Sir, Philadelphia. Saturday Sepr. 17th 1774 By Express Which arrived here Yesterday, from the Committee of the Town of Boston to the general Continental Congress, Who are Informed the County of Suffolk of which the Town of Boston is the Capital, had entered into Certain Resolutions, a Copy of Which was inclosed us. Generally to the purport of not Suffering the Commander in Chief to Execute the Act of Parliament changing their Government by Persuading, protecting and Compelling officers under the new Regulation to Resign and by a Refusal in jurymen to Serve &c, That they have ordered all those able to bear Arms to keep in Readiess, to defend their inherent rights, Even with Loss of Blood & Treasure; That they are determined not [to] Injure the General or [any of the Kings Troops, Unless Compelled thereto by an Attack made by the Troops on them.
They complain of the General's Seizing the Powder at Cambridge Which they say was private property; and also that he is now fortifying the only pass that leads from the Town of Boston into the Country from Whence the inhabitants of the Town are daily Supplied. This pass is a Narrow Neck of Land about 120 yards wide, at Which he has placed a Number of Troops and 28 Canon. That the Country people passing and repassing this place are Suffered to be insulted by the Soldiery. And that the inhabitants feared (from those Movements of the General) he had designs of Apprehending and sending to England those persons who have Stood foremost in the great Cause of Liberty. That in Consequence of his Conduct, and these their Suspitions, the inhabitants of Suffolk sent (by a Committee appointed for that purpose) An address to the General, enquiring the Cause of his Stopping up and fortifying the pass, Seizing and Securing the Magazine's &c., & Their disaprobation of his Conduct--and that they had no Intention to assault either him or his Soldiers--But that if he Continued to block up the pass, and thereby prevent them the only Means of Supplying the Town with necessaries--they should Look upon it, as a Commencement of Hostilities. Upon the whole They Sent an Express to the General Congress here, for their Instructions as to their future Conduct. The Congress met on that business this day and have Resolved thereon--Which You Will see in the Packet of Munday being ordered imediately to be printed, as Well that the General, as the people might know What they thought of the Matter. If Morris or Henry Stays till Munday I Will Send you the Monday's paper.
Mr. Richard Penn has got Hockley office (1)--about £1200 a Year. Your Accot. of Politicks in Kent as Set forth in Your Letter by Butler, places them in that State I Expected they would be. However do not Doubt but a great Majority of the people Will Show Such a firm Attachment to the Cause in Which I am embarked as (With the assistance of My Real friends) Will defeat their little, Low, Ungreatfull Schemes.(2) If the Shallops go before Munday I shall Inclose you the New York paper of Thursday in this--if not Shall inclose the Mundays paper with it in another Cover. Let me here every thing, by Every opportunity. V. Loockerman will give you accot. of the Entertainment of Yesterday--by Whom I Wrote Several days ago. Remember me kindly to all friends--and next to Relations, to Doctr. McCall who did not forget me. I am Yrs. Caesar Rodney
RC (PHi).
1 Richard Penn, Jr. (1735-1811), son of proprietor Richard Penn and brother of John Penn, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Richard Hocklcy, merchant, served as receiver general of Pennsylvania, 1753-68, and then assumed the duties of naval officer, which he performed until his death in 1774. His father, Richard, had been a business partner of proprietor Thomas Penn. Nicholas B. Wainwright, ''All Indian Trade Failure: The Story of the Hockley, Trent and Croghan Company 1748-1752," PMHB 72 (1948): 352, 372n.
2 In a letter of September 11, 1774, Thomas had warned Caesar that his political opponents were attempting to gain their purpose "of throwinge you off the assembly." Rodney, Letters (Ryden), p. 46.
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