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Tryon County Committee Chamber, August 26, 1775.
GENTLMEN: According to your regulations, we have voted Field-Officers for the Battalion in our County, and enclose you hereby a return , as well of the said elected field as other officers, not doubting you will approve of the same, and send us their respective warrants, that each one may be enabled to act with granted authority, when need requires, as without that it is very difficult to rule and transact in our Country and County in particular. We have already requested for your prescriptions in civil and military affairs, as especially the prosecution of civil laws in our County is almost entirely stopped, having got but one Justice of our whole Court left, who signed the Association freely, besides our Delegate, John Marlatt, Esq. For a cautiousness in need we agreed to some clauses in the interim, a copy of which we also here enclose for your approbation, if you find proper; but, notwithstanding, we
repeat our requests that you will please to provide us with your legal rules for cases of debts, trespasses, &c˙, as speedily as possible. In regard to our present Delegate at your Board, John Marlatt, Esq˙, if no urgent necessity requireth his longer stay at your conventions, we humbly solicit for his relief, to diminish our County expenses, the accruing of which, without want, we must really avoid, to satisfy the desires of our people. Please also to remember our want of powder, as a most necessary article of provision for our frontier place. We admitted four newly elected Members to the Committee of Palatine District,
as per the enclosure will appear.
We remain, with much esteem, Gentlemen, your obedient humble servants. By older of the Committee:
NICHOLAS HERCHKEIMER, Chairman.
P˙ S˙ We must annex yet that we find urgent reason to represent to you the troublesome and almost riotous behaviour of a person in Palatine District named Charles Gordon, who has resided but a short time in our County and the District aforesaid; he was a leader of a small party in his neighbourhood to vote a new Committee for said Palatine District. We had him before us, where he boldly, in company with three of his neighbours, insisted upon their proceedings to be legal, alleging for their authority a certain advertisement of our former Chairman, Captain Christopher P˙ Yates, now absent and under the
Committee for Tryon County to New-York Congress
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command of Major-General Schuyler, at Ticonderoga. This advertisement, on inquiry, was found and proved illegal, having been performed and put on arbitrarily, without consult and consent of the old chosen Committee, or a major part of them. We would use easy ways to prevent further commotions with the said Gordon; but he, depending upon his artificial tongue and eloquence, wherewith he induceth a good many ignorant on his side, would not cede, but striveth rather daily yet to engage people for his opinion, promising them to get the glorious victory against the old Committee of said District, to the contempt of the whole County Committee. According to intelligence we had this day, he endeavours to collect subscriptions of ignorant people, as well as of such being of a like temper with him, to his scheme, (planned and intended for continuing commotions and disturbances,) whereby a breach of union among us, formerly enjoyed, must be feared.