attended, to inform you that this House had agreed to an address in answer to your Lordship’s speech; this message was delivered by one Committee, who, we presume, were not better known to your Lordship than the members of the other. Though there was not an express order of the House that the Committee should apply to your Lordship for the purpose they did, yet we conceive that such application was necessarily incident to the due execution of the general order of the House to inquire into the state of the magazine.

We feel very sensibly, my Lord, the weight of the insinuation in your message; but willing, upon all occasions, and especially at this unhappy juncture, to avoid every kind of controversy, we shall direct that your Excellency be waited upon with the order of yesterday, before referred to; and should any doubts still remain, we will endeavour to remove them, on their being pointed out to us.

The said Answer being read a second time,

Resolved, That the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Answer.

Resolved, That the gentlemen who prepared the said Answer do wait upon his Excellency with the same.

A Message from the Governour by Mr. Blair:

MR. SPEAKER: I have received the Governour’s commands to lay before this House a written Message from his Excellency, relative to the Gunpowder which has been removed from the publick Magazine by his Excellency’s order. And he presented the same at the Bar, and the same was read, and is as followeth, viz:

Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Burgesses:

The removing, by my order, of fifteen half-barrels of the King’s Powder, received from the Rippon, man-of-war, from the publick magazine, has, I find, given great uneasiness to the people. I was influenced in this by the best motives; and as I have once ventured, and, if occasion offered, should again venture my life in the service of this Country, I had hoped the most favourable construction would have been put upon my conduct. The magazine was represented to me as a very insecure depository, and, from experience, I find it so;* all the arms which have been kept there being now taken away: arms not purchased at the expense of this Colony, but sent here by His Majesty, from his Office of Ordnance, of which they bear the mark. But in confidence that you are now met to remove every grievance, and by your wisdom to establish the publick tranquillity on a sure foundation, I do promise you, that as soon as I see the magazine in a proper state for securing the Powder and other publick stores, I will replace it, and at all times be ready, most willingly, to do every thing my poor abilities are capable of for the benefit of this Colony, in which I have lived, till of late, in the greatest happiness.

DUNMORE.

Resolved, That the said Message be taken into consideration to-morrow.

The other Order of the Day being read:

Resolved, That this House will, to-morrow, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to take into consideration the Governour’s Speech.

A Message from the Council by Mr. Blair:

MR. SPEAKER: The Council have directed me to lay before this House a copy of their proceedings upon a report which had prevailed, relative to the Marines and Sailors belonging to His Majesty’s Ship the Fowey. And he presented the same at the bar.

And then the Messenger withdrew.

The said copy of the Council’s Proceedings was read, and is as followeth, viz:

It having been reported that the Marines and Sailors belonging to His Majesty’s Ship the Fowey, were expected to be at the Palace this day, by the Governour’s order, and that the people of the City of Williamsburgh, and Counties adjoining, were greatly alarmed thereat, and were determined to attack the said Marines and Sailors if they should come, it was ordered, that Richard Corbin and Robert Carter, Esquires, wait on his Excellency, in the name of the Council, to desire he would be pleased to give orders for stopping them, and thereby prevent the great calamity which was otherwise likely to ensue. Richard Corbin, Esquire, reported, that the gentlemen appointed had, according to order, waited on the Governour, who appeared to be astonished at the report which had prevailed; assured them that he had given no orders for the Marines or Sailors, nor did he know of its being intended by any body to send them to the Palace, and that in case of any such design he would send to prevent it.

Ordered, That the thanks of this House be given to the Council, for laying a copy of their Proceedings before the House upon the report relative to the Marines and Sailors belonging to His Majesty’s Ship the Fowey, and that Mr. Cary, and Mr. Charles Carter of Lancaster, do acquaint the Council therewith.

Ordered, That Captain James Innis, of the Volunteer Company of the City of Williamsburgh, be desired to employ any number of men that he shall think sufficient, to guard the publick Magazine in this City, until such time as the House shall direct the guard to be discontinued, and that Mr. Braxton do acquaint him therewith.

Wednesday, June 7, 15 Geo. III, 1775.

The Order of the Day being read, for taking into consideration the Governour’s written Message, relative to the Gunpowder which has been removed from the publick Magazine by his Excellency’s order,

The said Message was again read.

Resolved, That an Address be presented to his Excellency the Governour, to express to his Lordship our thanks for his kind tender of services in behalf of this Colony, and for restoring publick tranquillity on a sure and firm foundation; to assure his Lordship that we have the highest sense of his services on the late Indian expedition, and sincerely lament that any event should suspend the happiness which his Lordship hath enjoyed among us; that, wishing a restoration of peace and harmony, we had directed an inquiry into the causes of the late great uneasiness given to the people, which we shall proceed on with that attention recommended by his Lordship, and apply, on our parts, remedies the best our abilities can suggest.

Ordered, That a Committee be appointed to draw up an Address, to be presented to the Governour upon the said Resolution.

And a Committee was appointed, of Mr. Mercer, Mr. Treasurer, Mr. Cary, Mr. Dandridge, Mr. Henry Lee, and Mr. Munford.

Ordered, That the Governour’s Message be referred to the said Committee.

Ordered, That the other Order of the Day, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House to take into consideration the Governour’s Speech, be now read.

And the said Order being read accordingly,

Ordered, That the Governour’s Speech, and the joint Address of the Lords and Commons, on the seventh of February last, and His Majesty’s Answer, and also the Resolution of the House of Commons of the twenty-seventh of the same month, referred to in the said Speech, which, upon Friday last, were ordered to lie on the table, be referred to the said Committee.

Then the House resolved itself into the said Committee.

Mr. Speaker left the chair.

Mr. Cary took the chair of the Committee.

Mr. Speaker resumed the chair.

Mr. Cary reported from the Committee that they had made some progress in the matter to them referred, and that he was directed by the Committee to move that they may have leave to sit again.

Resolved, That this House will to-morrow, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to take into their further consideration the Governour’s Speech.

*In the night of Saturday, the third instant, some young men got into the publick magazine in this City, intending to furnish themsolves with arms, but were presently after surprised by the report of a gun, which, was so artfully placed (said to be contrived by Lord Dunmore) that upon touching a string which was in their way, it went off, and wounded three persons, but not mortally: one of them is terribly hurt by several small balls that entered his arm and shoulder; another, by the loss of two fingers of his right hand, rendered incapable of following his profession for subsistence; the other wounded very slightly. There were two guns prepared for this horrible purpose, one of which was brought out next morning, and found to be double charged. On Monday a Committee was appointed by the Honourable House of Burgesses to examine the state of the magazine, who have placed a guard over it till measures shall be concerted for its better security.