wishes to be appointed & solicits your Interest in his behalf; from the opinion I have (founded on a Long acquaintance) of the abilities & Integrity of this Gentleman, I make no doubt of his : Supplying Mr. Welles's place in Every Respect, agreeable to the Wishes of Congress & should your Excellency think proper to Recommend Mr. Bleecker, it will be a favour which he will gratefully acknowledge. The legislature's meeting in this City affords a Pleasure to Margery, who has not been well for some time. She wishes to be kindly Remember'd to yourself & Mrs. Clinton, & believe me to be, Dear Sir, with every friendly wish Your most obed't Servant Albany, 9th Dec'r, 1780. John Tayler. Albany, 9th December 1780. Sir, By the death of Mr. John Welles, one of the Commissioners of the Chamber of Accounts for this department, it will become necessary to have his place filled; a number of accounts, I understand are already in that office for Examination, and as Mr. Edward Chin is the only person left with the Charge of the office & Consequently not able to do the business, I have taken the liberty to address your Excellency on this Subject, & permit me, Sir, to ask for your recommendation in my favour to Congress to fill that place, and give me leave to refer you to John Tailer's Esqr's letter respecting my Character &c. Should your Excellency be willing to grant me this request, I would beg leave to suggest that the Sooner the application is made the greater will be the Certainty of Succeeding. I am, your Excellency's most obedient & most Humble Se't John N. Bleecker. His Exellency, George Clinton, Esqr. Governor and Commander in Chief of the State of New York. [No. 3422.] Washington Writes Clinton in Consequence of a Sensational Story Regarding Flour. Head Quarters New Windsor, Dec'r 10th, 1780. Dear Sir, I have the honor to inclose to your Excellency a Letter this moment received from Mr. Stevens, Commiss'y of Issues at Fish-Kill; I must submit to you the propriety of suffering this flour to be exported, or the necessity of detaining it, under the present circumstances of the Army. It is with the utmost regret, I am compelled to represent to you, the distressed situation of the Troops on this River for want of bread, and the disagreeable prospects before us. The Army has been served for several days past, with but a small pittance of their Rations, there is no flour in the Magazines,— and I cannot learn from whence the next supply is to be derived. Under these circumstances, it is impossible for me to be responsible for the important Posts on this River, or even to assure myself the Troops can be kept together from one day to another. I have therfore to entreat your Excellency, that the most vigorous and effectual measures may be instantly adopted for procuring releif. I will not presume to recommend the mode, but only to observe, that unless some spirited exertions, or coercive means, are immediately made use of, for obtaining a supply; I can see nothing but ruin stare us in the face. I have the honor to be, with the most perfect respect & esteem, Your Excellency's most Obed't H'ble Serv't His Excellency Gov'r Clinton. Go. Washington. Fishkill, 9th Dec'r 1780. Sir, Mr. Jesse Wilson informs me there is about eight Tunns of flour in Mr. Joshua [Carmon or Cannon] Mill, about twelve miles East of this place, and that he heard a certain Thomas Williams, a trader and refugee from Long Island, agree for twenty teams, that have lately been discharged, to carry the same to Derby, in Connecticut, where Williams says it is to be put on Board for the purpose of transporting to Road Island. The teams go from this place at twelve oclock to-day. I believe Mr. Wilson to be a man that can be depended upon, and if the flour can be obtained, for the army's use, it certainly will be relieveing us in a distressing time. I have the Honour to be, your Excellencies most Obt. Ser't Nath'l Stevens, D. C. Genl. Issues. His Excellency General Washington. [No. 3423.] Judge John Haring's Views on the Possibilities of Contraband Transactions Between the Lines. Orange Town, December ye 11th 1780. Sir, About a Dozen yards Check linnen and two pounds tea has been brought before me by one of Captain Lawrence's rangers for Condemnation. These goods were taken from a Mr. Vreedenburgh coming from the other side the river as he landed on this Shoar. Mr. Vreedenburgh left the City of New York at the Commencement of the war; has resided between Tarrytown and Dobbs Ferry and was now removing with his Family to this place. It seems an order has been Issued some weeks since, by some Officer or Officers of our army, that the Whigs residing at or near Tarrytown should remove, and that Mr. Vreedenburgh was now Complying with that order. There is no positive proof that the goods came from the City of New |