Letter from the Committee for Ulster County, to the New-York Congress

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In County-Committee, New-Paltz, June 14, 1776.

GENTLEMEN: Your much esteemed favour of the 31st ultimo we duly received, and note it covered to us copies of two credentials contradicting each other as to the powers our Delegates were to exercise when in Congress. At present it is out of our power to give the honourable Congress that satisfaction in this matter which they requite and we sincerely desire to do. The reason is, our own County Committee is composed of two Members from each Precinct Committee, saveKingston, which claims the privilege of sending four. The Members of the Precinct Committees generally attend County Committee by rotation, for their ease and convenience; of course few of the Members that compose our County Committee give their attendance at the next; such is our situation at present; having only Messrs˙Schoonmaker andRobertson, from whom we can receive any information concerning this affair, and which we now transmit to the honourable Congress, together with sundry reasons delivered to this Committee by ColonelJohannes Hardenburgh, our late Chairman, why he signed two credentials, as before recited. This Committee do not think proper to make any remarks either on the reasons given them by ColonelHardenburgh , or the account of matters given by Messrs˙Schoonmaker andRobertson, as they submit both for the perusal of Congress; and have only now to add, for the information of the honourable Provincial Congress inNew-York, that it is resolved and ordered in this Committee, by a unanimous vote thereof, that the credentials delivered toMatthew Cantine, Esq˙, one of our present Delegates — in which credentials the Deputies from this County to Provincial Congress are charged and commissioned to nominateGeorge Clinton, Esq˙, and use their utmost influence to have him elected one of the Representatives for this Colony to the Continental Congress — be the credentials by which our Deputies in Provincial Congress are to be bound and regulate their conduct.

It gives us pain to reflect that anything transacted in this County should wear the appearance before the honourable Congress as though there was a division among the people, whereas the reverse is the case. We think we may be allowed to boast a little, not only of our unanimity in sentiment, but regularity in practice, ever since we were engaged in the grand contest, and that with as few exceptions as any County in this Province; therefore hope the honourable Congress will judge of this affair as an inadvertency in practice rather than a division among the people.

We have, gentlemen, the honour to be your most obedient and very humble servants.

By order of the Committee:

ROBERT BOYD, Jun˙,Chairman.

To the Honourable the Provincial Congress of the Colony ofNew-York.