Boston May 17th 1776 My Dear Sir,

Its probable before this that you have been acquainted of my removal from Taunton to this Town, with an Intention to persue the business of my profession: the reasons for this sudden Moenuvre I must give you at some future time, as I mean to improve this oppertunity for a Letter of Intelligence, only observing that I am like the rest of Old Sinners, always beging pardon for past Offences & promising reformation for the future.

This morning one of the Continental Privateers commanded by one Muckford, took a large Ship, 280 Tons burthen, off the Lighthouse, six weeks out from Cork, laiden with 75 Tons of Gun powder, 1000 stands of Carbines compleat & a large quantity of other Military Stores. The perticulars I can’t inform you; as the Ship was coming up, about Noon, the back way, commonly call’d Broad Sound, she got aground on the flats at high water, since which all the Boats of the Town have been imploy’d in unlaiding her & most of the powder is now secure (11 o’Clock at night) in the Magazine back of the Common. She is guarded to night by 4 Privateers & 300 of the Troops. The Kings Ships lay in King-Road within sight of the Prize.1 We have turn’d our Fast into a Thanksgiving. Pray appoint another next Month; we shall have more powder Ships upon the Coasts.

The Fortifycations around the Harbour now go on grandly. We have a fine Fort on Fort Hill almost finish’d, mounting 20 peices of Cannon, another on Noddles Island mounting as many, a third on Dorchester point with 12 peices of Cannon and they are now at work on the Castle where they have already 12 peices of Cannon mounted. The Inhabitants of the Town have generously subscribed in Work & Money to the amount of 400 Johannes’s, by which means the Works on Noddles Island have been cheifly erected.

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Mr. Joseph Russell, with whom I at present live, wou’d be much oblig’d if you cou’d by your influence, either at the Congress or with the Council of this provence, obtain any post for him in the way of his business as Auctioneer, such as the Marshall of the Admiralty. He has wrote to Mr. Collins on the subject, who will speak to you about it. I desire it as a Friend you wou’d not forgit him.

I heard from Taunton yesterday when your Family and Friends were all well. Mr. Greenleaf & most of his Family are come to Town. Dr. Whitworth & son2 are in prison for Toryism and Male practices.

As I have now the Weekly oppertunity of the post, I hope in some measure to compensate for my past neglect, but if I do not, you must still believe me to be your most sincere Friend and Obliged Humble Servant,

David Cobb

I intended to have sent this Letter by Mr. Glover of Philadelphia, but he went out of Town sooner than I expected, which obliges me to improve the post.

RC ; addressed: “The Honble. Robt. Treat Paine Esqr. At Philadelphia pr. post”; endorsed; postal stamps: “BOSTON” “20 MA.”

1.

The schooner Franklin (James Mugford, commander) took the ship Hope (Alexander Lumsdale, master) with a cargo of 1000 carbines, five gun carriages, 10,000 sand bags and 1,500 barrels of gunpowder. On May 19, Mugford was killed in an encounter with a British transport ship (Naval Documents of the American Revolution, 5:133, 161–162). See also David Cobb to RTP, May 20, 1776 (below).

2.

On Apr. 6, 1776, a few weeks after the evacuation of the town by British troops, the General Court ordered the arrest of Dr. Miles Whitworth (c.1715–1778) and his son Charles (1753–c.1800), among a number of other Loyalists living in Boston, “which are or may be complained of having Designs to act, or having acted against the Rights of this or the other United Colonies, or of having in any Manner aided, abetted or assisted the Enemies of the United Colonies, &c.” They were at first released on bail but were committed to Boston jail on May 3. Abigail Adams thought that Dr. Whitworth along with his colleague Dr. James Lloyd “both ought to be transported.” The House of Representatives rejected Dr. Whitworth’s renewed bail petition on June 12, 1776, and apparently moved the prisoners out of town. On Aug. 31, they were ordered from Weston to the town of Harvard, because his presence was “attended with pernicious consequence by increasing that fire of Toreyism.” (Journals of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, 51, pt. 3:89; John Rowe, Diary, Mass. Hist. Soc., 2144, 2150; Abigail Adams to John Adams, Apr. 14, 1776, in Adams Family Correspondence , 1:379; Massachusetts Acts & Resolves, 19:530).