September 29.—The Answer of the House to the Governour's Message being transcribed according to order, was signed by the Speaker, and is as follows, viz:

May it please your Honour:

The House taking into their consideration your Message of the 26th instant, recommending the expediency of keeping up the troops employed by this Government, "or a part of them," have agreed to continue one hundred men (officers included) until the meeting of the next Assembly, and have recommended it over to that Assembly to make provision for their support and maintenance.

Signed by order of the House,

JOSEPH GALLOWAY, Speaker.

September 29, 1774.

Upon motion, the Petition from the Overseers of the Poor of the City of Philadelphia, in behalf of the French Neutrals, was again read, and, after some debate thereon,

Ordered, That the Provincial Treasurer do pay into the hands of the Overseers of the Poor of the City of Philadelphia, the sum of one hundred pounds, for the relief and support of the said French Neutrals.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE HONOURABLE GOVERNOUR GAGE TO THE EARL OF DARTMOUTH, DATED BOSTON, SEPTEMBER 20, 1774.

Since my letters by the Scarborough, ship of war, I have received some letters and papers, which I transmit your Lordship, relative to the proceedings in the distant counties against the Courts of Justice, and Resolves of a County Meeting.

It is needless to trouble your Lordship with daily publications of determined resolutions not to obey the late Acts of Parliament, or to allow any civil officer acting under them, from the Governour to the Justice, to be constitutional officers.

They talk of fixing a plan of Government of their own, and it is somewhat surprising, that so many of the other Provinces interest themselves so much in the behalf of this. I find they have some warm friends in New-York and Philadelphia, and I learn by an officer that left Carolina, the latter end of August, that the people of Charlestown are as mad as they are here.

The country people are exercising in arms, in this Province, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and getting magazines of arms and ammunition in the country, and such artillery as they can procure, good and bad.

They threaten to attack the troops in Boston, and are very angry at a work throwing up at the entrance of the town; on which account I have had two messages from the Selectmen, and a third from the County of Suffolk.

People are daily resorting to this town for protection; for their is no security for any person deemed a friend to Government, in any part of the country. Even places always esteemed well affected have caught the infection. The Commissioners of the Customs have thought it no longer safe or prudent to remain at Salem, considering the present distracted state of every part of the Province, and are amongst others come into the town, where I am obliged likewise now to reside on many accounts.

Mr. Willard has been obliged to resign his seat in Council since my last. The rest remain firm, notwithstanding daily threats of plunder, devastation, and ruin, and even of assassination.

WORCESTER COUNTY (MASSACHUSETTS) RESOLUTIONS.

At a Convention of Committees for the County of Worcester, held by adjournment at the Court House, on the 29th of August, 1774, and continued by adjournments to the 21st of September, the following Votes and Resolves passed, viz:

Voted, That if there be an invasion, or danger of an invasion, in any town in this county, then, such town shall, by their Committee of Correspondence, or some other proper persons, send letters by post immediately to the Committees of the adjoining towns, who shall send to the other Committees in the towns adjoining them, that they all come properly armed and accoutred to protect and defend the place invaded.

Voted, That it be recommended to the military officers in this county that they resign their offices to their respective Colonels.

Voted, That the field officers in this county resign their offices, and publish such resignation in all the Boston newspapers.

Voted, That it be recommended to the several towns in this county to choose proper and a sufficient number of military officers for each of their towns.

Voted, To accept the Report of the Committee respecting the civil officers of this county, which is as follows:

Whereas the late Act of Parliament, entitled "An Act for the better regulating his Majesty's Government of the Massachusetts Bay," is evidently designed to prevent any civil officers from holding their places by virtue of the Charter thereof; and as it is necessary to have officers till further provision may be made; Therefore,

Resolved, That the Justices of the Peace for this county, who were in said office the last day of June past, except Timothy Ruggles, John Murray, and James Putnam, Esquires, be hereby directed to act in said office as single Justices, except in judicial proceedings merely civil; also, that the Judges of Probate, Sheriff, and Coroners who were in said offices on the last day of June past, exercise their respective offices till the Provincial Congress, proposed to sit at Concord, on the second Tuesday of October next, notwithstanding any pretended supersedeas that may be sent them, or any of them, or any Proclamation designed to prevent them from holding and exercising their said offices; and we hereby also recommend to the people in this county that they consider and treat them as being in their said offices, and support and defend them in the execution thereof, according to the laws of this Province.

Voted, As the opinion of this body, that the Sheriff do not adjourn the Superiour Court, appointed by law to be held this day, and that he retain such as are or may be committed as criminals in his custody until they have a trial.

Resolved, That as the ordinary Courts of Justice will be stayed in consequence of the late arbitrary and oppressive Act of the British Parliament, we would earnestly recommend it to every inhabitant of this county to pay his just debts as soon as possible, without any disputes or litigations; "and if any dispute concerning debts or trespasses should arise, which cannot be settled by the parties, we recommend it to them to submit all such cases to arbitration; and if the parties, or either of them, shall refuse so to do, they ought to be considered as co-operating with the enemies of this country."

Voted, To accept the Report of the Committee relative to the instructing the Representatives for this county, which is as follows:

That it be recommended to the several towns and districts, that they instruct their Representatives who may be chosen to meet at Salem, in October next, absolutely to refuse to be sworn by any officer or officers but such as are or may be appointed according to the Constitution, or to act as one branch of the Legislature in concert with the other, except such as are or may be appointed and supported according to the Charter of this Province; and they refuse to give their attendance at Boston while the town is invested with troops and ships of war; and should their be any thing to prevent their acting with such a Governour and Council, as is expressly set forth in the Charter, that then they immediately repair to the town of Concord, and there join in a Provincial Congress with such other Members as are or may be chosen for that purpose, to act and determine on such measures as they shall judge proper to extricate this Colony out of their present unhappy circumstances.

Voted, That it be recommended to the several towns and districts in this county that they provide themselves immediately with one or more field pieces, mounted and fitted for use; and also a sufficient quantity of ammunition for the same; and that the officers appoint a suitable number of men out of their respective companies, to manage said field pieces.

Whereas the people of this county are under solemn obligations not to purchase any goods that shall be imported from Great Britain after the last day of August, 1774,