have long meditated the attempt under the direction of Colo Clarke, but the expense would be so great that whenever we have wished to take it up the circumstance has obliged us to decline it; two different estimates make it amount to two Millions of Pounds, present Money. We could furnish the Men, provisions and I believe every necessary except Powder; had we the Money, or could the demands from us be so far supplied from other quarters as to leave it in our Power to apply such a Sum to that purpose and when once done it would save annual expenditures to a great amount. When I speak of furnishing the men, I mean they should be Militia: such being the popularity of Colo Clarke & the confidence of the western people in him that he could raise the requisite number at any time. We therefore beg leave to refer this matter to yourself to determine whether such an enterprise would not be for the general good, & if you think it would, to authorize it at the general expense; this is become the more reasonable if as I am informed the ratification of the Confederation has been rested on our cession of a part of our western Claims a cession which (speaking my private opinion only) I verily believe will be agreed to if the Quantity demanded be not unreasonably great. Should this proposition be approved it should be immediately made known to us as the season is now coming on at which some of the preparations must be made. The time of execution I think should be at the breaking up of the Ice in the Wabash & before the Lakes open. The interval I am told is considerable.

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.

(SAMUEL HUNTINGTON.)

C. C.

RICHMOND Oct. 14. 1780.

SIR,-At the desire of Majr. Genl. Gates I transmit to you the inclosed papers which he put under cover to me. He complains of the arrival of our troops without clothes, tents, or arms at Hilsborough : and desires they may not be sent on at all unless completely equipped with every necessary. This would indeed put an end to the marching a single man there. They go clothed as militia. Few of them carry blankets. Nor shall we be able to furnish tents or arms for more than half of them. However they will go on in hopes of supplies from Congress.

TO MAJOR-GENERAL HORATIO GATES.

J. MSS.

RICHMOND Oct 15. 1780.

SIR, I am rendered not a little anxious by the Paragraph of yours of the 7th Inst., wherein you say "it is near a month since I received any Letter from your Excellency; indeed the receipt of most that I have wrote to you remain unacknowledged." You ought within that time to have received my Letter of September 3d. written immediately on my return to this place after a fortnights Absence.—That of September 11th acknowledging the receipt of yours which covered Draughts for Money; that of Sept. 23d on the Subject of Batteaux at Taylor's Ferry, Waggons, Maps of Virginia, wintering the French Fleet in

Chesapeake, our new levies, and Provisions from our lower Counties-and that of [Oct. 4] in Answer to yours of Sept 24th. and 27th. I begin to apprehend Treachery in some part of our Chain of Expresses, and beg the favor of you in your next to mention whether any and which of these Letters have not come to hand.

This acknowledges the receipt of yours of Sept. 28. and Oct. 3, 5, and 7th. The first of these was delivered four or five days ago by Capt. Drew. He will be permitted to return as you desire, as we would fulfil your wishes in every point in our power, as well as indulge the Ardor of a good Officer. Our militia from the Western Counties are now on their march to join you. They are fond of the kind of Service in which Colo Morgan is generally engaged, and are made very happy by being informed you intend to put them under him. Such as pass by this place take Muskets in their hands. Those from the Southern Counties beyond the Blue Ridge were advised to carry their Rifles. For those who carry neither Rifles nor Muskets, as well as for our 18 months' Men we shall send on Arms as soon as Waggons can be procured. In the meantime I had hoped that there were Arms for those who should first arrive at Hillsborough, as by Genl. Stevens Return dated at his departure thence there were somewhere between 5 and 800 muskets (I speak from memory not having present Access to the Return) belonging to this State either in the hands of the new Militia who were there or stored. Capt Fauntleroy of the Cavalry, gives me

hopes he shall immediately forward a very considerable Supply of Accoutrements for White's and Washington's cavalry. He told me yesterday he had received 113 Horses for that Service from us. Besides those, he had rejected sixty odd after we had purchased them, at 3000 apiece. Nelson's two troops were returned to me deficient only 12 Horses, since which 10 have [been] sent to him by Lt Armstead. I am not a little disappointed therefore in the Number of Cavalry fit for Duty as mentioned in the Letter you enclosed me. Your request (as stated in your letter of the 7th) that we will send no men into the field, or even to your camp, that are not well furnished with Shoes, Blankets, and every necessary for immediate service, would amount to a stoppage of every man; as we have it not in our power to furnish them with real necessaries completely. I hope they will be all shod. What proportion will have Blankets I cannot say we purchase every one which can be found out, and now I begin to have a prospect of furnishing about half of them with Tents as soon as they can be made, and forwarded. As to provisions, our Agent Eaton, of whom I before wrote, informs me in a Letter of the 5th inst he shall immediately get Supplies of Beef into motion and shall send some corn by a circuitous Navigation. But till we receive our Waggons from the Western Country, I cannot hope to aid you in Bread. I expect daily to see Waggons coming in to us. The Militia were ordered to rendezvous at Hillsborough, expecting they would thence be ordered by you into service. I send you herewith a copy of

Henry's map of Virginia. It is a mere cento of blunders. It may serve to give you a general idea of the courses of rivers & positions of counties. We are endeavoring to get you a copy of Fry & Jefferson's; but they are now very scarce. I also enclose you some newspapers in which you will find a detail of Arnold's apostasy & villany.

*

TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.1

(SAMUEL HUNTINGTON.)

C. C.

IN COUNCIL Oct. 22d. 1780.

SIR,-The inclosed letters which came to hand this morning will inform your Excellency that a Fleet of the Enemy has arrived in our Bay; and that a Debarkation of some light Horse in the Neighbourhood of Portsmouth seems to indicate that as their first Scene of Action. We are endeavouring to collect a Body to oppose them as numerous as the Arms we have will admit. We are obliged of Consequence to divert to this New Object a considerable Part of the Aids we destined for Genl. Gates. We shall not however by any means consider his reinforcement as no longer interesting, but clearly see the Necessity of supporting him with our utmost abilities. We have therefore left part of our country which is more convenient to him uncalled on at present, which with the Proportion of Regulars, Volunteers, and Militia

1 A letter to Washington, of the same date, is largely a repetition of this. It is printed in Washington's edition, 1, 265.