesterday a letter was received by a merchant in this place from one of his captains, who had just arrived in the Chesapeake from the West Indies, informing him that in lat. 28, long. 68, he had come across a transport, which was one of that fleet, that had been wrecked by a storm, and that he had taken out the men and left her; that Clinton and Cornwallis were on board the fleet, and that it was bound to Georgia. Enclosed is a newspaper, which will give you all the flying news. are, with great respect, Your Excellency's most obedient servants, We WILLIAM ELLERY, JOHN COLLINS. The papers enclosed in the above, contain a list of articles to be collected by the different states for the use of the army, to be deposited in each state where the Commander-in-Chief shall direct; with the prices at which they were to be cred ited tot hem by Congress. The quota of this State was, 2,240 lbs. beef. 2,000 bushels salt. 68,621 gallons rum. 400 tons of hay. The prices alllowed for these articles in "Spanish milled dollars," were for beef, from 5 to 8 dollars for 112 lbs. Best rock salt, $8 per bushel; other salt, in proportion. West India rum, $13 per gallon; Continental rum in proportion to the price of rye. Hay, the best upland, $15 per ton. Gov. GREENE TO WILLIAM ELLERY. WARWICK, STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, &C., SIR-I received your favor of the 23d and 24th of last January. And I have now to inform you that the General Assembly, at their session held on the 4th Monday of last month, agreeable to the late resolution of Congress, did pass a resolve to raise 810 men, including those already raised in Cols. Greene's and Angell's regiments; and for the encouragement of those who are inclined to engage during the war, they are to be entitled to receive a bounty of three hundred dollars from the State, in addition to that given by the United States, and their wages are to be made equally as good in silver as it was at the commencement of the war. When you consider there is about one-half the above number of men now to be raised, there being but about one-half of them now in Cols. Greene's and Angell's regiments, it will naturally inform you of the sum that will be wanting on that score, exclusive of a very large amount, as will be made to appear, for moneys advanced in behalf of the Continent, by an account almost ready to be forwarded to you. I have written to Gen. Washington by the request of the Assembly, for one of this State's regiments to be stationed within this State the ensuing campaign, and shall be glad, if you shall find it necessary, you will do the like, as it appears to me very reasonable, considering the distressed situation of the State, together with its former and present exertions. They have now resolved to raise a much larger number than their former proportion, and for what reason Congress made the addition, I must confess I am at a loss to determine. I am, with very great esteem, Your most obedient and most humble servant, WILLIAM ELLERY TO Gov. GREENE. PHILADELPHIA, April 4th, 1780. I received your Excellency's favor of the 8th of March and advert to the contents of it. You are pleased to inform me that the General Assembly, at their session held on the fourth Monday in February, passed a resolve to raise eight hundred and ten men, including those already in Col. Greene's and Col. Angell's regiments. You then mention the proposed bounty, &c., and proceed to say, that "When you consider there is one-half of the above number of men now to be raised, there being about one-half of them now in Col. Greene's and Col. Angell's regiments," &c., &c. Your Excellency must have attended to the words of the resolution of Congress immediately following the adjustment of the quotas, to wit. :-"That all the men whose terms of service do not expire before the last day of September next, be counted towards the quotas of the states, to which they respectively belong, whether they compose the battalions in the lines of the several states, those of the additional corps, including the guards, the artillery and horse, or the regimental artificers in the departments of the Quartermaster General and Commissary General of military stores, who being credited to the states, respectively, should be provided for, deemed and treated in the same manner with the men in the several state line," &c., &c. Now sir, if we have any men belonging to our State in Col. Sherburn's regiment, in the guards, &c., &c., whose times do not expire by the last day of next September, and I imagine we have, they must be counted towards our quota; and, of consequence, included in the number of our men, as well as those in Greene's and Angell's regiments, and, therefore, if the supposition I have made proves true, we shall not have one-half of our quota to raise if about one-half of it is now in Greene's and Angell's regiments. I have been the more particular, because I should be very sorry to have a state whose quota is disproportioned to its ability, attempt to do more than is required of it. Sensible that our quota was too large, I moved and urged that it might be reduced to seven hundred, but could not get Congress to agree to it. When the arrangement was made at Yorktown, one regiment only was assigned to us, and, perhaps, if we had not been so forward to raise a regiment of blacks, without the request or even the knowledge of Congress, one regiment only would now have been required. Our State hath sometimes, by too great an ardor, injured itself. When the account hinted at comes forward, I shall exert myself to have it paid, and shall take notice of the bounties we have proposed to pay, and make use of every other argument to accomplish the wishes of the State which my invention can suggest. Your Excellency requests, if I should find it necessary, that I would write to Gen. Washington on the subject of one of our State regiments being stationed, this campaign, within the State. I could not think it necessary; for, if I had known what your Excellency had written, I have not the vanity to imagine that I could have suggested any additional argument or enforced what you must have argued. However, as it seemed to be your desire, and as I shall always consider your desires, though not fully expressed, as commands, I have also written to the General on that head, and shall esteem myself very happy if my effort should contribute a mite towards the granting of so reasonable a request. I wish the General Assembly may succeed, but when I consider that the troops of the Virginia and North Carolina line are gone to the southward, and that he chooses, and it is necessary that he should have, a respectable army with him, I cannot promise myself that the application will prove successful. The Board of Admiralty, of which I am a member, received by last Tuesday's post, a letter from your Excellency, informing them that the Pigot Galley was so rotten and so dull a sailer, that she was unfit for service, and proposing that she should be sold, all but her military stores, and another vessel purchased for a cruiser. The Board, sometime ago, received a letter from the Captain of her, proposing that she should be repaired and fitted out for a cruiser; they being well informed that she was but a dull sailer, that it would cost much to repair and fit her, knowing too that it was not the intention of Congress that the vessels procured in pursuance of their resolutions for the defence of our bays and rivers should be employed as cruisers; and further thinking that the Pigot Galley might in her present condition, afford some protection to those places, were content that she might be so employed, of which I have given notice to Captain Clarke, in a late letter. If Congress were disposed that a suitable vessel should be provided for the purpose you mentioned, which I am far from thinking they would admit, yet such is the state of the treasury that they have it not in their power to purchase a piece of one. Indeed, we have two vessels on the stocks, and for want of money, we cannot even launch them. If the Galley is of no use to our State, I could wish to be informed of it, for it would be wrong to keep a vessel with a number of hands, that is of no service. Willing to serve the State, and thinking that the Galley might be of some benefit, and being fully sensible if she was sold, it would be impossible to supply her place, because the proceeds would be otherwise applied, I induced the Board to consent that she should be continued in the service. I shall put off, if I can, any determination on your letter, until I receive an answer to this; because I plainly perceive the majority of the Board will be for selling her and placing the money on the ships now building. I am, with great respect, Your Excellency's most obedient, servant, WILLIAM ELLERY. P. S.-By a letter from Gen. Washington, yesterday, we are advised that a fleet from Cork, of forty-five sail, had arrived at New York, and that he was informed that the enemy there were taking up transports, perhaps, I say, to carry a reinforcement to Gen. Clinton, to supply the losses he sustained in his passage. Gen. Clinton, the 12th of May, was at James Island, and has not made an attack on Charleston. Gov. GREENE TO WILLIAM ELLERY. WARWICK, 17th April, 1780. SIR :-I received your favor of the 4th instant, and acknowledge I was short in not including the numbers you mention in Colonel Sherburn's regiment, &c. &c. Since I wrote to you, His Excellency Gen. Washington has taken care to furnish. this State with a return of the number of men doing duty, agreeable to the resolution of Congress, in the several Departments, except that of the artificers, which I recollect was omitted in that. But I doubt not this State will take care to be properly informed in regard to their numbers already on duty prior to their completing the number ordered. As the same time for which the men were engaged belonging to the Pigot Galley is nearly expired, the Council of War have ordered her up to Providence, and there her stores, &c., to be properly secured until further order, as she is not, by any means, a suitable vessel to answer the purpose for which she was intended, for reasons you notice in your letter, which I mentioned in that to the Board of Admiralty. I had nothing further in view when I mentioned in my letter to the Board of Admiralty, requesting to have another vessel in lieu of the Galley, to be for a cruiser to guard the island of Rhode Island, and scour the coast of small armed vessels, that she should proceed any farther than that she might be able to return into the harbor of said island in a few hours. It appears to me a suitable vessel to be employed in this way might be the means of doing double the service, with the number of men she would require, that an equal number can by being stationed on said island. I am, with very great esteem, your most obedient, WILLIAM GREENE. |