made the number seventy-seven Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers. That this was the first time Captain Lane had an opportunity of knowing what men he had. At the same lime he received orders from the honourable Council to proceed immediately to Gloucester, with his whole Company, where they have been on duty ever since, under the direction of the Committee of Correspondence there. That Captain Joseph Foster hath already paid forty Shillings advance wages, and twelve Shillings in lieu of a blanket, to each of the said first twenty-eight men, and hath mustered the whole seventy-seven men, agreeable to orders he received from the Council. That the Council knew the number of men before they directed Captain Foster to muster them. Said Lane had also enlisted five Indians, which have since received their month’s advance pay, and are ordered to Canada. Upon the whole, it appears to your Committee that the reason that Captain Lane hath enlisted the twenty-one men more than he was directed to, was, because that the two Lieutenants were enlisting men in two distant places at the same time, whilst he was very busy in transacting business of importance with the said Indians.

Resolved, That the Committee of Clothing be, and they hereby are directed to deliver to Captain John Lane seventy-seven Coats, as soon as they conveniently can, to be by him delivered as followeth: one Coat to each Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier under his command; the said Lane to be accountable to this Court for the same.

In Council, September 27, 1775: Read and concurred.

Doctor Gunn and Captain Morton were appointed on the Committee to consider the Proceedings of the Committee at Deer-Island, in the room of Mr. Wood and Captain Stone, absent.

Charles Chauncy, Esq., brought down the Examination of Catharine Cook and Nancy Sullivan.

“In Council, September 25, 1775.

“Read, and Ordered, That Benjamin Chadbourn, Esq., with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to examine the said Catharine Cook and Nancy Sullivan, and report.”

Read and concurred; and Colonel Thompson and Mr. Fairfield are joined.

Tuesday, September 26, 1775.

The Committee on the Petition of Hussey and others, of Nantucket, reported. The Report was recommitted.

Benjamin Lincoln, Esq., brought down the following Vote of Council, viz:

“In Council, September 22, 1775.

“Ordered, That William Sever, Esq., with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to form a proper Preamble or Introduction to the Acts of this Colony passed the last Session, and report.”

Read and concurred; and Colonel Dwight and Dr. Whiting are joined.

Edward Davis, Esq., was returned a Member from Oxford.

Ordered, That Mr. Cooper, Colonel Godfrey, Colonel Porter, and Mr. Fabyan, with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to bring in a Bill for regulating the Militia of this Colony.

In Council, September 26, 1775: Read and concurred; and Benjamin Greenleaf and Jedediah Foster, Esqs., are joined.

Ordered, That Mr. Phillips, Mr. Story, and Mr. Pitts, be a Committee to procure some suitable person to attend the Muster-Master General, and obtain a Return of the Massachusetts Forces.

Afternoon.

A Resolve of Congress, empowering Major Nathaniel Low to purchase Corn, &c., for the inhabitants of Deer-Island, and an Order, signed by said Low, to pay Mr. Peter Coffin, Junior, the sum of fourteen Pounds, eleven Shillings, and two Pence, for the same, was read; and Mr. Story was appointed to bring in a Resolve for payment thereof.

Michael Farley, Esq., brought down the Report of the Committee appointed to examine Catharine Cook and Nancy Sullivan.

Passed in Council, viz: “In Council, September 26, 1775: Read and accepted, and thereupon, Ordered, That the said Catharine Cook be sent to the Town of Worcester, and be placed under the care and direction of the Selectmen of said Town; and that the said Nancy Sullivan be permitted to pass unmolested through this Colony to her friends in Philadelphia.”

Read and non-concurred, and ordered to be recommitted.

A Petition of the Selectmen of the Town of Sherburne, on the Island of Nantucket, relative to a Resolve of Congress which prohibited supplies of Provisions being carried to that place, and also relative to the Whale Fishery, was read, and committed to Captain Partridge, Mr. Story, and Mr. Pettingale.

Ordered, That the Petition preferred to this House by Colonel Palmer, (entered at the last sitting of this Court, ) be committed to the Committee to whom was committed his Petition entered yesterday.

Wednesday, September 27, 1775.

On the Petition of Captain John Lane, it was further

Resolved, That the Receiver-General be, and he hereby is directed to pay the sum of one hundred and forty Pounds, eight Shillings, out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, unto Captain Joseph Foster, to be by him applied for the payment of one month’s advance wages to Captain John Lane, the two Lieutenants, and forty Shillings to each of the forty-nine Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers under his command, who have not received any advance pay. Also, for the payment of twelve Shillings to each of the said forty-nine Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, in the lieu of a Blanket; the said Joseph Foster to be accountable to this House for the same.

In Council, September 27, 1775: Read and concurred.

Ordered, That Major Hawley, Mr. Hopkins, and Captain Batchelder, with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to receive and confer with the Indian Sachem of the Oneida Tribe, when he comes to this place.

A Bill for apportioning and assessing Forty-Six Thousand Pounds upon the several Towns in this Colony was read a first time, and ordered to be read again to-morrow morning, ten o’clock.

A Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, in Town Meeting convened, at Watertown, September 21, 1775, relative to Donations for the Poor of said Town of Boston, was read, and committed to Mr. Story, Mr. Wood, and Dr. Whiting.

Afternoon.

A Petition from the Town of Edgartown, on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, praying that sixty Men may be enlisted for their defence and protection, and also a Petition from the Town of Chilmark, on said Island, praying that fifty Men may be enlisted for their defence, were read, and both committed to Colonel Orne, Colonel Cobb, Mr. Greenleaf, Major Ely, and Mr. Low.

Ordered, That Mr. Cooper be on the Committee to consider the Resolve of Congress forbidding the sale of English Goods after the 10th of October next, in the room of Mr. Crane, absent.

On the Petition of Stephen Hussey and others, of Nantucket, * and Elisha Cobb and others, of Wellfleet, †

* The Petition of Stephen Hussey, Richard Mitchell, Josiah Coffin, and Andrew Myrick, humbly sheweth: That your petitioners have, at Nantucket, a number of vessels that are fitted for a whale voyage, excepting provisions; but as your petitioners are restrained by a resolve of the General Court, Forbidding any ship or vessel sailing out of any port in this Colony on any whale voyage, without first leave had and obtained, your petitioners humbly pray your Honours would, in your great wisdom, point out some way whereby your petitioners may obtain leave to tend said vessels to sea. And your petitioners, as in duly bound, shall ever pray.

† The Petition of Elisha Cobb, of Wellfleet, in the County of Barnstable, most humbly sheweth. That a number of whaling vessels is now preparing for sea, owned and possessed by Elisha Doane, Esq., Ezekiel Holbrook, Hezekiah Doane, Eleazer Atwood, and Naaman Holbrook and Company: “Your petitioner, therefore, in behalf of the