Johnson & his company consisting of about eighty to Albany of whose arryvall we have had an accompt & are raising as many more as will make our number well towards two hundred as we hope which will be ready for their march as soon as we hear of the readines of the mashachusets & plumouth forces to be much before them will advantage nothing but hazard our men to the small pox now so rife at Albany. we request you to supply our men with what is needful in provision as also with ammunition according to your Hone's former promise and our dependance thereon we are also sending a vessel with provision for our souldiers & to pay what we may have borrowed for this expedition & are in all poynts by Gods help resolved to prosecute our intentions made known to you in the mean tyme till our provisions arrive at Albany we request you to supply our men with what is needful in provision &c. It will be necessary that the 5 nations ayde & the tyme and the generall maner of their readines be settled with'them by your Hon>"s meanes and the same signified to Boston and hither, as much guiding

LIEXJT. GOV. LEISLER. 253

the whole motion with us we have written to Boston, giving them an accompt of things as they are now with us, and amongst other matters have proposed to endeavor to procure Major Genii wintrop a comander in chiefe for the forces who we feare is not [obtainable & we] also propose whether he will not be fittest to comand in chiefe & we are fixtt upon it, as for other great reasons, so partly because we think your Hon^^ gye may be upon Capl. Milborne with whom our souldiers at Albany we hear are disgust & ours here are not well satisfied, the chiefe officer must be generally acceptable as well as otherwise well qualified & if Major wintrop be eyther not attainable or not acceptable to your Hon^ we desire you will accept some other person whom the bay sheargent may propose which if you doe we shall rest in it or that your Honr propound some other the most considerable you have, we have character Major Mc . . . may be of good improvement tho not Chiefe commander, if your Hod^ think him serviceable he is within your trusting, your dispath by sea ag* Canada are highly necessary to give our endeavours by the lakes the more easie, if the small pox gett into the army, it will be the disabling our proceedings from Albany, therefore great care should be used to prevent it, & if it should gett head, we must consider how to draw our forces ag* our enemies by sea or otherwise as God shall direct while they are clear of that distemper, we desire you will grant the master of our vessel! with his provisions & men your pass conduct and directions up Hudsons river to Albany as he may need or shall desire, we have not to add [any thing more] & that we are your affectionate friends the Gov. & Council [& by] their order signed