Letter to Governour Trumbull

v3:1624

New-York, November 21, 1775.

SIR: We are favoured with your Honour' s letter to Henry Remsen, Esquire, enclosing a vote of your Honour and the Council of Safety, soliciting the loan of some cannon, of the size of eighteen and twenty-four pounders, for the use of the Town of New-Haven. In answer to which, we inform your Honour that we have no cannon of the size you mention, the exclusive property of our constituents, though there are a considerable number lying on the Battery, claimed by the Province; and as our Congress (who are competent to determine upon your application) are about sitting, we have accordingly referred it to them; not doubting but they will cheerfully render you any assistance in their power, consistent with our immediate safety, though we are strongly inclined to believe they will judge it inexpedient to have the cannon removed off the Battery, under present circumstances, from a well-grounded apprehension of the consequence such a measure would be productive of. We are informed there are many heavy cannon lying useless at Ticonderoga: we submit to you whether it would not be expedient to apply to the Continental Congress for liberty to transport from thence to New-Haven any number that Town may have occasion for. Should that fail, we believe, by applying to the New-Jersey Provincial Congress, you may get any number and sizes made you choose, as there were foundries employed last war in that Province for a like purpose.

We are, with great regard, your Honour' s most humble servants.

By order of the Committee:

JOHN BROOME, Chairman pro tem.