Waxhaw Sep^t 23^d, 1780.

Dear Balfour,

I send letters to go to New York by the first opportunity, and an additional letter to Lord George Germain with the account of the success of Cruger's expedition & the relief of Augusta. You will receive a copy of it and the duplicates of my Letters to Lord George Germain which you will get copied, and forward those I send you by the first opportunity after the sailing of the Hydra. -- Tarleton is vastly better, I got him conveyed this day to Blairs Mill on the East side of Catawba, and his Corps will pass this evening: This illness has been truly unfortunate, it has prevented our demolishing the Militia whilst they were assembling, and has given time to the Enemy to drive away Cattle and carry off Provisions: However we are fortunate to save him and get the use of his Corps, which could not leave Fishing Creek until he was well enough to be removed, and for which I was very uneasy, as there was no officer with them capable of Commanding them; Kinloch arrived this evening, but he is still very ill, and I am sure he will be laid up in three days. I will trouble you to inclose a Copy of my Sixth and last Proclamation to the Admiral, and one to the General and Him when you send off my duplicates. -- A Rebel Officer who came in yesterday with necessaries for the Prisoners, & [Mon^ys?]: -- agreed that no action had happened to the Northward, nor any thing at all material except an unsuccessful Attack on Paulus Hook by General Wayne.

I shall probably March to Charlottetown tomorrow evening or the next day in the Morning. I flatter myself our communication will still be pretty safe, I shall however put every material Paragraph into Cypher; I will send you a copy of Ferguson's which is easier to write, but I believe easier to make out, both may be made use of in one letter, putting B in the front of yours, & F of his. It will probably be a fortnight before I shall be able to leave Charlottetown, I have heard nothing of either Wemys or Moncrief, & I dread hearing of their sickness; I wish I could say that we found any material amendment. The 71^st will remain here until the 2^d division are ready to March, unless I should have any particular reason for warning them forward. -- I apprehend it will be necessary for me to send something to 96, and to erect some better Works there and at Augusta. Innes's Corps has only 160 duty men. -- From the gross misbehaviour of the Militia of this Province I intend in North Carolina to try raising Corps only, I wish I had tryed it more at first here. I should wish all the serviceable Arms that could possibly be spared to be sent in the Sandwich, as that article will be the most difficult to transport by Land, and will be much wanted, as our friends are every where rigidly disarmed in North Carolina. -- I have inclosed a copy of my Proclamation to Lord George Germain, but I must beg you will send a printed one with my duplicates. Our sickness continues much the same, very few die.

I am, Dear Balfour
Yours most sincerely.
[CORNWALLIS]

[Source: Public Records Office, Kew, PRO 30/11/80/39-40.]