Colonel John Simpson,
I received your letter of yesterday by Mr Moore and immediately laid the same before His Majesty's Council in consequence of which a Detachment of the Craven Regiment of Militia are ordered to remain in Town until I receive further information from you whether the Regulators are or are not actually on their march and when we may expect them in Newbern; you will therefore not move your Regiment to Newbern until the Regulators have passed you if you find it impossible to obstruct them, which however I hope you will be able to do agreeable to the instructions I gave you in my letter of the 20th last month.