Since I wrote your Lordship on the lO^h of feby last (N° 12) I have been honored with your Lordships Letter N^ 12 inclosing his Majestys Speech for which I offer my most humble thanks, as also your Letter N" 13 in answer to my Dispatch concerning the proposed Congress, on which Subject I am Extremely happy to find that his Majesty approves of the alternative which I thought was the only one that under the circumstances I have had the honor to represent could be adopted with safety to the public.

As I was so fortunate as to foresee the sense of Government on this embarrassing Occasion, I do assure your Lordship that I took infinite pains, to avoid the Congress, but I find that It cannot be

SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 971

either set aside, or postponed with safety, and above 500 of the Indians being already come to the place of rendezvous I purpose to set out to morrow to meet them. Judging that about the time of my Arrival there which is 50 miles from hence the Whole will be assembled, and I am very sorry to hear that There will be a Considerable number of them, because there is a Great Scarcity of all provisions at present throughout these parts, the Crops being almost totally destroyed by Caterpillars, & in the Indian Country many Corn fields are entirely ruined by them. After great trouble & difficulty I have at length got out of the hands of the Committee of non Importers at N York a Cargoe of Indian Goods without which I don't know how I should have gone to the Congress for whatever is the occasion, we cannot meet those people without some proofs of his Majestys Esteem more especially at some periods as now when Indn Goods are so scarce that sev^ parties have gone thro' all the stores & shops within 100 m^ with* being able to procure one Doz° of blank^^^ it has been industriously propagated arost them by some Very Weak people that the Scarcity is occasioned by the King who has ordered that no goods shall be sent over to them This very dangerous report is so universal amongst them that I have been told of it in very Warm terms by above 100 Indians within the course of the present Week, many of them have brought down their peltry & returned almost naked, & full of resentment.