usual Interest & to this I am the more inclined as Specie will most readily command Teams &c.

You will keep an accurate account of your Expenses & report to me occassionly the progress you made in the Business.

[No. 3446.]

Major Keese Directed to Furnish Major Davis with Money and Transportation.

Poughkeepsie, Dec'r 22d 1780.

Sir, The bearer Major Davis, is going on Command to Middletown in Connecticut. I have, therefore, to request that you will furnish him with a good rid'g Horse for himself & means for conveying his Baggage thither. He is out of Cash & I am so unfortunate as not to have it in my Power to advance him any to bear his expenses on the way. I must, therefore, also request of you to advance him some; if you have none I wish would endeavor to borrow it on my Credit from some of your neighbours & inform me of it. Capt. Pell & Lieut. Weissenfels are ordered on recruit'g Service, the former to Crumpond, & the latter to Goshen. I wish also that they could be accomodated with each an Horse which they are to return immediately.

I am,

&c.

Major Keese.

Geo: Clinton.

[No. 3447.]

The Governor to Mr. L'Hommedieu Regarding Clothing and the Forthcoming Meeting of the Legislature.

Pokeepsie, 22d Dec'r 1780.

D'r Sir, Mr. Floyd communicated to me your Plan for Cloathing our Troops & before he left this he wrote to you inform'g

that it mett my approbation. I have given Major Davis (who is now with me) an Impress warr't for the purpose with the necess'y Instructions by which you will observe he is controulable by your advice; he has likewise a Letter to Gov'r Trumbull on the Subject. I must request that you to attend him in the delivery of it & procure the necessary Sanction of the Gov'r & Council for carrying this Business into execution. The Letter is left open for your Perusal; you'l be pleased to seal it before delivery.

Colo. Benson some time since transmitted to you & the other members, Copies of my Proclamation for convening the Legislature at Albany on Tuesday the 2d Jan'y next; lest they may have miscarried I now repeat it to you & must request your punctual attendance. You'l be pleased also to inform the other members in your qr. of it. I have been informed that a Post from Hartford rides towards the Grants. I must, therefore, also request you to write to Micah Townsend, Esqr. Atty. at Law at Brattleboro, New Hampshire Grants & inform him of & desire him to make it known to his Colleagues. I am &c.

The hon'ble Ezrah L'hommedieu, Esqr.

G: C:

[No. 3448.]

A Discouraging Outlook in Westchester-Mr. Philip Pell Writes of Exchanging Prisoners.

Fishkill, 22 Decem'r 1780.

Dear Sir, Immediately after the receipt of your Letter of the 27th of Novem'r I obtained a flag from Genl. Heath and went down to the enemy's out-post, to negotiate some exchanges with

De Lancey and at the same time wrote in to Commiss'y Loring, proposing among other exchanges, Henry Van Schaack for Saml. Townsend, David Van Schaack and Mathew Goes for Philips and Smith-Fletcher Mathews for Jesse Brush and received a Letter in answer from Loring, that he wou'd that day, send out Philips, Smith and Wheeler for the Van Schaacks and Goes and for "further information respecting exchanges, referred me to Major Skinner, our Commiss'y Genl. of Prisoners. who was then there." I settled some exchanges with De Lancey for the Westchester people taken by his Corps. I also received yours of the 18th inst. and am now at Fishkill and shall this day send over the necessary papers for the Van Schaacks and Goes to go in. I hardly think it in the power of the Westchester County people to fetch away persons that will bring out Townsend and Brush, for Westchester is almost given up.

When I went down Genl. Parsons wrote me and enclosed a list of prisoners taken on the water and then in Connecticut under his direction, and offered me, after getting out two or three persons of his, to let me have the remainder of Capt. Concklin, Brush & some others; this list I enclosed to Loring but had no answer to it. On Genl. Parsons's list were four Capts. of forage Vessels &c. and a number of Sailors, taken by the whaleboats. As Townsend was taken by De Lancey's Corps, and as we have several officers & privates belonging to him, prisoners to the Continent, I cou'd wish Colo. Hay to apply to the Commander in Chief for his direction to the Continental Commiss'y Prisoners to get Townsend exchanged for one of them; the loss of Townsend to Westchester County is great, and I wish I had some one to give for him but have not; and the business of exchanges has got to be so complex and intermixed that it is

difficult to manage it; Congress having resolved "that all exchanges should go through their Commissary", and he having exchanged some State Prisoners and myself some renders it almost impossible to know how to act.

The Resolve of Congress I think makes it entirely unnecessary to have a State Commiss'y of Prisoners and for my part I am tired of it. I was in Westchester County last Saturday -and found that there were no Troops there but a few Continental at Pines Bridge which can afford protection only to Crompond; the rest of the County altogether open to the rav ages of De Lancey's thieves who faithfully improved their opportunity and last Monday Night came up to North Castle and took of Major Lyon, Capt. Gilb't Lyon and Esqr. Peter Lyon the principal Supporters of that part of the Country, besides several others; this I had from a man who came from Bedford yesterday was on his way up Country to look a place to move to. Northcastle is now broke up, Bedford the next place was some time ago burnt, and Salem the upper part of the County is the frontier, and it is in the power of De Lancey to destroy that place when he pleases. The People of Westchester County think themselves given up to ruin, are discouraged and worn out, and believe they shall receive no further help; the Enemy drawing large supplies from Connecticut and other places by means of that part of the Country being left open. I cou'd wish you to communicate this situation of the Country to His Excellency the Governor; for I verily believe that unless something is done, Westchester County, in less than a month, will be totally in the Enemy's power; their exposed situation occasions those who were once good men to become corrupt by trading with the Enemy, and this I am afraid gains ground fast; besides the

constant taking away of them, lessens the number of fighting men. I am, Sir, with regard yours &c.

Colo. Benson.

[No. 3449.]

Philip Pell, Jun'r.

Beckmans Precinct Tory Assessment.

A True Coppy of a Tax List Agreeable to an Assessment Roll of those Persons that has Son or Sons gone to the Enemy of Beekmans Precinct Dutches County & State of New York in Specia or the New Emission, Dec'r 23d 1780.

To Be Collected Within Twenty Days As the Law Directs.

Jona. Dennis, Supervisor For Beekmans Precinct. To His Excellency, George Clinton, Esqr. Governor &c. &c.

As also another Tax List By Virtue of the Same Act for Raising a Tax from the People call'd Quakers, each Freeholder Forty Shill's and each Risident Sixteen Shill's of the same Denomination, in Specia or New Emission.