the Rules were read, and severally accepted, and are as follow, viz:

“1. No Member shall speak out of his place, nor without standing up, and applying to the President for leave, and shall sit down as soon as he is done speaking.

“2. No Member, speaking by leave of the President, shall be interrupted by another, but by rising up to speak to order,

“3. No Member shall speak more than twice to one question, without first obtaining leave of Congress, nor more than once, until others have spoken that shall desire it.

“4. Whenever any Member shall have liberty from the President to make a motion, and such motion shall be seconded by another, the same shall be received and considered by the Congress, and not otherwise.

“5. No Member shall declare or question whether it be a Vote or not.

“6. No grant for Money, or other thing, shall be made, unless there be a time before assigned for that purpose.

“7. No Vote shall be reconsidered when a less number is present in Congress than there was when it passed.

“8. No Member shall nominate more than one person for a Committee, provided the person so nominated be chosen.

“9. No Member shall be obliged to be upon more than two Committees at a time, nor Chairman of more than one.

“10. That no Member be permitted to stand up, to the interruption of another, while such other Member is speaking.”

Ordered, That the Monitors of this Congress be, and they are hereby directed to see that the foregoing Rules are observed by the several Members of this Congress.

Ordered, That the Letter and Resolve, prepared to be sent to the Honourable Stephen Hopkins, Esq., of Rhode-Island, be recommitted for a suitable addition, and the Committee to sit forthwith.

Ordered, The Hon. Mr. Dexter be a Committee to bring in a Resolve, expressive of the Vote of this Congress for altering the first meeting of the County Committees.

The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve, empowering the Committee of Supplies to procure Provisions and Military Stores, reported; the Report was read and accepted, and is as follows:

“Resolved, That the Committee of Supplies be, and they hereby are empowered to purchase every kind of Military Stores, Provisions, and all other supplies which they shall judge necessary for the use of the Forces of this Colony, during the establishment of an Army for its defence, or until it shall be otherwise ordered, by this or some future Congress, or House of Representatives, on the credit of the Colony, and draw for suitable sums from the Treasury for payment of the same. Also to deposite the said Stores in such places as they, in consultation with the Generals of the Colony, shall judge proper; and to deliver such and so many of said Stores to the Commissary-General, from time to time, as he shall judge needful to supply the Army. Likewise, said Committee of Supplies are hereby empowered to employ such and so many Assistants as they shall judge necessary, to be paid as aforesaid; said Committee of Supplies to be accountable, when called upon, for their doings to this, or some future Congress, or House of Representatives of this Colony.”

The Committee appointed to prepare an addition to a Letter to the Honourable Stephen Hopkins, Esquire, reported; which addition was read and accepted.

Adjourned to three o’clock, P. M.

Afternoon.

The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve, with respect to reducing the Pay of the Field-Officers, reported the following; which was read and accepted, and ordered to be signed by the Secretary, and transmitted to the Committee of Safety:

“Whereas, the reducing of the several Regiments to be raised in the Provincial service, from one thousand men in a Regiment to five hundred and ninety, makes the service of the said Field-Officers of said Regiments less burdensome: therefore,

“Resolved, That the Pay of said Field-Officers be reduced one-fifth part from the first establishment, and that said Field-Officers’ pay in said service of this Province to the last day of December next, unless dismissed before, shall be as follows, viz: A Colonel’s pay twelve Pounds per month; a Lieut. Colonel’s pay nine Pounds twelve Shillings per month; a Major’s pay eight Pounds per month.”

Ordered, That Mr. Rawson, Doctor Dunsmore, and Colonel Davis, be a Committee to wait on the Committee of Safety, now sitting at Cambridge, to inform them of the deep concern this Congress feel on account of the state and situation of the Cannon, and desire information respecting the disposition of them, and that this Committee forthwith proceed on this business.

Resolved, That this Congress will now proceed to choose a Committee to consider some method of supplying the Treasury.

Ordered, That Esquire Greenleaf, and Mr. Hall, (in the room of Doctor Holten and Mr. Batchelder,) be of the Committee to count and sort the votes.

The absent Members ordered to be called in.

The Honourable Mr. Dexter, who was appointed to bring in a Resolve expressive of the Vote of this Congress for altering the first meeting of the County Committees, reported; which Report being read and amended, was accepted, and is as follows:

“Whereas, this Congress, on the twelfth day of this instant, April, appointed a Committee for each County, to receive from the Committees of Correspondence in such Counties a state of the conduct of the Towns and Districts with respect to their having executed the Continental and Provincial measures, for the preservation of this Country from slavery: And whereas the distressed circumstances of the Colony may probably render it very inconvenient that so great a number of Members should be absent from the Congress on the first Wednesday of May next, the day mentioned for their first meeting:

“Therefore, Resolved, That the first meeting of said Committees be postponed to the fourth Wednesday in said month, and it is recommended to the several Committees of Correspondence to render a true state of the conduct of their respective Towns and Districts, on the said fourth Wednesday of May accordingly, and especially with respect to their outstanding Province Rates; any thing contained in the former Resolve of this Congress, differing herefrom, notwithstanding.”

Ordered, That the several County Committees be, and they hereby are, directed to inform the Committees of Correspondence of the several Counties of the purport of the foregoing Resolve.

Ordered, That the Secretary be, and he hereby is, directed to notify the Chairman of each of the said County Committees of the purport of the said Resolve.

The Committee appointed to count and sort the votes for a Committee to consider on some method for supplying the Treasury, reported that the following gentlemen were chosen, viz:

The Reverend Mr. Murray, Colonel Dexter, Colonel Gerrish, Mr. Gill, Mr. Gerry, Captain Stone, and Captain Greenleaf.

On a motion made by the Reverend Mr. Murray that he might be excused from serving on the above Committee, and having offered his reasons therefor, the question was put, whether he be excused, agreeably to his request, from serving on said Committee; and it passed in the affirmative.

The Congress then made choice of Doctor Taylor to serve on said Committee, in the room of Mr. Murray, who hath been excused.

In Provincial Congress, April 29, 1775.

The President having received a Letter from Messrs. Nicholas Brown and Joseph Brown, dated Providence, April 27, 1775, desiring that this Congress would observe secrecy in respect to the capture of their brother, John Brown, at Newport, on the 26th instant: And also another from the Honourable Stephen Hopkins, Esquire, dated Providence, April 27th, 1775, presented the same to this Congress; which being read,

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