Cambridge February the 14. 1776
Sir
Through you I beg leave to lay before Congress, the Inclosed Letter from Lord Drummond to General Robertson, which came to my hands a few days agoe in order to be sent into Boston.
As I never heard of his Lor[d]ship being vested with power to treat with Congress upon the Subject of our Greivances nor of his having laid any propositions before them for an Accomodation, I confess It surprized me much, and led me to form various conjectures of his motives, and Intended application to General Howe & Admiral Shouldam for a pasport for the safe Conduct of such Deputies as Congress might appoint for Negociating Terms of Reconciliation between Great Britain and us. Whatever his Intentions are, however benevolent his designs may be, I confess that his Letter has embarrassed me much, and I am not without suspicion of Its meaning more than the Generous purposes It professes. I should suppose that If the mode for Negociation which he points out, should be adopted, which I hope will never be thought of, that It ought to have been fixed and settled previous to any application of this sort, and at best that his conduct in this Instance is premature and Officious, & leading to consequences of a fatal and Injurious nature to the rights of this Country. his zeal and desire perhaps of an amicable & constitutional adjustment’s taking place may have Suggested & precipitated the measure, be that as It may, I thought It of too much importance to suffer It to go in without having the express direction of Congress for that purpose, and that It was my Indispensable duty to transmit them the Original to make such Interpretations and Inferences as they may think right.
Messrs Willard & Child who were sent to Nova Scotia in pursuance of the Resolve of Congress, have just returned and made their Report, which I do myself the honor to Inclose you. they have not Answered the purposes of their commission by any means, as they only went but a little way into that Country, and found their Intelligence upon the Information of Others. You will see the reasons they Assign in excuse or justification of their conduct in the Report Itself.
Last night a party of Regulars, said to be about Five hundred, landed on Dorchester Neck and burnt some of the Houses there, which were of no value to us, nor would they have been, Unless we take post there; they then might have been of some service. A Detachment went after them as soon as the fire was discovered, but before It could arrive, they had executed their plan and made their retreat.
Inclosed is a Letter for David Franks Esqr. from Mr Chamier in Boston, upon the Subject of victualling such of the Kings Troops as may be prisoners within the Limits of his Contract, which I beg the favour of you to deliver him, and that proper agents may be appointed by him to see that It is done—I could wish too that Congress would fall upon some mode for Supplying the Officers with such Money as they may really stand in need of, and depute proper persons for that purpose & furnishing the privates with such Cloathing as may be absolutely necessary; I am applied to and wearied by their repeated requests—In some Instances I have desired the Committees to give the prisoners within their appointments, what they should Judge absolutely necessary for their support, as the only means in my power of releiving their distress—But I immagine that If there were persons to superintend this business, that their wants would be better attended to, and many exorbitant charges prevented and saved to the Continent & the whole wou’d then be brought into a proper account. I am Sir with great esteem & regard Your Most Hble Servt
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-03-02-0222-0001
The above mentioned enclosure from Messrs Willard & Child as follows:
We the Subscribers being appointed by his Excellency general Washington agreeable to an order of the Continental Congress to Repair to the Province of Novia Scotia for the following purposes Viztt to Inquire into the Disposition of the Inhabitants of Sd Province Towards the common Cause of america the Condition of their Forti[fi]cations Quantity of warlike Stores the number of Soldiers and Salors and Ships of war.
We beg Leave to Report as follows that agreeable to the above order we did Repair to a place Called Campobello about Twenty or thirty miles into the Province aforesaid, but Could not Cross the Bay of Funda [Fundy] for no Vessel Could be hired or procured Except we purchase one as Every Vessel Even to a Boat that Crossed the Bay was Seized as soon as they Came into Port Except Cleared from Hallifax and we Could not Travel any further into the Country By Reason of governor Leggs [Legge] Establishing Martial Law in Said Province and Isuing Several proclamations one Bea[r]ing Date July the 5 1775 which is as follows
I Do therefore with the advice and Consent of his Majesty’s Council publish this proclamation hereby Notifieing and warning all Persons that they Do not in any manner Derectly or Inderectly aid or assist with any Supplies whatever any Rebel or Rebels nor hold Intelligence or Correspondence with them nor Conceal harbour or protect any Such offenders as they would avoid being Deemed Rebels and Trators and be proceeded against accordingly
Also a proclamation Dated December the 8 1775 forbiding any Strangers to be in Halifax more than Two hours without making his Business Known to a Justice of the Peace upon the pain and Peril of being Treated as Spies, also forbiding any Person Entertaining any Such Stranger for more than Two hours without giving Information on the penalty aforesaid.
From our own Knowledge and the Best Information from others about Eight parts out of Ten of the Inhabitants of Novia Scotia would Engage in the Common Cause of america Could they be protected.
There are no Fortifications in the Province only at Halifax and those much out of Repair but they are at work on them they have Piquitted the Town in and have about one hundred and fifty Peaces of cannon not mounted and about Twenty or thirty peaces mounted in the Town there was at Halifax about Two hundred Soldiers the Begining of January 1776 which was all that there was in the Province at that Time but we are crediably Informed that there are Two Regements arived there Since that time there was only one Ship of war of 60 guns at Halifax and one of 14 at annopolis [Royal] at the Time aforesaid.
Aaron Willard
Moses Child
George Washington Papers, Series 4, General Correspondence: Moses Child and Aaron Willard to George Washington, Report. 1776. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/mgw444482/, https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=GEWN-print-03-03-02-0222-0002