acted or are acting in direct violation of the liberties of this Colony, that they cause such person or persons to be apprehended and secured by those Forces that are appointed to guard the coasts thereabout, and that they be safely guarded and brought up to this Court, to answer for their conduct, on the first Tuesday after next sitting of this Court.

In Council, August 22, 1775: Read and concurred.

A Bill for prescribing the form of an Oath to be taken by the Civil and Military Officers of this Colony, was read, and passed to be engrossed.

Ordered, That Mr. Gerry, Colonel Porter, and Colonel Orne, be a Committee to bring in a Resolve expressive of the Commission of a Committee to be appointed by this House, to prepare and transmit to the Continental Congress an account of the sums disbursed by this Colony in the present contest with Great Britain.

The Bill for making and emitting Bills of Publick Credit, read the second time, and recommitted for amendment.

Ordered, That Mr. Bancroft be of the Committee, in the room of Colonel Lovell, on the Petition of Thomas Goldthwait.

The Committee on the Petition of a number of the Inhabitants of Machias reported. Read, and recommitted for amendment.

The Bill for making and emitting Bills of Publick Credit, read a third time, amended, and passed to be engrossed.

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

Tuesday, August 22, 1775.

Ordered, That a Message go to the honourable Board, desiring them to send down the Resolve which passed this House yesterday, granting ten Pounds to the St. Francois Indians; and also the Advertisement for calling in the Receipts or duplicates of the Receipts of the Receiver-General, if they are not passed upon.

The Report on the Petition of the Selectmen of Water-town, (entered August 18,) read and accepted.

“In Council, August 19, 1775.

“Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury to the Selectmen of the Town of Watertown the sum of twenty Pounds; and that said Selectmen are directed to procure Teams and other Carriages as may be needful for the removing the poor inhabitants of the Towns of Boston and Charlestown and their effects, to such Towns as have not received their proportion of said poor, ordered by the late Provincial Congress, upon the best lay they can, taking a receipt for all the moneys they so pay, and to be accountable to this Court for the money they receive; conforming themselves as near as may be to the order of the Court, passed the 10th instant, and giving a certificate to the persons they shall send forward to any Town, and they to be paid a reasonable consideration for their trouble by this Court.

“CALEB CUSHING, per order.”

Read and concurred.

Ebenezer Thayer, Esq., was returned a Member from Braintree.

Jabez Fisher, Esq., came down and informed the House that the honourable Board had concurred with the Resolve relative to the grant to the St. Francois Indians; and that they had non-concurred with the Resolve for not notifying those who have Receipts from the Receiver-General to return them to the Secretary’s Office.

Ordered, That Colonel Cushing, Colonel Thayer, and Colonel Freeman, be a Committee to consider in what manner the Armed Vessels, established by a Resolve of this Court, shall be supplied with Provisions and Ammunition.

Ordered, That the Secretary lay upon the table the Resolve for obliging the Collectors and others who have Receipts of Henry Gardner, Esquire, to lodge them or duplicates of them in the Secretary’s Office.

The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve expressive of the Commission of the Committee to be appointed to prepare Accounts of the sums disbursed by this Colony, in the present contest with Great Britain, reported. The Report was recommitted for amendment.

Ordered, That Mr. Story, Major Moody, and Major Goodwin, be a Committee to bring in a new Resolve, directing Collectors and others who are possessed of Receipts of Henry Gardner, Esq., for any Moneys set on any Town or District, as part of the Province Tax, to lodge the same or duplicates thereof, in the Secretary’s Office.

A Bill to confirm or establish the Resolves of the several Provincial Congressess of this Colony. Read the third time, and passed to be engrossed.

In the fifteenth year of GEORGE the Third, King, &c.

An Act to confirm and establish the Resolves of the several Provincial Congresses of this Colony.

Whereas this oppressed Colony has, for many months past, been deprived of the free exercise of its usual powers of Government, which has necessarily occasioned the publick business thereof to be conducted by Congresses; and as many matters of the greatest importance for the recovery and preservation of that liberty which God, nature and compact have given to this People, have been resolved, done and transacted by Provincial Congresses, some of which have not yet had their full effect; and whereas the legality of such Resolves, doings and transactions, may hereafter be called in question, and may occasion much litigation, unless confirmed and established in some known constitutional manner:

Be it therefore enacted by the Council and House of Representatives of this Colony in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That all and every of the Resolves, doings and transactions of the several Provincial Congresses of this Colony, from and after the fourth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-four, to the twentieth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, be, and they hereby are confirmed and established as lawful and valid, to all intents, constructions and purposes whatsoever, as fully and effectually as if the same Resolves, doings and transactions had been done by any General Court or Assembly of this Colony.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That whenever any person or persons shall be sued or prosecuted before any Superiour Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Jail Delivery, or before any Infe-riour Court of Common Pleas, or any Court of General Sessions of the Peace, or before any single Magistrate, for any thing done in obedience to, or in compliance with any of the Resolves, doings, recommendations or other proceedings of said Congresses, such person or persons shall and may give this Act and the Record of the Resolves, doings and transactions of the several Provincial Congresses aforesaid in evidence under the general issue, and the same thus given in evidence shall avail, to all intents and purposes, as if the same were specially pleaded; any law, usage or custom to the contrary notwithstanding.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the Records of the Resolves, doings and transactions of the several Provincial Congresses aforesaid be immediately lodged and forever hereafter kept in the Secretary’s Office of this Colony; and that the Secretary shall copy and authenticate all such Records of said Resolves, doings and transactions as shall be demanded of him, to be used in any of the Courts aforesaid; which copies so authenticated shall be received, in full evidence in said Courts of all such Resolves, doings and transactions.

“In Council, August 23, 1775: This engrossed Bill having had two several readings, Resolved, That it pass to be enacted.

“SAMUEL ADAMS,Sec’y.”

A Petition of William Baker, praying a grant for his services as Messenger of this Court, was read, and committed to Col. Thompson, Deacon Rawson, and Capt. Goodman.

On the Petition of Joshua Davis,* representing that he has been and is employed in the service of this Government, in the boat service; and likewise has, by direction of

*To the Honourable the Council and House of Representatives for the Colony of the MASSACHUSETTS-BAY. The Petition of JOSHUA DAVIS humbly sheweth:

That by desire of the late honourable Congress of the Colony, as also under the direction of the Council of War and the Committees of Safety and Supplies, your petitioner procured a number of Boat? for the service of the Colony, and has continued in the boat service until now, but has had no establishment, by reason of the unsettled state of the Colony, and still continues in said service by desire of his Excellenoy General Washington. Your petitioner humbly prays your Hon