of the Town of Chilmark, * and the Petition of the Town of Tisbury, † all inhabitants of the Island of Martha’s Vineard, praying some assistance may be granted to enable them to defend themselves against Men of War, Cutters, &c., to which they are in a particular manner exposed:

Resolved, That there be raised in the Island of Martha’s Vineyard two Companies, to consist of fifty men each, including their Officers; said Companies to be stationed upon the sea-coast on that Island, according to the direction of the Field-Officers of the Regiment of Militia of said Island, or the major part of them; the said two Companies to be under the same establishment the Forces raised in this Colony, for the defence of the sea-coast, are, as to Pay, Subsistence, and Ammunition. And every Soldier in the said two Companies shall furnish himself with a good and sufficient Firelock and Bayonet; and no man shall be mustered as a Soldier who is not so furnished. Said two Companies to continue in service until the first day of December next, unless before that time dismissed by the orders of this Count. And that the Field-Officers of the Regiment of Militia of said Island be, and they hereby are empowered to issue Beating Orders, for the raising said Companies to such persons as they can recommend to be commissioned, and muster those Companies when raised.

In Council, September 28, 1775: Read and concurred.

The Committee appointed to make inquiry of Mr. Ephraim Jones, relative to the three Prisoners who broke out of Concord Jail last night, reported. Read and accepted.

Whereas Captain Ephraim Jones, of Concord, (Keeper of the Jail there, ) hath just represented to this House that Josiah Jones, Jonathan Hicks, and William Likely, were, by the late Congress, committed to Jail in that Town, and that the said Jones, Hicks, and Likely, did, some time last night, break Jail and make their escape; therefore,

Resolved, That the said Ephraim Jones do immediately advertise said Jones, Hicks, and Likely, in all the Newspapers published in this Colony, describing their age, stature, dress, and countenances, offering a reward of three Pounds, besides other necessary charges, to any person or persons who shall apprehend and deliver into his custody each or either of said persons, and to offer the like reward to any person who shall discover to him any person who may be convicted of being accessary to their escape.

And it is further Ordered, That the said Ephraim Jones do immediately take into custody, and bring before this House, the Rev. Asa Dunbar and Simeon Jones, of Weston, that they may be inquired of concerning such escape.

In Council, September 28, 1775: Read and concurred.

Ordered, That Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Jewett, Mr. Story, and Captain Partridge, be a Committee to inquire into all frauds that may be committed by any of the Officers of the Massachusetts Forces, and to convene before them such persons as they may think proper as witnesses, and to report to the House any such frauds that may appear to said Committee, and the method proper for detecting and punishing the same.

Moses Gill, Esq., brought down a Letter from his Excellency General Washington, relative to a Chief of the Oneida Tribe of Indians. Also, the Report on the Petition of Elisha Cobb.*

Ordered, That the Schooner mentioned in said Petion be detained where she now is, with her Tackling and Stores, now on board, until the further order of the General Court.

In Council, September 28, 1775.

“Read and accepted; and thereupon, Resolved, That the said Schooner, mentioned in the within Petition, be detained where she now is, with her Tackling and Stores now on board, until the further order of this Court.”

Read and concurred.

A Petition of Ivory Hovey, in behalf of nine Districts in the County of Lincoln, lying between Machias and Penobscot, praying the Court to consider the danger to which they are exposed by the British Men of War, &c., and grant them some protection, was read, and committed to Captain Parker, Mr. Whitney, and Colonel Thompson.

Ordered, That Colonel Orne, Mr. Story, Mr. Cooper, Colonel Thompson, Mr. Sullivan, Colonel Grout, and Mr. Jewett, be a Committee to consider the expediently of fitting out a number of Armed Vessels.

The Committee on the Petition of the Selectmen of Sherburne, on the Island of Nantucket, † reported. Read and accepted.

Whereas it has been represented to this Court, by the Selectmen of the Town of Sherburne, on Nantucket, that

alarmed by night and day, and have been obliged to keep up a constant watch, which is attended with no small expense. We would also inform your Honours that the greater part of said inhabitants of said Towns, living very remote from the harbour where those invader most commonly anchor, and the people in said Town generally poor, and yet very fond of preserving their liberties, and to protect their stock of sheep and cattle, have been often under arms, and marched from their respective places of abode eight and ten miles, when a farmed to prevent the enemy’s landing: Your petitioners humbly pray your Honours to take the mater into your wise considerations, and grant to said Town the privilege to enlist sixty men, or one Company, for our protection, on the common expense of Government, or otherwise, as you in your great wisdom shall think fit to direct, All which is humbly submitted. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

* Petition of a number of Freeholders and other Inhabitants (whose names are hereunto subscribed) of the Town of Chilmark, in the County of Duke’s County, in the Colony of the Massachusetts-Boy humbly sheweth; that the said Town, as well as all the other parts of said County, lies greatly exposed to such armed vessels as have of late foreibly carried off, from some places on the sea-coasts of this and some nerghbouring Colorries, a considerable number of fat cattle and sheep; to supply and support the Army and Fleet, whereby this Colony hath long been and still is greatly annoyed and distressed; and do frequently pass and repass the sound, and anchor in our roads and harbours, which occasions frequent alarms, and the keeping constant watch along our shores. And that we, your said petitioners, think, it to be our duty, and are willing and resolved, not only from a regard to our own private interest, but also to the general interest of this Continent, to do all that is or shall be in our power, to hinder the common enemy of this land from being strengthened in carrying on their hostile designs against us by making a prey of our property and that of our neighbours. But we are sorry that we are obliged, as we think we are, to say that a considerable number of the inhabitants of this Town are (through the influence or certain powerful men here, who are against openly opposing those who are endeavouring to enslave us) averse to such exertions, in our defence, as we think will be highly proper and necessary; by which means a vote of the majority of the inhabitants of this Town, qualified by law to vote in Town affairs, could not be obtained, at a meeting here lately held, to petition your Honours for such help as we perceive you have granted to other places much less exposed to the enemy than the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. And we are apprehensive that, in our present state, no such vigorous and powerful opposition will be made here, to the attempts likely to be made by our invaders, as will be necessary to prevent their carrying off from this Island a considerable supply of provisions for the support of the common enemy of North-America. The prayer of your petitioners is, that your Honours will bo pleased to order fifty men, belonging to this Island or elsewhere, as your Honours shall think best, to be enlisted and employed for our defence, on the pay of this Colony, and this till the beginning of December next, or longer, inasmuch as this Island is not so likely to be defended by ice as the shores of the neighbouring Continent, or to grant us such other means of defence as your Honours, in your wisdom, shall seem meet. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

† Petition of a number of the Inhabitants of the Town of Tisbury humbly sheweth: That on Monday, the 21st of August, Anno Domini 1775, in consideration of our present unhappy situation at this crisis, and resolving to act in conformity to and with the rest of our brethren of said Colony, it was therefore voted to prefer a petition on the following particulars, viz: In consideration of our dangerous situation, being daily exposed to the invasions of His Majesty’s fleet and armed vessels, they having already commenced hostilities upon this County, not only by firing upon us, but by carrying off stock, to the great prejudice of sundry inhabitants of this County. It was therefore voted in said meeting, to petition your Honours to take our situation under your serious consideration, and supply us with such a number of men, either by sea or land, or both, as you in your wisdom shall think most for our defence. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

* Petition of Elisha Cobb humbly sheweth: That, on the 7th inst., Thomas Sparks, in a schooner belonging to John Webb, of Boston, came into Wellfleet-Bay, with orders from Admiral Graves to catch fish and purchase fresh provisions for said Graves’s family. Being informed that said Sparks, the trip before, had carried off some poultry and sauce, and being apprehensive that further mischief might ensue from said Sparks being at liberty to pursue his orders, I ordered Captain Joseph Smith, of the troops raised for the defence of the sea-coast, to bring said schooner into harbour, which he did. I then ordered said schooner to be hauled up, and her sails unbent, where she now is. The same day, sent said Sparks, with his order and other papers, to Colonel Joseph Otis, of Barnstable, for further orders; and also his crew, viz: a white lad named Richard Caswell, belonging to Boston, and a negro man named Francis, belonging to Thomas Talbert of Salem. All which is submitted to your Honours’ further direction.

† Petition of the Selectmen of the Town of Sherburne, on the Island of Nantucket, in behalf and at the request of many of the inhabitants thereof, sheweth: That your petitioners, some time past, presented their memorial to you, in General Court assembled, representing, among other things, their apprehensions that some designing men had made false representations of the inhabitants of this Island, which probably produced the resolve of the late Provincial Congress, forbidding all necessary supplies being brought to this place. And notwithstanding we