Letter from the Provincial Congress of New-York

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In Provincial Congress, New-York,

May 25, 1775.

To the Honourable the Governour and Company of the ENGLISH Colony of CONNECTICUT:

BRETHREN: By a minute of the Grand Continental Congress, of the eighteenth of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, a copy of which we do herewith transmit you , we are informed that Ticonderoga hath been taken by sundry inhabitants of the Northern Colonies; and from the minute aforesaid we are assured that this measure was for the common safety of the American Colonies.

In pursuance of the directions contained in that minute, we have given the necessary orders for removing the cannon and stores taken at that important fortress to the south end of Lake George, and for securing them there; and we have appointed Messrs˙ John N˙ Bleeker, Henry I˙ Bogart, George Palmer, Dirk Swart, and Peter Lansing, superintendents of this business.

There is no doubt but that our brethren of Connecticut will feel great reluctance at the idea of ordering any of their troops to march within the bounds of this Colony, for the purpose of defending the fort of Ticonderoga and the cannon and stores above-mentioned at Fort George. But we pray you to cast away all fears of offending us upon this occasion. We shall be happy to hear that you have placed a part of your forces in these posts, with intent to defend them, until they shall be relieved by troops from this Colony.

In further pursuance of the directions of the Grand Congress, we have ordered provisions to be conveyed to Ticonderoga and Lake George, and we shall continue to furnish such supplies as we shall deem necessary.

You will be pleased, gentlemen, to appoint trusty

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P˙V˙B˙ LIVINGSTON, President.

By order of the Congress:

JOHN MCKESSON,
ROBERT BENSON,

Secretaries.

P˙ S. We pray you to use every effort to preserve and improve the present peaceable disposition of the Canadians and Indians, for which purpose we think it will be necessary to keep up the strictest vigilance to prevent any incursions from being made into the Province of Quebeck.