Providence March 27th. 1778 Sr.,

We did our selves the honor of addressing you on the 13th. Feby. last upon the subject of our proceedings in persuance of the Resolve of Congress of Decr. 12th. for enquiring into the Causes of the failure of the Expedition against Rhode-island; we then informed your Honor that after spending a Week on the business & not being able to finish it we 26 adjourned to the 23d. day of March at which time we have met & have finished the Enquiry in the best manner we found ourselves capable & we hope the manner in wch. we have executed it will give satisfaction to the honble. Congress.

We are very sorry the Execution of this Commission has been so long delayed & we wish to Satisfy the honble. Congress that it has not arisen from a want of due attention in us who were honored with the appointment. The Severity of the Season at which the Enquiry was Appointed, the exceeding badness of the travelling, our previous Engagements in public business of equal great importance were the real Causes.

it gives us much uneasiness to find our selves obliged to perform this business with a bare quorum of the Comsrs. we hoped for the assistance of Mr. Benson on the adjournment, but have not been happy enough even to hear from him on the Subject.

The Ideas we have of augmenting the importance of executing the Commission of Congress

The business of our Commission is a matter of such great Expectation & concern that it was with great reluctance we entered upon it with a bare quorum of the comissrs. & nothing but the Idea of embarrassing the Administration of Congress by neglecting their requisition, & the danger of having this matter too far postponed or totally neglected, induced us to undertake it. We hoped for the assistance of Mr. Benson on the adjournment, but have not been happy enough even to hear from him on the Subject.

In persuance of this business we have attended to the questions pointed out in our Comissn. & have proposed them to every person whom we could judge capable of answering them & we have proposed some other questions which we thought tended to throw light on the Subject, we have also collected all the proceedings & determinations of all Councils of War & the opinions of each member of such Council & other papers respecting the matter which have come within Our knowledge, we have also procured a Copy of the Enquiry made by Committees from the N. England States into the Causes of the failure of the sd. Expedition, all which we herewith transmitt.

In the Execution of this business certain Expences have arisen, some of which the honble. vizt. Waiter, Expresses procured by our Order by the Sherriff, Wood & Candles. The honble. the Council of the State of Rhodisland proposed advancing an acct. of the United States but it was thought more convenient the Accounts should be paid by Mr. Tillinghast Continental Agent after they had been examined & allowed by the honble. 27 Council of War, & accordingly We drew an order of Mr. Tillinghast for that purpose as also for 28 dollars for the Clerks & also for 200 dollars for the actual Expences of the three Comssrs. on their first meeting & we have proceeded in the Same manner for the Expences of this meeting, being 32 dollars for the clerks & 78 dollars for the actuall Expences of the Cmssrs. & stated the same in acct. to Mr. Tillinghast, as the honble. Congress had given no direction for the payment of these Expences we thought the method we have taken would be most satisfactory & hope it will prove so.

We are with great Respect your hons. most hble. Srvts. R.T.P. O.E. H.M.

Copy

Dft. in RTP’s hand; internal address: “To the honble. Henry Laurens President of the Congress—York Town.” The RC (Papers of the Continental Congress, National Archives, item 78) of this letter is in a clerical hand and signed by Paine, Ellsworth, and Marchant. It is printed in Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774–1789, 9:345–346.