To John Jay from Alexander McDougall, 14 December 1775
From Alexander McDougall
NewYork, Decr. 14th 1775
Dear Sir,
Your favors of the 4th. and 8th. instant I received this moment. It was the St. John’s officers, and not those of Chamblee, who were apprehensive that the Capitulation would not be maintained; but if my information of the destination of that Corps be true, their Suspicions must be groundless.1
You are fully acquainted with ^of^ my opinion on the subject of the Tea. Sure I am their determination is very impolitic. The Convention have wrote to Governor Trumbul on the Subject of the expedition against Mr. Rivington, and expressed It in such Terms, as will not be prejudicial to the Virtuous Union, and the Committee who drafted this Letter, are charged with reporting another to Your Congress, to pass a Resolution to prevent the inhabitants of one Colony’s coming into another in a Hostile manner, without the orders of the Continental or provincal Congress, the Committee of the County, or Safety, or the orders of the one of the Continental Generals.2
A Committee has been appointed to State and report the Continental disbursments, and I hope in a few days they will be ready.3 To morrow I shall move, that the Provission for our Continental delegates be determined.4 We have ordered that 100 Arms ^Muskets^ be procured for the Jersey Troops, which will be ready in a few days. But this is the Last that our neighbour can expect from us. For we want all we can make for our Selves; the Colony is already too much Striped of its Arms, both Public and private, to Arm the Continental Troops, while we have reason to beleive, that some of our neighbours are too tenacious of their provincial Security to spare their Arms to the Confederated Colonies.5 Have the Jersies taken their Public Arms to arm the Troops. Last Summer they were very illibiral on our poor Colony, for not expediting the march of our Troops detained Soley for the want of Arms, vaunting if they had orders to raise Forces, they would be filled Compleated, and appointed in a very Short time. Why dont they take the 80 Stand of Fine Arms, in the Tory County of Bergen, that belong to it? Must New York already
too much abused, be Striped of all; and Subject to further abuses, if for want of Arms and amunition they fall an easey prey to an Envaders?
Mr. Thomas Smith has brought the consideration of Govr. Tryons Letter, before Congress in an ill Judged manner. But the mischief of it will be defeated. They have determined opon resolutions approving of Assemblies & the ancient form of our excellent Constitution; ^but^ avoid an approbation of calling of Such a Body, at present; for the reasons hinted to you, and many others, which time will alow me to mention.6
The Bearrer hereof Capt. John Hazard has been master of a Vessel out of this port, and inclines entering into the Sea Service, of the Colonies. From the recommendations I have received of him, he will be fit to fill Some important office, in that department, Above petty Officers. I therefore think you may with Safety recommend him.7 My Nephew John McDougall8 is Gone to your City; to Enter into the Same Service. He is Capable to Serve, as First ^mate^ of a Vessel having Served his Time regularly to the Sea in the London Trade and well instructed in Letters for a Sea Officer. I shall direct him to apply to you. If There Should be such a vacancy, he may be relied on for his Sobriety and Integrity. I am Dear Sir in Haste Your Humble Servant
Alexr. McDougall
Col. Jay
ALS, NNC (EJ: 6920). Addressed: “Col. John Jay delegate for the Colony of New York in Congress, Phia., by Capt. Hazard.” Endorsed.
1. For the confusion over the prisoners from Chambly and St. Johns, see McDougall to JJ, 29 Nov. 1775, and JJ to McDougall, 4 Dec. 1775.
2. On 12 Dec. 1775 the provincial congress approved a letter to Jonathan Trumbull Sr., governor of Connecticut. The congress asked that Connecticut see to it that no such unauthorized raids would be repeated. Later in that session, the congress voted resolutions that expressed thanks to “the inhabitants of the Colony of Connecticut, who so cheerfully gave their aid at the request of the Committee of Westchester county, in the late suppression of the insurgents in that county against the cause of liberty,” and that authorized local committees to call for assistance from committees in other provinces in emergencies. The provincial congress’s letter to its delegates on this subject, dated 18 Dec., is omitted from but is printed in , 4: 422–23. , 1: 214.
3. This committee was named on 6 Dec. 1775. On 16 Dec., when the provincial congress listed the powers of a Committee of Safety that would sit during its adjournment, it empowered the committee “to carry into execution a settlement of accounts with the Continental Congress.” , 1: 206, 223.
4. On 15 Dec., McDougall moved that delegates to the First and Second Continental Congresses be allowed $5.00 for each day of their attendance, but the provincial congress reduced the allotment to $4.00 per day. , 1: 220.
5. For New York’s supply of arms to New Jersey troops, see above, JJ to McDougall, 4 Dec. 1775, n. 4.
6. Thomas Smith, Chief Justice William Smith’s brother, was a New York City delegate to the Second Provincial Congress. As part of the Loyalist strategy developed by his brother, Thomas Smith introduced four resolutions in the New York Congress on 8 Dec. These resolutions reaffirmed the province’s loyalty to the Crown and declared the necessity of the colony’s expressing its views on Lord North’s reconciliation plan in “such a way as His Excellency [Governor Tryon] may conceive to be most constitutional.” Debate on these resolutions was interrupted on 8 Dec. and did not resume until five days later. On 13 Dec., John Sloss Hobart offered substitute resolutions that gave explicit approval to an assembly session but included a sharp rebuke to the British ministry for its “arbitrary and tyrannical encroachments” upon provincial rights. On the morning of 14 Dec., McDougall and John Morin Scottled radical delegates in amending the resolutions offered the day before. By the noon recess that day, the resolutions had been altered to include an indictment of Parliament as well as the ministry, and the call for an assembly session was deleted. McDougall probably wrote to JJ during the midday break in the proceedings, since he does not discuss the afternoon debates, which resulted in resolutions declaring that “nothing of a salutary nature” would result from a “separate declaration” of New York on North’s plan, that the province was “fully and effectually represented in the Continental Congress,” and that Congress had already “fully and dispassionately expressed the sense” of the province in their July resolutions on the North reconciliation proposal. , 1: 210–11, 217–20.
7. John Hazard did not receive a Continental naval commission during the Revolution.
8. John McDougall was appointed a second lieutenant in the navy on 22 Dec. 1775. , 3: 443.