on the Treasury to the several persons that have been, or shall be employed in that service, for their respective demands, after the rates aforesaid, they producing certificates agreeable to the Resolves or Order of Congress.

In Council, August 11, 1775: Read and concurred.

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

Friday, August 11, 1775.

An Account of Mr. John Folsom, of Greenland, for entertaining several Companies that came from the Eastward, was read, and committed to the Committee on Accounts.

Charles Chauncy, Esq., brought down the Report of the Committee of both Houses, appointed to consider what is proper to be done relative to the receiving and disposing of the Coats and other articles which were ordered to be procured for the Soldiers, &c., by way of Resolve, viz:

The Committee appointed by both Houses, the 9th instant, to consider what is proper to be done relative to the receiving and disposing of the Coats and other articles which were ordered to be procured for the Soldiers, by the Resolves of the late Provincial Congress, beg leave to report by way of Resolve:

Resolved, That Major Fuller, Mr. Watson, and Captain Brown, be, and they hereby are appointed a Committee to receive Coats, Breeches, Shirts, Shoes, and Stockings, in lieu of the Committee of Supplies, which the inhabitants of this Colony are now providing, in consequence of certain Resolves of the late Provincial Congress, entered into June 29th and July 9th; and said Committee are hereby invested with all the powers given to the Committee of Supplies in said Resolves.

Resolved, That the said Committee be, and they hereby are directed to receive, from the Committee of Supplies, Buttons provided by them for said Coats, and to cause the same to be buttoned accordingly; also, to be divided into parcels sufficient for a Regiment, and shaded as nearly as possible for uniforms; and they are likewise empowered to draw on the publick Treasury, for defraying the charges of buttoning, as aforesaid, and to wait the further order of this Court for delivery of the same.

Resolved, That the Committee appointed by the late Provincial Congress to collect Shirts, Breeches, Stockings, and Shoes, as aforesaid, be, and they hereby are directed to make returns to the Committee now appointed, of the particular quantities of each of said articles by them purchased, together with the prices, and the names of the persons whom they have paid for the same.

Resolved, That the Committee now appointed be, and they hereby are directed to deliver to each Captain of the Forces established by this Colony, and now under command of his Excellency General Washington, &c., a proportion of the Breeches, Shirts, Stockings, and Shoes, which they shall receive in consequence of their appointment, and to take receipts for the same, in the form following:

“Watertown,  . . . . .1775.

“Received of  . . . . ., a Committee of the General Assembly of Massachusetts Colony, . . . .  Shirts, at  . . . ..; . . . . . . Breeches, at . . . . .; . . . . . . Shoes, at .....; and ..... Stockings, at . . . . .; the whole amounting to . . . . .; which I promise to distribute amongst the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of my Company, and to deduct the amount thereof from their wages, respectively, on making up the musterrolls.”

Which Receipts shall be all taken and kept in one book, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Paymaster-General of the Continental Army for the time being, that he may examine the same, in order to be satisfied that proper deductions shall have been made accordingly.

Read and accepted.

Benjamin Chadbourne, Esq., brought down a Report of the Committee of both Houses appointed to wait on his Excellency General Washington, to confer with him on the propriety of supplying the Town of Gloucester with Men and Ammunition.

The Order of the Day moved for.

After some debate on the matter referred, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, and the Speaker left the Chair.

The Committee having agreed upon a Report, the Speaker resumed the Chair, when the Committee, by their Chairman, the Hon. Jerathmeel Bowers, Esq., reported verbally; and Mr. Partridge, Colonel Bowers, and Major Bliss, were appointed to reduce the same to writing.

The Speaker desired leave of absence until Wednesday next.

Afternoon.

Ordered, That Colonel Bowers be of the Committee appointed to wait on General Washington, to confer with him on the subject of a number of Letters brought from Machias, in the room of the Speaker, absent.

Sent up for concurrence.

Ordered, That the Clerk of the House officiate as Speaker, during the absence of the Speaker.

Ordered, That Mr. Joseph Wheeler officiate as Clerk for the same time.

Ordered, That the Treasurer be directed to attend the House.

The Treasurer having attended, it was

Ordered, That he be directed to examine his Books, in order to see what part of the One Hundred Thousand Pounds which he was to barrow on the credit of the Colony has been received.

Benjamin Greenleaf, Esq., brought down the Bill for annulling the Commissions of the Civil and Military Officers in the Colony, concurred with by the honourable Board; but, by direction of the Board, he proposed some amendments to the consideration of the House.

The Committee on the Memorial of William Hunt, respecting some of Lady Frankland’s Goods, reported facts as collected from and agreed to by the Memorialist and the Selectmen of the Town of Watertown, which are as follows, viz:

That there is one Gun, one Flask, and one Hanger, now in the possession of said Selectmen, which were in the custody of Lady Frankland, and said by her to be the property of Mr. Cromwell, which they have not delivered to any person.

JONAS DIX, per order.

Ordered, That the abovementioned Goods be kept in the possession of the Selectmen of Watertown, till the further order of this House.

Ordered, That Mr. Singletary be on the Committee for supplying the Town of Gloucester with Men and Ammunition, in the room of Captain Batchelder.

The Report of the Committee on the Petition of a number of Recruiting Officers in General Ward’s Regiment. Read, and ordered to lie on the table.

Ordered, That Colonel Orne, Mr. Cushing, Mr. Story, Captain Stone, and Major Johnson, be a Committee to make some amendments in the Resolve relative to the receiving of Clothing for the use of the Army.

The Report of the Committee appointed to confer with General Washington, with respect to supplying the Town of Gloucester with Men and Ammunition. Read, and committed to the Committee appointed yesterday to consider the request of Mr. Foster on that account.

The Committee having reported, the Report was read, amended, and accepted.

Resolved, That the Committee of Supplies be directed to deliver three hundred weight of Powder, out of that which has or may be first brought in from the several Towns, three hundred Shot of nine pounds weight, three hundred Shot suitable for a swivel gun of small size, and one hundred weight of Grape Shot, to Captain Joseph Foster, for the defence of the Town of Gloucester, he giving a receipt in behalf of said Town, to be accountable for the same. Also,

Resolved, That the honourable the Council be desired to order the Company raised by Captain John Lane, part of which is now at Cambridge, to march immediately to Gloucester, there to remain, for the defence of that or any of the adjacent places which may be attacked by our enemies, until further orders, and to be under the directions and command of the Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Gloucester, and to be under the same regulation with the Forces raised for the defence of the sea-coast.

In Council, August 12, 1775: Read and concurred.