Whitehall, 5th Sepber, 1776.
Sir,
The impossibility of forming any certain Judgment here of the effects which the operations carrying on to the Northward might have upon the Savages in your Department or of the Measures which the Commander in Chief might think fit to adopt in consequence
of the events which might attend those operations, added to the difficulty of a safe conveyance, prevented my opening a correspondence with you since I have been honoured with the seal of secretary of State. You will however have been informed by Governor Young that your vigilance and attention to counteract the Machinations of the Rebel Emmissaries and to prevent the Defection of the Savages were very much approved will I hope have excited you to continue to exert the same zeal and activity for securing their Fidelity and in the Execution of such orders as you may have received from the Commander in Chief.The failure of the late attempt upon Charles Town will no doubt throw great advantage into the scale of the Rebels and encrease your difficulties but I trust your influence will be found superior to every motive they can urge or Inducement in their power to hold out to draw the Indians from their Allegiance.
The very ample credit given you by General Gage will enable you to defray whatever expence this most essential service may be attended with and as your Agents Messrs Grahams Johnston & Co had permission to send you the ammunition and arms you mentioned in your letter of the 17th of December to have ordered them to procure for you as far as they thought proper to execute your order every assistance has been given you by Government that you desired for strengthening your Hands and giving efficacy to your Negotiations.
Should General Howe find himself in a condition to extend his operations to the Southern Colonies in the Winter the Assistance of the Indians will be of the utmost consequence, and you will no doubt receive timely orders from the General to engage as large a number as possible for that purpose. You will therefore have that service in view in all your transactions with those People, and if you find the making Peace between the Choctaws and Creeks will facilitate your obtaining Parties from both Nations to co-operate with the King's Troops it will certainly be your Duty to take upon you the management of that Business and to accomplish it as speedily as possible.
In expectation of this service becoming necessary and to prevent any disappointment from the defective Execution of your orders to your Agents, a supply of Goods suitable for presents to the Indians is preparing by the Direction of the Lords' Commissioners of the Treasury and will be sent to Pensacola on board an armed Ordnance
Store ship that is to sail in about a month, and I have the satisfaction to acquaint you that in consequence of a Representation which I thought fit to make to their Lordships of the difficulties which the operation of the restraining Act would probably lay you under in obtaining Value for your Bills on their Commander-in-Chief, their Lordships have authorized me to direct you to draw upon the Treasury for the Amount of your Estimate accompanying your Bills with proper letters of advice, until such time as things shall return into their former Channel, and of which I have acquainted General Howe.This however is a Licence which is only to be made use of by yourself, for none of your Deputies must take that Liberty, and it is the more necessary for you to give them the most positive orders to that purpose, as some Bills drawn by Mr Thomas have been presented for payment, and being accompanied by a letter from you to him which seemed to countenance his drawing in that manner, their Lordships were pleased to order them to be paid.
Your letters to the Earl of Dartmouth of the 17th of December, 6th, 8th and 19th of Janry and 10th of Febry have been received, the four former only in June last. The latter, with the map of your District referred to therein, came to hand the 10th of May, and as it appears to be executed with great accuracy, will be very usefull in furnishing us with just ideas of that Country. I have also received your letters to me numbered 1 & 3, but that numbered two is still missing.