of the Council of Safety, 1776. 105

Ever since the commencement of the unnatural war waged
by a wicked ministry against this Country I have considered
it as my indispensable duty to exert my feeble abilities in its
defence and entring early into the service have had the good
fortune to be so far recommended to the Honorable the Con-
tinental Congress as to obtain a commission as Major of a
Battalion of Riflemen to serve the United States three years,
and being diffident of my abilities to discharge the duties of a
more exalted station at present beg leave to decline the very
honorable appointment by which you gentlemen have confer'd
an obligation on me ever to be most gratefully remembered
and acknowledged, I beg leave in a particular manner to pro-
fess my gratitude to those worthy gentlemen by whose recom-
mendations I obtained so respectable an appointment their
favourable opinion I trust will always be maintained by a pro-
priety of conduct in Gentlemen
Y^r mo obligd & obed^t Hb^le Serv^t
The Honb^le The Provincial Congress O. Williams
of Maryland.

C. S. C.

[Maryland Deputies to Council.]

Original.

Philadelphia July 23^rd 1776.
Gentlemen. Yesterday's Post brought us your Letter of
the 19^th Inst. The copies of the Letters from Colonels Barnes
and Jordan you omitted to inclose. We hope the necessity
of recalling the Captains Thomas and Hindman will soon be
removed, and that they will be permitted to march to the
flying camp as soon as possible. It is of the last Consequence
to collect a sufficient force to oppose the british Army which
may be hourly expected at Staten Island. General Washing-
ton has not above 15,000 Troops. Two Battalions of the Vir-
ginia Regulars are ordered to N. York, four Battalions in this
province and two more in New Jersey are ordered to reinforce
the flying Camp.
We agree with you that it will be useless to send Men with-
out arms. We have had no opportunity to consult Congress
relative to the subsistence of the Men during the Time they are
collecting. We doubt not the expence will be continental.
If they should be employed on your Works it would contribute
to their Health & defray the expence of provisions.
A Man who professes to be an adept in the Refining
Sulphur has applied to us & enclosed are his terms. We are
ignorant whether any Quantity of Sulphur has been discov-
ered in our Colony, & do not know whether you want such
a Man.