to, the Light-Houses on Thatcher’s Island, so called; and that the keeper of said Lights, with the several Boats, Cattle, &c., be also removed from thence. Furthermore, that it be recommended to the Committee of Correspondence for the Town of Plymouth, to remove and secure the Lamps, Oil, &c., from the Light-House at the Gurnet, so called, with all the appurtenances thereunto belonging; and that the keepers of the several Light-Houses as above specified, be discharged from the service of this Colony, till the further order of this or some future Congress or House of Representatives.

Ordered, That three copies of the last mentioned Report be sent to the places in said Report mentioned; and that the Committee who drew the Report forward the copies.

Ordered, That Doctor Taylor, Mr. Pickering, and Mr. Greenleaf, be a Committee to write to Mr. Russell, desiring him to pay the money due from him to the Treasury immediately.

The Petition of Joseph Barrell, for himself and others, was read, and ordered to be filed. The Petition is as follows, viz:

“To the Honourable Provincial Congress, now sitting at WATERTOWN:

“The Petition of JOSEPH BARRELL, late of BOSTON, humbly sheweth:

“That in the fire in Boston, which began in the soldiers’ Barracks on the evening of the 17th of May last,* his store, together with his effects, to a very considerable amount, were consumed.

“Your petitioner humbly apprehends that this loss is entirely owing to the present unhappy times, occasioned by the cruel oppression of the British Administration; as, at the general desire of the friends of the Country, he removed with his family from Boston, that scene of distress, and by the chicanery of General Gage, was prevented from carrying his effects with him, as he, with his distressed townsmen, were shamefully deceived by the fairest promises of a speedy removal, with their effects, without molestation, until the end of the capitulation on the side of the General was fully answered; and then they were insulted by the most cruel perversion of that comprehensive plain English word, effects, confining it to a few trifles, which, when suffered to depart, were clogged with such restrictions as will forever disgrace him. But notwithstanding all this, still your petitioner had been safe, in all probability, had not the General, by an order as; extraordinary as new, secured from the inhabitants the fire-engines, and given the use of them to his Troops, whereby, as your petitioner is informed, it was a very considerable time before they were in use at all, and then conducted with such consummate ignorance as to be of no service, in which time the flames raged to that degree that no human help could prevent them. And your petitioner is further informed, that some of his effects saved from the fire by his friends, were afterwards destroyed by the savage order of the Officers of the Army.

“Whereupon, your petitioner humbly hopes that his case, together with the case of his fellow-sufferers, may, by this honourable Congress, be represented to the Grand Continental Congress, that they, in their great wisdom, may take such measures as to them shall seem fit to alleviate their sufferings; and that what is thus destroyed in the general cause, may not fall so very heavy on any individual. And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, &c.

“JOSEPH BARRELL.”

“June, 1775.”

The Letter of Mr. Alexander Shepard, Junior, to the Committee of Safety, was read, and is as follows, viz:

“July 2, 1775.

“To Mr. EDWARD DURANT, one of the Committee of Safety, CAMBRIDGE:

“SIR: I was engaged by His Majesty’s Surveyor-General to make out an accurate draught of the late Province in Maine, and return the same to him in New-Jersey as soon as finished; which plan I completed in March last, and should have sent it to him, and beyond doubt have received his return before this day. But realizing the distress into which my country is involved, by the gigantick strides of a (worse than Nero ) tyrant, feared that I might, perhaps inadvertently, render service by my draught to the enemies of mankind, delayed my transmitting the same as at first proposed. But if it should be thought that giving it up would not be attended with any ill consequences, I shall be extremely glad to be permitted, as thereby I may be put into possession of what perhaps I may never recover hereafter.

“Sir, as you are one of the Committee of Safety, in whose department it is to determine, I beg you, at some time when the leisure of the honourable Committee will admit, to move for a consideration of the premises, which, Sir, is a matter of weight with, Sir, your very humble and most obedient servant,

ALEX. SHEPARD, Jun.”

“N. B. The purport is to know the Committee’s mind, whether he shall send the old original draught of Holland, and his, said Shepard’s draught, to said Holland, (who is a tory,) or whether he shall not. Said Holland is a Counsellor of Quebeck, but now resident in the Jerseys.”

[The Committee of Safely desired me to report, that they think it not prudent to send forward the papers; but think the affair so important as to deserve to be laid before Congress.

E. DURANT.]

The Report of the Committee for devising means for the support of the Poor of Boston and Charlestown, to the places of their destination, was read and accepted, and is as follows:

Whereas, it is necessary that further provision be made for the suffering Poor of the Towns of Boston and Charlestown; therefore,

Resolved, That such person or persons as shall produce a certificate from any or either of the Selectmen or Overseers of the Poor of the said Towns, that they are of the Poor of the Town to which the said Selectmen or Overseers do or did in March last belong, that then the Commissaries in the Towns of Watertown and Roxbury are hereby directed to deliver out of the Province stores to them a sufficiency of provisions to carry them to the place of their destination, the Commissary to take a receipt from such Selectmen or Overseers therefor. And it is recommended to the inhabitants of this Province, to treat such Poor with humanity, by affording them shelter in their houses from the weather; and, if desired, to exchange such provisions with them as said Poor may have occasion for on their way.

Ordered, That the foregoing Resolve be published in the Watertown, Cambridge, and Worcester Newspapers.

Adjourned to four o’clock, P. M.

At four o’clock, P. M., the Congress met, and adjourned to Monday morning, eight o’clock.

Monday, July 3, 1775.

Ordered, That the Committee of Safety, who were appointed a Committee to take into consideration the expediency of a new emission of Notes or Bills of Credit, be directed to sit and report as soon as possible.

Resolved, That the Resolve of the 1st instant, ordering the Rules and Regulations of the Army to be read monthly, be reconsidered.

Resolved, That the Receiver-General be directed to pay

*The following is an account of the late fire which begun in the Barrack, under the arch formerly improved by Benjamin and Edward Davis, about half past eight o’clock of the evening of the 17th of May. The soldiers were receiving some cartridges, by which means one took fire and communicated to many more, which immediately set fire to the room. List of Stores burned:

John Hancock, store and shed; Thomas Fayerweather, do.; Benjamin Andrews, 2 do., one of his was improved by B. and W. Foster; Edward Gray, I do., Town Dock, south side; Joseph Barrell, I do; John Head, I do.; Jonathan Williams, I do., with 50 barrels of flour, (donation); Kylson and Barton, I do; Andrew Black, I do.; Nathaniel Carey, I do and shed; Alexander Hill, I do and shed; James Russell, Impost Office; John Soley, I store; John Swatzer, I do., 3 do., at the end of Town Dock; 6 stores and a cooper’s shop, owned by Eliakim Hutchinson, joining the Town Dock, improved as barracks; I store between, formerly improved by Mr. Elias Thomas, sail-maker; 2 stores leading down to the Barracks, improved by Grant and Webster and William Blair; Thomas Brattle’s shed hawled down to stop the fire store opposite Swing Bridge, owned by Thomas Fayerweather, and are the next to Mr. Hancock’s not burned; I store, improved by Ellis Gray, which makes the corner joining to Mr. Hancock’s not burned. The stores on the Town Dock were chiefly owned by those gentlemen who kept them.

N. B. Instead of ringing the bells as usual, the soldiers beat to arms, by which means our people were in great confusion, not being used to such signals in time of fire.