The Committee on the Letter from the Committee of Inspection of Dartmouth reported.

The Report was recommitted, and the Committee instructed to confine the embargo therein mentioned to Whaling Vessels.

James Prescott, Esq., brought down a Letter from the honourable Board, directed to his Excellency General Washington, in answer to one received from him relative to desertion of Soldiers, &c., which was read, agreeable to the desire of the Board, and sent forward.

Then the House adjourned to eight o’clock, to-morrow morning.

Wednesday, August 9, 1775.

Ordered, That Captain Batchelder, Deacon Rawson, and Mr. Derby, be a Committee to consider what sum is necessary to be put into the hands of the Committee who were appointed to provide for and take care of the Poor of the Town of Boston, who may go to the Town of Salem.

The Report of the Committee of both Houses on the Letter from General Washington, relative to Deserters, was read and non-concurred, and ordered to be recommitted; and that Major Hawley and Colonel Bowers, with such as the honourable Board shall join, be added to the Committee.

The Secretary came down from the honourable Board to request this House to send up the Letter from General Washington, relative to Deserters, and General Green’s Letter, relative to one Thomas Cowden; which were sent up accordingly.

The Committee appointed to consider what sum was necessary to be put into the hands of the Committee to take care of and provide for the Poor of Boston, reported the sum of three hundred Pounds.

The Report was accepted, and the Committee were directed to bring in a Resolve directing the Receiver-General to pay that sum to said Committee accordingly, who reported the following Resolve:

Resolved, That the Receiver-General be, and he hereby is directed to pay to Mr. William Greenleaf three hundred Pounds out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to be applied for the support of such of the Poor of the Town of Boston as are or may be removed from said Boston, to the Hospital in Salem, said Greenleaf giving his Receipt to be accountable for the same to this Court.

In Council, August 9, 1775: Read and concurred.

Michael Farley, Esq., brought down the Report of the Committee appointed to apply to the Colonels of the several Regiments, raised in this Colony, for a List of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers in each Regiment, viz:

In Council, August 9, 1775.

“The Committee appointed to apply to the Colonels of the several Regiments raised by this Colony, and to the Muster-Masters and Paymasters in the Camps at Cambridge and Roxbury, and obtain of them a complete List of the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers in their respective Regiments, that such methods may be pursued as shall remove all just grounds of complaint, relative to the Soldiers not having their advance pay, have attended that service, and beg leave to report, that notwithstanding application has been made to the Colonels and Paymasters aforesaid, by your Committee, and a return having been ordered by the General to be made by the Colonels as directed by this Court, yet it has either been neglected by many of them, by which your Committee are unable to report what numbers of them are in the whole Forces raised by this Colony, who have not received their advance wages, which delay causes great uneasiness in those Regiments, at least where the returns have been duly made, and will soon put it out of the power of the Officers to quiet their men, unless the grounds of their complaint are speedily removed. Your Committee, therefore, beg leave to suggest whether if some suitable person should be now appointed and empowered to receive the money out of the Treasury and pay the advance wages to those men who have not received it, so fast as your Committee shall be able to ascertain and report to him the numbers in each Regiment respectively, and he be directed to take a receipt from each man he shall so pay, it would not still the present uneasiness, and secure the interest of the Colony.

“BENJAMIN LINCOLN, per order.”

Read and concurred, and Mr. Richard Devens was appointed for the purpose therein mentioned.

The Report of the Committee on the subject of the Letter from Dartmouth was again considered, and after debate the question was put, whether the Report be accepted, and it passed in the negative.

Ordered, To be recommitted, and the Committee were instructed to direct that Bond shall be given that the Oil and other effects produced from Whaling voyages shall be brought into this Colony.

Ordered, That Colonel Freeman, Major Johnson, Mr. Phillips, Major Hawley, and Mr. Greenleaf, be a Committee to consider what Offices are inconsistent with the publick interest, to be held by one person.

A Petition of the Selectmen and Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Braintree, praying the direction of the Court with respect to the Resolves of Congress relative to the estates of the Refugees, was read, and committed to Major Bliss, Mr. Watson, and Captain Thatcher.

Ordered, That Major Fuller, Mr. Wood, and Captain Dix, be a Committee to make up a Roll for the payment of the Representatives.

The Committee appointed to consider the Letter from the Committee of Supplies* received yesterday, reported a Resolve directing the Receiver-General to pay Mr. James Minot the sum of forty Pounds, to purchase two hundred bushels of Corn for the Inhabitants of Camden, viz:

Whereas this honourable Court has directed the Committee of Supplies to supply James Minot, one of the Committee of Safety of Camden, with two hundred bushels of Corn, and the Committee of Supplies have returned an answer that there is no Corn in store, therefore,

Resolved, That James Minot have an order on the publick Treasury of this Colony for the sum of forty Pounds, to purchase the abovesaid quantity of Corn, he to be accountable for the same to this Court.

Read and accepted.

In Council, August 9, 1775: Read and concurred.

The Bill declaratory of the right of certain Towns and Districts in the Colony, to elect Representatives, read the second time, and ordered to be read again at four o’clock in the afternoon.

The Committee appointed to receive and deliver the Arms that were in the custody of the Committee of Safety, were directed to inquire of Major Barber and Mr. Cheever, Ordnance Storekeepers, what Arms they have received belonging to this Colony, and how they have disposed of them.

The Committee appointed to agree with some person to print the Journals of the House reported, that they had conferred with Mr. Edes on this subject, and that his terms were twenty-eight Shillings per sheet. The number to be printed was five hundred: Whereupon,

Ordered, That said Committee agree with Mr. Edes on those terms.

A Petition of the Recruiting Officers in General Ward’s Regiment, praying this Court to order payment to them of four Pounds each, agreeable to a Resolve of the late Congress, was read, and committed to Deacon Rawson, Captain Dix, and Mr. Crane.

Ordered, That Colonel Moses Little, who has received from the Ordnance Store, in Cambridge, forty-five Fire-Arms

* CHAMBER OF SUPPLIES, WATERTOWN, August 8, 1775.

SIR: The Committee of Supplies have received the Resolve of the Court relative to supplying the Committee of Safety of Camden with two hundred bushels of Corn; in answer to which, there is no grain in store but what Colonel Trumbull has a call for, excepting the donation grain at Dartmouth. This is at such a distance that it will not answer, and should the honourable Court think proper to order the money out of the Treasury, to Mr. Minot, he informs the Committee that the Corn can be procured at Ipswich or Newburyport; but this is a matter which the Court can best judge of, and we desire that the same may be communicated, being, Sir, respectfully, your very humble servant,

DAVID CHEEVER, per order.

Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives.