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Dear Sir:

I received your favor of the 9th Inst, and sorry and astonished I am that Congress should pay so little respect to the officers of this State, in which they are so immensely concerned. The dignity of Congress is much degraded and disgraced in my humble opinion by the disregard they have discovered in their treatment of the State of North Carolina, and its Chief Magistrate. Their inattention to the matter communicated to them by your Excelency, their neglect to answer and sending back your Bill, paying

part of the money, and taking no receipt for the same, surpasses the blunders of our Assembly. The hurry and multiplicity of business at the Treasury was very great, and very many blunders I suppose by means of such hurry. They lost but little time in attending to your Excellency's Commission. I think that the Council's advice was right for surely the province is in a very disagreeable situation in regard to our Recruits. There will be an absolute necessity for money to be made for the purpose of paying these men and other uses, perhaps 300 thousand pounds, when the engine is at work enough should be made. I expect you have an account by Mr. Ellis of the march of Clinton and his Troops through the Jerseys, where it seems many bridges have been destroyed and Trees thrown across the road to impede their march, and that Genl Washington is close upon them. I hope we shall soon have good accounts from them. I am much obliged to your Excellency for the Pennsylvania papers the contents of which is sufficient to convince me, that Independence will ere long be acknowledged by great Britain; the other papers shall tomorrow morning be forwarded to the respective owners.

I intend to accept your kind invitation to travel in company to Hillsborough, and shall accompany Mr. Leech up at the time you mention 'till then I hope you'l enjoy health, and Mrs. Caswell & family to whom please to present mine & Mrs. Cogdell's compliments.

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