forgiveness; to beg his blessing upon the labours of the Field, upon our Merchandise, Fishery, and Manufactures, and upon the various means used to recover and preserve our just rights and liberties; and also, that his blessing may rest upon all the British Empire, upon George the Third, our rightful King, and upon all the royal family, that they may all be great and lasting blessings to the world; to implore the outpourings of his spirit, to enable us to bear and suffer whatever his holy and righteous Providence may see fit to lay upon us; and also humbly to supplicate his direction and assistance, to discover and reform whatever is amiss, that so he may be pleased to remove these heavy afflictions—those tokens of his displeasure, and may cause harmony and union to be restored between Great Britain and these Colonies, and that we may again rejoice in the free and undisturbed exercise of all those rights and privileges, for the enjoyment of which our pious and virtuous ancestors braved every danger, and transmitted the fair possession down to their children, to be by them handed down entire to the latest posterity.

Ordered, That Mr. Devens, Mr. Gorham, and Mr. Watson, be a Committee to direct the Resolve recommending a day of Fasting and Prayer, and send them to the several religious assemblies in this Province.

Upon a motion made, the question was put, whether the injunction of secrecy now on the Members of this Congress, be taken off, and that they disclose such parts of their doings as shall appear to them to have a tendency to promote the publick interest; and passed in the affirmative.

Ordered, That Colonel Gardner, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Osgood, be a Committee to return the thanks of this body to the Proprietors of the Meeting House in Cambridge, for their favours in indulging the Congress with the use thereof during their session.

Ordered, That Henry Gardner, Esq., Receiver General of this Province, be and he is hereby directed to pay unto Mr. William Darling, the sum of two Pounds, sixteen Shillings, lawful money, in full for his services as Door keeper.

The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve relative to the adjournment of this Congress, and empowering the Members from Charlestown, and others, to call the Congress together sooner than the day to which it may be adjourned, reported. The Report was read and accepted, and is as followeth, viz:

Resolved, That this Congress be adjourned from this day to the twenty-second day of March next, at nine o'clock in the forenoon, to meet at Concord, in the County of Middlesex. And considering the great uncertainty of the present times, and that important unforeseen events may take place, from whence it may be absolutely necessary that this Congress should meet sooner than the day above said, notwithstanding the adjournment aforesaid, it is further

Resolved, That the Members of this Congress for the Towns of Charlestown, Cambridge, Brookline, Roxbury, and Dorchester, or the majority of them, be and they are hereby authorized, in case they shall judge it necessary, to give notice to the several Members of this Congress, in such way as they shall think proper, to meet at Concord aforesaid, at any certain day other than the above-said twenty-second day of March next, which shall be by them appointed. And it is further recommended to the Members of this Congress, that they conform themselves to said notice.

The President then declared the Congress adjourned accordingly.

Wednesday, March 22, 1775, A.M.

Congress met conformable to adjournment.

Ordered, That Colonel Barret, Honourable Mr. Dexter, and Mr. Stickney, be a Committee to wait on the Reverend Mr. Emerson, and desire his attendance on the Congress, and open the same with Prayer at three o'clock this afternoon, to which time this Congress stands adjourned.

Afternoon.

Ordered, That Colonel Barret, Honourable Mr.Dexter, and Mr. Stickney. be a Committee to wait again on the Reverend Mr. Emerson, and desire him, if his circumstances will admit of it, to attend daily on the Congress and officiate as their Chaplain.

Ordered, That all the Debates and Resolutions of this Congress be kept an entire secret, until the farther order thereof.

Ordered, That Colonel Danielson, Colonel Henshaw, Major Fuller, Colonel Prescott, and Colonel Farley, be a Committee to receive the Return of the several Officers of Militia, of their numbers and equipments; and the Return from the several Towns of their Town stock of Ammunition.

Ordered, That Mr. Lothrop and the Honourable Colonel Dexter, be added to the Committee on the State of the Province.

Adjourned until to-morrow morning, nine o'clock.

Thursday, March 23, 1775, A. M.

The Committee appointed to wait on the Reverend Mr. Emerson, and desire that he would officiate as Chaplain to this Congress, during their present session, in the Town of Concord, reported that they had attended that service and delivered the message, and that Mr. Emerson would officiate accordingly.

Ordered, That Mr. Gerry, Mr. Paine, and Mr. Adams, be a Committee to bring in a Resolve expressing the sense of this Congress, that for this people to relax in their preparations to defend themselves, &c., would be attended with the most dangerous consequences.

Ordered, That information be given by the Members to the Committee on the State of the Province, of the number of Field-Pieces; whether the property of the Province, Towns, or private person's, which have fallen within their knowledge; and also, what number of men in the Province acquainted with the business of making Fire-Arms.

Adjourned to three o'clock this afternoon.

Afternoon.

Adjourned until to-morning, ten o'clock.

Friday, March 24, 1775, A. M.

Adjourned to three o'clock this afternoon.

Afternoon.

The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve expressing the danger there would be in relaxing from the present preparations for Defence, &c., reported. The Report was accepted, and ordered that it be attested, and published in all the Boston Newspapers, and is as followeth, viz:

In Provincial Congress, Concord, March 25, 1775.

Whereas, it is indispensably necessary for the safety of a free people, and the preservation of their liberties, that they, at all times, keep themselves in a state of actual defence, against every invasion or depredation; and this Colony being still threatened by a powerful Army posted in its capital, with a professed design of executing certain Acts of the British Parliament, calculated to destroy our invaluable rights and liberties, and the Government of this Colony, as by Charter and Law established therein:

Therefore, Resolved, That the measures that have heretofore been recommended by this and the former Provincial Congress, for the purpose of putting this Colony into a complete state of defence, be still more vigorously pursued by the several Towns, as well as individual inhabitants; and that any relaxation would be attended with the utmost danger to the liberties of this Colony, and of all America; especially as by the latest advices from Great Britain we have undoubted reasons for jealousy, that our implacable enemies are unremitting in their endeavours, by fraud and artifice, as well as by open force, to subjugate this people, which is an additional motive to the inhabitants of this Colony to persevere in the line of conduct recommended by the Congress, and be ready to oppose with firmness and resolution, at the utmost hazard, every attempt for that purpose.

Adjourned to ten o'clock to-morrow morning.

Saturday, March 25, 1775, A. M.

Ordered, That when this Congress shall adjourn, that it be adjourned to Monday next, at three o'clock in the afternoon.