of the Gent.* who has so interfered with you and there are appearances of many other things agst him, which begin to work, and will I believe prove his Down fall, but things are not fully ripe yet, nor can they possibly be attended to now. He had lately written a very long Epistle to enforce the necessity and expedience the bestness and Cheapness etc. of supplying the northern army by a Contract with somebody there. it was hastily read thro in the House, and not the Lest further notice taken of it. I presume he will not interpose in your Departmt again, tho I know He has paid but little attention to his orders in many things. We yesterday moved the appointmt of a D. Adjt Genl. for that army, and with no great Difficulty carried the appointmt of your Bro' Jno to that office. nothing is added about the rank and Pay, but on motion and Enquiry I found it to be an establishment already made, of a Colo., and there was no need of it. I trust the Prest has forwarded the Comis". Morgan Lewis was also appointed D. Qr. Masr. Genll for the same Department. I have no Doubt Congress will reward yr Services. are now busie in planing etc. for forming a new and permanent Army.' will 20 Dols. bounty and 100 acres of Land at the Close sufficiently operate upon N Engld. Men to engage for 5 years. tho I pretend not to say such a thing will be carried if attempted indeed I much fear it. but I wish I had the best opinions etc. etc. about it soon as possible. I am dear Sir with undissembled and strong Affection, your Friend and Bro Col. Trumbull. [P. S.]. . . WM WILLIAMS 125. WILLIAM WILLIAMS TO JOSEPH TRUMBull.1 Sepr. 13. P M. [1776.] Dr Sir Walter Livingston. Cf. nos. 56, 123, ante. In Force, Am. Arch., fifth ser., II. 1337, is a document, dated Nov. 13, containing a complaint of James Deane against Walter Livingston, and what appears to be a report of the committee appointed on Trumbull's letter of Sept. 7 (see note 2, above) relative to the controversy. This report is printed as a foot-note in the Journals (ed. Ford), V. 750 (Sept. 11). 5 This letter of Walter Livingston has not been found. There is, however, a letter from Walter Livingston to Robert R. Livingston, Aug. 25, 1776 (original in possession of Mr. Johnston L. Redmond of New York; photostat in possession of the Carnegie Institution), which states that General Schuyler had advised Congress that the army be supplied by contract, and would write to-morrow, recommending that the refusal" of the contract be given to Walter Livingston. "I must earnestly entreat you", says Walter Livingston, "to write every friend you have in Congress requesting them to exert themselves, (if a Contract is made) to obtain the refusal of it for me." In a postscript he adds: "I have just wrote to our members in Congress." The latter is probably the letter to which Williams refers. In regard to supplying the army by contract, see nos. 145, 162, 164, 165, 172, 175, post. 6 See no. 123, ante. Cf. nos. 331, 415, 419, post. 7 Cf. no. 121, ante, and no. 128, post. [125]1 Conn. Hist. Soc., Joseph Trumbull Papers. 2 No. 124, ante. the sum and substance of their Report is, that having sent a previous Message to him he agreed to receive Them on Staten Island at a house opposite Amboy. he accordingly sent over a Barge Wednisd. morning. They went in without Ceremony. H. met Them on their Landing, complimented Them on the Honor They did, by their unlimeted Confidence they placed in Him, by puting Them selves so intirely in his Power etc. waited on Them to the House, entertained them most politely, and with a cold Collation, etc. introduced the Subject by informing Them how He first came to give his Attention to this American Dispute, viz the passing the Boston Port Bill awakend and alarmed his youthful remembrance and attention to that Town and Province which had been impressed on Him from the high Respect and Honor They had done his Brother etc. and from that Time he attended to the American Affairs etc. He was urged to come over, had an ardent Desire to settle the Controversie amicably etc. being asked if He had Power to settle it, He ownd He had no other than to confer with Congress Members, but not as such, or any other Gent. whom They called Rebels, (this it seems took him his two months to obtain) and to move and urge Them to their Duty etc. and to deliver [?] Them in the Kings Peace. He had no power to treat with Them as Members of Congress, and no Terms or Proposals to make to any, without a full return to their Allegiance as an indispensible Preliminary. when that shod be come into his Majesty wod certainly cause the grievious Acts of Parliament to be revised, and if it shod appear just and fit, his Majesty wod obtain such reasonable Relaxation as He shod think just and right, or to that purpose. this is the Substance as I can recollect. So that on the whole He appears to have no Kind of Power but what is contained in the Act of Parliamt. saveing a Liberty of personal Conferance with the Rebels, as well as the Friends of Governmt. This is what was expected by almost every one who were for sending Them. indeed there is less daubing and Pretentions of Powers, and much less plausible pretentions and assurances of relaxation and generous fair Treatment etc. than was expected. He says Genl Sullivan mis took him, in saying he offerd that Parlit. wod give up the Idea of Taxation and govern our internal Police etc. 8 thus, it is conceived one great point is gained, is to strike the Torys dumb, or rather to defeat and kill the impressions they were makeing and wod have made on many Friendly but credulous Minds by their confident and undaunted Assertions, that Ld H. was vested with full and ample Powers to settle the Controversie on the most equitable Terms and such as wod give perfect Satisfaction to all America except the turbulent and haughty, who wished to continue the War, for their own Honor and Emolument, and was disposed and evidently desirous to do so. His Ld. Ship expresd his great Pain and Regret for the unhappy Consequences to America of their refusal to submit etc. and was told America 3 Cf. no. 122, ante, and nos. 126, 128-132, post. wod use great Endeavors to save those Consequences safe and save him that Pain. the whole affair will I trust be published, in a few days. The Comte desired till Monday to draw up and lay in their Report in Writing.* I have wrote our Govr. all but this Result. I wish you cod immediately send him this or a Copy of it, as I cannot write him now, and fear my Letters may miscarry. Dear Sir, 126. CAESAR RODNEY TO GEORGE READ.1 PHILADELPHIA, September 13th. 1776. The people here have been, for several days, fully employed in forming conjectures with respect to the conference between the Commissioners of Congress and Lord Howe. They have been various—some Lord Howe has full powers, and if we have not peace it is the fault of Congress others there is no doubt but they will finally settle matters, and the armies be disbanded-others again, are cursed if they believe he has any powers at all. However, this business is put an end to by the return of the Committee, who report that having sent a letter to Lord Howe, by Express, to acquaint him of their coming, they proceeded to Amboy, where they arrived on Tuesday evening, and there, the same evening, received a letter from Lord Howe, in answer to theirs, letting them know that he would meet them, on Wednesday, at a house on Staten Island, opposite Amboy-that his Lordship the next day sent his boat for them, with a flag, and met them himself at the water-side, and in a very polite manner conducted them up to the house, where he had a dinner, and plenty of good wine for them, and that after dinner they had a conference, which, with the time they were dining, was about three hours. Upon the whole it seems his Lordship has no power to make a peace, or even to order a cessation of arms-that he had a power to confer with any person or persons whatsoever to hear what they had to offer, and report to his majesty, but that previous to any thing else we must return to and acknowledge obedience to his majesty. This being done, he did not doubt, on his representing matters home, but that the several acts of parliament and instructions might and would be revised, and many of our grievances removed.2. . . . Sir, 127. WILLIAM ELLERY TO THE GOVERNOR OF RHODE ISLAND (NICHOLAS COoke).1 PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 14th, 1776. Agreeably to the Resolution of the State of Rhode-Island, etc., My Colleague and I made Application to Congress, and received an Order 4 The committee made a verbal report on the day this letter was written, and a written report_Sept. 17. [126] N. Y. Pub. Lib., Bancroft Coll., Revolutionary Papers, I. 215 (copy); Read, Life of George Read, p. 190. 2 Cf. no. 125, ante, and nos. 128-132, post. [127]1 R. I. Arch., Letters to the Governors, 1776, p. 64; Staples, R. I. in Cont. Cong., p. 85. on the Treasury for One hundred and twenty thousand Dollars; Out of that Sum I have received seven hundred Dollars, partly to procure etc. a Monument for the late Honble Samuel Ward, Esq., and partly for my own Use; for the whole of which I promise to be responsible to said State. I should not have taken any of the Money to my own Use could I have been supplied from Home without Risque; but as the Chance of a Loss may soon be great, and indeed the Communication by the North River may be intercepted, and it will make no great Difference to the State whether two hundred Dollars are advanced to One of their Delegates or not I hope my Conduct in this Instance will not be blamed. By a Resolve of Congress, there is ordered a Paymaster for each Battalion in the Continental Service. I know not whom to recommend as Paymaster to the battalion ordered to New York: Nor do I know whom to recommend as Surgeon to it. I shall recommend a Paymaster and Surgeon for the Battalion that shall remain at Newport, when it shall be known which of the Battalions hath marched to N. York. At present it is to me uncertain; for the President first required the Commanding Officer to order One of the Battalions to N. York; and afterwards, when it was known that the Field Officers were not commissionated, they were ordered by Congress to be commissionated, agreeable to the Recommendation of the Assembly, and the Second, Col. Lippitt's Battalion is ordered to march to N. York provided the first should not have marched before the Arrival of the last Direction of Congress.* Dear Sir: 128. JOSIAH BARTLETT TO WILLIAM WHIPPLE.1 PHILADELPHIA, September 14, 1776. Last Wednesday our Committee met Lord Howe on StatenIsland, where they ate and drank together. He treated them with great civility and politeness; and after about three hours' conversation, they took their leave of each other. His Lordship's conversation was full of his friendship for America—particularly the town of Boston, for their respect to the memory of his brother. He said that the ravaging and destroying America would give him great pain and uneasiness. Dr. Franklin replied that we should take proper, and he hoped effectual, care to prevent his Lordship's feelings on that account. On the whole all the terms he had to propose were, that we first of all lay down our arms and return to our allegiance; and then, he said, the King and Parliament would consider the acts we formerly complained of, and if they judged it proper would alter or amend them. They told him that General Sullivan said, that his Lordship in conversation told him that the King and Parliament would give up the right of taxation and of intermeddling with the internal police of the Colonies, and desired to know what authority 2 See the Journals, Sept. 2. 8 See the Journals, June 5 and 25. * See the Journals, Sept. 3 and 7. Cf. no. 114, ante. [128]1 Force, Am. Arch., fifth ser., II. 323; Harvard Univ. Lib., Sparks MSS., no. 52, vol. II., p. 156 (copy); Letters by Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, and Others, p. 40. he had to say it. Lord Howe replied, that General Sullivan must certainly have misunderstood him, as he had no right to say any such thing, nor did he believe the Parliament would give up those claims. The Committee are about to publish the whole affair, which I hope will stop the mouths of the weak and credulous, who have had great hopes of peace from the supposed great powers entrusted with Lord Howe as a Com missioner for that purpose.2 The affair of the Confederation rests at present. The Committee of the Whole have agreed that ninety regiments shall be inlisted for five years, if not sooner discharged by Congress. The affair of bounty is not yet settled; the proposal of giving lands as a part of the bounty has boggled us; however, it will be got over in a few days, I believe, and sent forward. The great difficulty of raising men for so long a period, made me think it my duty to prevent more being required of our State than their just proportion by numbers; and by producing the return of our number of inhabitants, I have got the proportion to be fixed at three instead of four regiments for our State, to be raised and completed for that term.3 Mr. Wythe is come to Congress.*. 129. JOHN ADAMS TO MRS. ADAMS.1 PHILADELPHIA, Saturday 14 September, 1776. Yesterday morning, I returned with Dr. Franklin and Mr. Rutledge from Staten Island, where we met Lord Howe, and had about three hours' conversation with him. The result of this interview will do no disservice to us. It is now plain that his lordship has no power, but what is given him in the act of Parliament. His commission authorizes him to grant pardons upon submission, and to converse, confer, consult and advise with such persons as he may think proper, upon American grievances, upon the instructions to Governors and the acts of Parliament, and if any errors should be found to have crept in, his majesty and the ministry were willing they should be rectified.2. . 130. FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE TO LANDON CARTER.1 My dear Col. PHILADELPHIA Sepr. 15, 1776 As the Court of G. B. has ever accompanied violence with deception; Ld. Howe their agent since his arrival, has constantly endeav 2 See the Journals, Sept. 13 and 17. Cf. nos. 122, 125, 126, ante, and nos. 128-132 post. See also no. 102, note 2, ante. post. 8 See the Journals, Sept. 9-16. Cf. nos. 121, 124, ante, 135, 139, 142-145, 147, 148, The Virginia credentials were presented Aug. 28, but probably Wythe did not attend until some days later. Cf. no. 103, note 2, ante. [129]1 Familiar Letters, p. 226; Force, Am. Arch., fifth ser., II. 324. 2 Cf. nos. 109, 117, 122, 125, 126, 128, ante, and 129-132, post. [130]1 Va. Hist. Soc., Lee Papers, IV. 79. |