A number of Letters, taken from on board of the Rhode-Island Packet, were brought into Committee. Several of them, which were directed to different persons of the Customs and to other persons, were opened and inspected, and nothing inimical to the Colonies being discovered, they were resealed, put into a wrapper, with an endorsement that they had been examined by the Committee of Safety, and, together with all the other Packets and Letters, returned to the Captain of the Packet.

Mr. Robert Rogers, commonly called Major Rogers, according to directions for that purpose, attended on the Committee. He assured the Committee that he was a prisoner on his parole of honour to the Committee of Safety at Philadelphia; that he received from the said Committee a certified copy of his parole, with a certificate thereto, signed by Benjamin Franklin, which he unfortunately lost; and Mr. Rogers declared to this Committee, upon his honour as a soldier and a gentleman, that he will not depart from this City, without leave of this Committee, until he shall have recovered the said certified copy of his parole, or another certified copy thereof, and produced the same to this Committee; and that, in the mean time, he will, on request, attend upon this Committee. Mr. Rogers informed the Committee that he lodges at Doctor Harrison’s, in Broadway.

A draught of a Letter to the Committee of Safety for the Colony of New-Jersey was read and approved of, and is in the words following, to wit:

GENTLEMEN: We are informed that a number of men from your Colony, who enlisted in the Regiments raised in this Colony for the Continental service, have deserted, and are now lurking in New-Jersey. We submit it to your consideration, whether proper steps should not be taken to apprehend them, and whether it will not be proper for your Committee to adopt measures similar to those we have taken, for apprehending deserters, which are printed in the publick papers. We request that you would direct such deserters as may be taken in your Colony to be forwarded immediately to this City, that they may be sent to the Regiments to which they respectively belong.

We are your humble servants.

By order of the Committee.

The Committee of Safety for the Colony of New-Jersey.

Ordered, That a copy thereof be engrossed, and signed by the Chairman, and transmitted.

The Committee sent for Mr. Watkeys, and had a conference with him in respect to the procuring Locks for Muskets; and the residue of the morning was spent in the preparing Continental and Provincial Commissions, and auditing accounts.

The Committee adjourned till to-morrow morning, at nine o’clock.

Die Jovis, 9 ho. A. M., September 28, 1775.

The Committee met pursuant to adjournment. Present:

For ORANGE John Haring, Esquire, Chairman.
For NEW-YORK Mr. Hallett, Mr. John Van Cortlandt, Mr. Van Zandt, Colonel McDougall.
For ALBANY Major Nicoll.
For DUTCHESS Mr. Gilbert Livingston.
For WESTCHESTER Mr. Paulding.
For KING’S Mr. Henry Williams.
For QUEEN’S Colonel Blackwell, Mr. Joseph Robinson.
For SUFFOLK Mr. Foster.
For CUMBERLAND Major Williams.
For CHARLOTTE Mr. Watkins.

A Letter from Thaddeus Burr, Sheriff of Fairfield County, in the Colony of Connecticut, was read and filed, and is in the words following, to wit:

“Fairfield, September 26, 1775.

“GENTLEMEN: It is now thirteen weeks since Angus McDonald was committed to the jail in this place, as I suppose by your order, but of this I have no certainty, nor do I know where my jailer is to get his pay for boarding and attending upon him in close jail. If you mean to do it, I should be glad to know it. I think it very unreasonable that I should have the trouble of him any longer, considering you have very good jails in your City. I hope, therefore, you will take him off my hands. I have wrote to you twice, before this, concerning this man, and have had no answer. If I have none to this, shall dismiss him without any ceremony.

“I am, Gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant, “THADDEUS BURR Sheriff of Fairfield County.

“To the Committee of Safety, New-York.”

Ordered, That Mr. Andrew Moodie be appointed, and is hereby appointed, Adjutant of the Third Regiment of Troops raised in this Colony, as part of the Continental Army, in the stead and place of Adam Schroter.

And Ordered, That the Pay of the said Andrew Moodie commence on Monday, the 25th instant, when he engaged in the service and left his other employment, and that he proceed to join the Army under the command of General Schuyler, with all possible despatch.

A Letter from Egbert Benson, Esq., Chairman of the Committee of Dutchess County, enclosing fifteen Affidavits sent as testimony against Timothy Doughty, Adam Bergh, Christian Bergh, Jun., and others, was read and filed.

The Affidavits enclosed in the said Letter were as follows.*

Ordered, That Samuel Avery, Foster Lewis, Christopher Duyckinck, Captain James Alner, and Henry Tiebout, be requested to attend this Committee to-morrow morning, at ten o’clock, to be examined on oath as to the particular persons who opposed their obtaining Arms in Queen’s County, and the opposition given to them, and the insults offered to the Congress of this Colony, and by whom.

Mr. Berrien applied to the Committee with sundry Letters from the Commissioners at the Highlands, by which it appears they want labourers.

Ordered, That Mr. John Berrien be authorized to procure fifty able-bodied men, good labourers, at wages not exceeding fifty Shillings per month each, besides their provisions, to proceed immediately to assist in erecting the Fortifications on the banks of Hudson’s River, in the Highlands; that he procure as many of them who have and will take arms with them, as he conveniently can. That he order and direct at least twelve carriage guns to be mounted there immediately, and provided with shot, carriages, rammers, sponges, and every other necessary for the use of the said guns.

And Ordered, That Mr. Gabriel W. Ludlow deliver to Mr. John Berrien two hundred weight of Gunpowder, for the use of the people at the said Fortifications.

Ordered, That Peter V. B. Livingston, Esq., as Treasurer of the Provincial Congress of this Colony, pay to Major Francis Nicoll the sum of forty-eight Shillings, to reimburse the said Major Nicoll for so much money advanced by him to a poor Indian, by order of this Committee.

The Committee adjourned till four o’clock, in the afternoon.

Die Jovis, 4 ho. P. M., September 28, 1775.

The Committee met pursuant to adjournment. Present:

For ORANGE John Haring, Esq., Chairman.
For NEW-YORK Mr. Hallett, Mr. Van Zandt, Mr. Brasher, Mr. John Van Cortlandt, Colonel McDougall.
For ALBANY Major Nicoll.
For WESTCHESTER Mr. Paulding.
For QUEEN’S Colonel Blackwell.
For SUFFOLK Mr. Foster.
For CHARLOTTE Mr. Watkins.

A Letter from the Delegates of this Colony at Continental Congress, dated September 21, 1775, was read and filed.

A Letter from Samuel Bayard and others, dated 25th September, was read and filed, and is in the words following, to wit:

“Constitution Fort, Monday, September 25, 1775.

“GENTLEMEN: We received last night a letter from Mr. Berrien, informing us that the plan for building the fortification, with the estimates of the expense, was transmitted to the Continental Congress. We should have esteemed ourselves happy, had we been consulted on this

* Not entered on the Journal.