162 Journal and Correspondence

C S. C.

to that effect, altho' we apprehend a visit to the Eastern shore,
and are preparing accordingly. We have the satisfaction to
inform you that the report of a Landing at Col^o Smallwood's
was not true. — M^r Brents houses were burnt, and a good deal
of damage done — we hear of no particulars of any other
mischief up above.
We send you also inclosed a copy of a letter from Captⁿ
Deakins as a sample of the many applications we have from
almost all the Captains in the Flying Camp — they are in want
not only of guns but of almost every thing else, we expect to
be able soon to arm a number equal to that of the regulars,
who are marched to the camp, and that we shall be able to
send forward some Companies, perhaps a battalion or more,
by the middle of this month. To enable us to do this we
shall be obliged to advance more than the 5000 [ ] given by the
Convention to purchase arms, few or none can be borrowed.—
the companies, many of them, not yet compleat.
We expect the Convention will approve our advancing a
further sum to furnish arms for the flying Camp; without so
doing they would not have been in condition to march at all,
we think it adviseable to purchase for all the Companies rather
than suffer them to remain here on expence, or be dis-
banded, which must have been the case.
We have ordered Captⁿ Mantz down to S^t Mary's, and
given Captⁿ Thomas positive orders to march; so that
we hope he will soon be with you, on his way to New York.
We congratulate you on the safe arrival of the Molly Captⁿ
Conway in Great Wiccomico Virginia, with 21,000 w^t of Gun
Powder & 270 stand of small arms, for the use of this
Province, we shall get the Cargo up here as soon as we can
with safety. — We send you a letter from the Commander of
the North-American Troops which came by Conway which
please to forward to Gen^l Washington.
One of the waggons that came with Powder from Phil^a met
with an accident that is likely to prove fatal to a Sergeant of
Captⁿ Cox's guard, coming down the road not far from
J. Hammonds, a bridge over a deep gutter .that runs through
his old Field gave way and wounded two of the people,
shattered the waggon, and stove some of the powder, the loss
of one Barrel of Powder is trifling to the life of the sergeant,
he is not dead as yet; but 'tis apprehended cannot live ;
another man slipped his shoulder but is got better — the
Powder and arms are safe at the Magazine except part of two
barrels, making in all about one barrell lost.
We cannot but admire at what you say that there are only
3000 militia in Jersey, — permit us to ask what are become of
all the militia that we read in the Papers are marched from