votes of the Counties here represented; and that for the present 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; but that this arrangement shall continue only till some other arrangement shall be made and agreed on by this Congress.

The following Rules are agreed to, and resolved to be the Rules of this Congress, viz:

1st. That the President, and in his absence the Vice-President, and in the absence of both a President to be appointed pro tempore, shall preside at every meeting, and keep order and decorum, and that it shall be his duty to sign all letters from this Congress.

2d. That all Motions and Addresses be made to the Chair, and standing.

3d. That if more than one shall rise to speak at the same time, the President shall determine who shall first be heard.

4th. That the substance of every Motion made and seconded shall be entered on the Minutes.

5th. That no interruption shall be suffered while a Member is delivering his sentiments.

6th. That every question shall be determined by a majority of voices, and after the determination of any measure or thing, the same question shall not be reassumed but with the consent of a majority of the voices of this Board at a subsequent meeting; and that notice be given of the motion for reassuming such matter at least one day before such motion be made, and notice thereof given to the Members representing each County, who shall then be in the City of New-York.

7th. That when any question shall be determined upon a division, the names of the respective Counties shall be entered as they shall vote on each side; but any Member for any County may be at liberty to have his name and dissent from the vote of his County entered on the Minutes.

8th. That this Congress shall, from time to time, meet on their own adjournments for the present.

9th. That for the despatch of business, and to prevent interruptions, the doors at our meetings shall be shut, and that none but Members be permitted to take copies of the Proceedings of this Congress.

10th. That no question shall be determined on the day that it is agitated, if three Counties shall request that it be deferred to the next day.

11th. That no Member shall be at liberty to speak more than twice to the same point, without leave of the President for the time then being.

12th. That no Member shall absent himself from this Congress without leave of the Congress.

13th. That every Member of this Congress shall keep secret all such matters, proceedings and things in this Congress, as shall be enjoined from the Chair to be kept secret.

14th. That whenever the Proceedings of this Congress shall be published at the close of this session, all the Minutes shall be published, and no part concealed unless such as the unanimous voice of the Counties shall declare to be of a secret or unimportant nature; but that extracts of the Proceedings may nevertheless be published from time to time as the Congress shall think fit.

The Congress then adjourned to five o’clock, P. M.

5 ho. P. M., May 23, 1775.

The Congress met pursuant to adjournment. Present:

For the City and County of New-York.— Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Esq., President; Isaac Low, Alexander McDougall, Leonard Lispenard, Joseph Hallett, Abraham Walton, Abraham Brasher, Isaac Roosevelt, John De Lancey, James Beekman, Samuel Verplanck, Richard Yates, David Clarkson, Thomas Smith, Benjamin Kissam, John Morin Scott, John Van Cortlandt, Jacobus Van Zandt, and Walter Franklin.

For the City and County of Albany.—Volkert P. Douw, Esq., Vice-President; Robert. Yates, Abraham. Yates, Jacob Cuyler, Peter Silvester, Walter Livingston, Robert Van Rensselaer, Henry Glenn, Francis Nicoll, and Abraham Ten Broeck.

For Dutchess County.—Zephaniah Platt, Gilbert Livingston, Jonathan Landon, Melancton Smith, and Nathaniel Sackett.

For Ulster County.—Col. Johannes Hardenbergh, Col. James Clinton, Egbert Dumond, Esq., Christopher Tappen, John Nicholson, Esq., and Jacob Hornbeck.

For Orange County.—John Coe, Esq., David Pye, Esq., William Allison, Esq., Mr. Peter Clowes, Col. Abraham Lent, John Herring, Esq.

For Suffolk County.—Colonel Nathaniel Woodhull, John Sloss Hobart, Esq., Thos. Tredwell, Esq., John Foster, Ezra L’Hommedieu, Esq., Thomas Wickham, and Selah Strong.

For Westchester County.—Gouverneur Morris, Esquire, Lewis Graham, Esq., James Van Cortlandt, Esq., Stephen Ward, Joseph Drake, Col. Philip Van Cortlandt, Col. James Holmes, David Dayton, and John Thomas, Junior.

For the Township of Brooklyn in King’s County.—Henrys Williams, Esq., Jeremiah Remsen, Esq.

For Richmond County.—Paul Micheau, John Journey, Aaron Cortelyou, and Richard Conner.

The Deputies for Orange Town produced a Certificate signed by Jacob Concklin, Esq., Chairman, and Thomas, Outwater, Clerk, at a meeting of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of Orange Town, there held on the third day of May instant, whereby it appears that Colonel Abraham Lent and John Herring, Esq., were unanimously chosen Deputies to represent them in this Provincial Congress, to be held at the City of New-York.

Ordered, That Colonel Abraham Lent and John Herring, Esq., take their seats.

Mr. Isaac Low moved, and was seconded by Mr. Morris, that this Congress enter into a Resolution in the words following, viz:

Resolved, as the opinion of this Congress, That implicit obedience ought to be paid to every recommendation of the Continental Congress for the general regulation of the Associated Colonies; but thai this Congress is competent to, and ought freely to deliberate and determine on all matters relative to the internal police of this Colony.

And debates arising thereon, Mr. Scott, seconded by Mr. Clarkson, moved for the Previous Question, to wit: Whether the question on Mr. Low’s motion shall be now put? And the said Previous Question being put, was determined in the following manner, viz:

Resolved, therefore, That the question on Mr. Low’s motion be not now put.

A copy of a recommendation and direction from the Continental Congress, signed by their Secretary, bearing date on the eighteenth instant, and certified by Henry Remsen, Deputy Chairman of the Committee of New-York, to be a true copy, relating to the Artillery and Stores now in Ticonderoga, was handed to the President and read, and is in the words following, to wit:

“In Congress, Thursday, May 18, 1775.

“Whereas there is indubitable evidence that a design is formed by the British Ministry of making a cruel invasion from the Province of Quebeck upon these Colonies, for the purpose of destroying our lives and liberties and some steps have actually been taken to carry the said design into execution; and whereas several inhabitants of the Northern Colonies, residing in the vicinity of Ticonderoga, immediately exposed to incursions, impelled by a just regard for the defence and preservation of themselves and their countrymen from such imminent danger and calamities, have taken possession of that post, in which was lodged a quantity of cannon and military stores, that would certainly have been used in the intended invassion of these Colonies: this Congress earnestly recommend it to the Committees of the Cities and Counties of New-York and Albany, immediately to cause the said cannon and stores to be removed from Ticonderoga to the south end of, Lake George, and if