NEW-YORK PROVINCIAL CONVENTION.

Minutes of the Provincial Convention of New-York.

City of New-York, April, 20, 1775.

The Deputies hereinafter named, from the following Counties, assembled at the Exchange in this City, for the purpose of forming a Provincial Convention, viz:

CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW-YORK.—Philip Livingston, Esquire, John Alsop, Esquire, James Duane, Esquire, John Jay, Esquire, Colonel Leonard Lispenard, Mr. Francis Lewis, Mr. Abraham Walton, Mr. Isaac Roosevelt, Mr. Alexander McDougall, and Mr. Abraham Brasher.

CITY AND COUNTY OF ALBANY.—Colonel Philip Schuyler, colonel Abraham Ten Broeck, and Abraham Yates, Junior, Esquire.

ULSTER COUNTY.—Charles De Witt, George Clinton, and Levy Pawling, Esquires.

ORANGE COUNTY.—Colonel A. Hawkes Hay, Henry Wisner, Esquire, John Herring, Esquire, Mr. Peter Clowes, and Mr. Israel Seely.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY.—Colonel Lewis Morris, John Thomas, Junior, Esquire, Robert Graham, Esquire, Major Philip Van Cortlandt, Samuel Drake, Esquire, and Mr. Stephen Ward.

DUTCHESS COUNTY.—Colonel Morris Graham, Major Robert R. Livingston, Junior, and Egbert Benson, Esquire.

KING’S COUNTY.—Simon Boerum, Esquire, Captain Richard Stillwell, Mr. Theodorus Polhemus, Mr. Denice Denice, and Mr. John Vanderbilt.

SUFFOLK COUNTY.—Colonel William Floyd, Colonel Nathaniel Woodhull, Colonel Phineas Fanning, Thomas Tredwell, Esquire, and John Sloss Hobart, Esquire.

NEW-TOWN AND FLUSHING, IN QUEEN’S COUNTY.—Colonel Jacob Blackwell and Mr. John Talman.

The Convention unanimously chose Philip Livingston, Esquire, to be their President.

Ordered, That the sense of this Convention, upon every question, be taken and determined by the majority of the votes of the Counties here represented.

That the votes of the City and County of New-York be considered as four; the City and County of Albany as three; and that of each of the other Counties, respectively, as two; and that this arrangement shall not, upon any future occasion, be drawn into precedent.

The Convention then unanimously elected John McKesson, Esquire, to be their Secretary.

The Deputies of the City and County of New-York produced the poll-lists taken the fifteenth day of March last, in each Ward of the said City, certified under the hands of the Vestrymen of the respective Wards, and others before whom they were taken, by which it appears that Philip Livingston, John Alsop, James Duane, John Jay, Leonard Lispenard, Esquires, Messrs. Francis Lewis, Abraham Walton, Isaac Roosevelt, Alexander McDougall, and Abraham Brasher, all now present, together with Mr. lsaac Low, who is not present, were elected by a very great majority of voices to be the Deputies of the said City and County of New-York, for the sole purpose of appointing Delegates to attend the next Continental Congress, to meet at Philadelphia, on the 10th day of May next.

Colonel Philip Schuyler, Colonel Abraham Ten Broeck, and Abraham Yates, Junior, Esquire, produced a Certificate subscribed by John N. Bleecker, Clerk of the Committee of Correspondence for the City and County of Albany, certifying that they, together with Colonel Peter R. Livingston and Walter Livingston, Esquire, were unanimously elected by the said Committee, (which Committee was expressly empowered for that purpose,) as Deputies for the City and County of Albany, to attend the Provincial Convention to be held in the City of New-York on this day, for the purpose of choosing Delegates to represent this Colony in the next Continental Congress, to meet at Philadelphia, on the 10th day of May next, which Certificate bears date at Albany on the twenty-first day of March last past; and being read and accepted, is filed with the Secretary.

Charles De Witt, George Clinton, and Levy Pawling, Esquires, produced a Certificate bearing date the seventh day of April instant, subscribed by Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh, Chairman or President of all the Committees of the respective Towns and Precincts in Ulster County, (except the Towns of Rochester and Mamacoting) which several Committees were therein named, and declared to have been elected and appointed to meet, nominate, and appoint Deputies for the said County, to serve in Provincial Convention at the City of New-York, on this day, or at such other time and place as might be agreed on; and were then assembled at the New-Paltz, in the said County, for that purpose. And the said Credentials certify that they the said Charles De Witt, George Clinton, and Levy Pawling, Esquires, were unanimously elected by all the said Committees, as Deputies for the said County of Ulster, to attend the Provincial Convention to be held at the City of New-York, on this day, or at such other time and place as may be agreed on, for the purpose of electing Delegates to represent this Colony in the Continental Congress, to meet at Philadelphia, on the tenth day of May next, or at such other time and place as may be agreed on for that purpose. The same gentlemen from Ulster County also produced a Letter signed by Jacob Hoornbeck and Jochum Schoonmaker, (the Committee elected by the said Town of Rochester,) bearing date at Rochester the eleventh day of April instant, consenting to and approving of the appointment of the said gentlemen, and reposing the same trust in them as the other Towns and Precincts in the said County of Ulster had done. And the said Credentials being read and approved of by this Convention, are filed with the Secretary.

The Convention then adjourned to 5 o’clock, P. M.

Five o’clock, P. M., April 20, 1775.

The Convention met pursuant to adjournment. Present:

CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW-YORK.—Philip Livingston, Esquire, President, Messrs, Francis Lewis, Alexander McDougall, Abraham Brasher, John Jay, Esquire, Leonard Lispenard, Esquire, Messrs. Isaac Roosevelt, and Abraham Walton.

CITY AND COUNTY OF ALBANY.—Abraham Yates, Junior, Esquire, Colonel Philip Schuyler, and Colonel Abraham Ten Broeck.

ULSTER COUNTY.—Charles De Witt, George Clinton, and Levy Pawling, Esquires.

ORANGE COUNTY.—Colonel A. Hawkes Hay, Henry Wisner, Esquire, John Herring, Esquire, Mr. Peter Clowes, and Mr. Israel Seely.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY.—Colonel Lewis Morris, John Thomas, Junior, Esquire, Robert, Graham, Esquire, Major Philip Van Cortlandt, Samuel Drake, Esquire, and Mr. Stephen Ward.

DUTCHESS COUNTY.—Colonel Morris Graham, Major Robert R. Livingston, Junior, and Egbert Benson, Esquire.

KING’S COUNTY.—Simon Boerum, Theodorus Polhemus, Esquires, and Mr. John Vanderbilt.

SUFFOLK COUNTY.—Colonel William Floyd, Colonel Nathaniel Woodhull, John Sloss Hobart Esquire, Thomas Tredwell, Esquire, and Colonel Phineas Fanning.

FLUSHING AND JAMAICA, IN QUEEN’S COUNTY.—Mr. John Talman and Mr. Joseph Robinson.

The Deputies for Orange County produced here several Credentials from the respective Towns and Precincts in that County, in substance as follows, to wit: A Certificate signed by Gilbert Cooper, Clerk, setting forth that at a Town-Meeting of the Precinct of Haverstraw, in the said County of Orange, held at the New-City, on Tuesday, the fourth day of April instant, it was—

Resolved, 1st. That that meeting did highly approve of a Convention of Deputies from the different Counties, to meet at the City of New-York on this day, for the purpose of choosing Delegates for the next Continental Congress, to be held at Philadelphia in the month of May next, as the most effectual means to promote the honour and happiness of the Colony, and to unite the Colony in the common cause, for the preservation of our rights and liberties; and,

2dly. That it was then and there resolved that Colonel A. Hawkes Hay should be, and was thereby appointed a Deputy to represent that Precinct at such Provincial Convention