The Committee appointed by this Town to receive and distribute Donations made for the relief and employment of the sufferers by the Boston Port Bill, have received your favor of the 2d of February, directed to the Committee of Correspondence of Boston, whereby you acquaint them that a collection is making by the gentlemen of Cecil County, in Maryland, for those sufferers, and desire to be informed in what way it will be most agreeable to have it remitted to this place. As Mr. Sam'l Purviance, of Baltimore Town, has already obliged us by his kind offices of this kind, the Committee have asked the further favor of him, (if it be most agreeable to you,) that this generous donation may be remitted through his hands. I am, with sincere regard for our sympathizing brethren in your County, in behalf of the Committee, Gentlemen, your obliged and affectionate friend and countryman, _________________________________________________________________ 1The committee of correspondence for Cecil County, Virginia. TO RICHARD HENRY LEE. [MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library; a shorter text is in Force, American Archives, 4th ser., vol. ii., p. 176 ; portions of the letter are printed in W. V. Wells, Life of Samuel Adams, vol. ii., pp. 256, 257, 281.] BOSTON March [21] 1775 SIR/ I am much obligd to you for your Favor of the 4th of Feb last by Cap Leighton. From the begining of this great Contest with the Mother Country Virginia has distinguishd herself in Support of American Liberty; and we have abundant Testimony, in the liberal Donations receivd from all parts of that Colony, for the Sufferers in this Town, of their Zeal and Unanimity in the Support of that all important Cause. I have the pleasure to inform you, that the People of this Colony are also firm and united, excepting a few detestable Men most of whom are in this Town. General Gage is still here with Eleven Regiments besides a Detachment from the 59th & 65th, yet it is generally supposd there are not more than 2500 effective Men in all. They have been very sickly thro' the Winter past. Many of them have died and many others have deserted. I have lately seen a joynt List, which I believe to be a true one, of the Royal Irish and the Detachment from the 65th in which the whole Number was 167 & only 102 effective. But though the Number of the Troops are diminishd, the Insolence of the officers (at least some of them) is increased. In private Rencounters I have not heard of a single Instance of their coming off other than second best. I will give you several Instances of their Behavior in publick. On the 6th Instant there was an Adjournment of our Town Meeting when an Oration was deliverd in Commemoration of the Massacre on the 5th of March 1770. I had long expected they would take that Occasion to beat up a Breeze, and therefore (having the Honor of being the Moderator of the Meeting and seeing Many of the Officers present before the Orator came in) I took Care to have them treated with