a war with Great Britain, and that they are engaged to join with you in opposing your and our enemies. We heartily join with our brethren the Penobscot Indians in every thing that they have or shall agree with our brethren of the Colony of the Massachusetts, and are resolved to stand together and oppose the people of Old-England that are endeavouring to take your and our lands from us. We are brothers of one Father, and one God made us all, and we will stand by you as long as the Almighty will give us strength, and we hope you will do the same for us. We have no where to look to for assistance but to you, and we desire that you would help us to a priest, that he may pray with us to God Almighty. We have no place to go to but to Penobscot for support, and we desire you would provide ammunition, provisions, and goods, for us there, and we will come in there and give you our furs and skins, and take our support from you in return, and will be thankful to you for the kindness.

“Brothers, we pray God to bless you and prosper you, and strengthen and lengthen this new chain with us.”

In Council, October 9, 1775: Read and sent down.

Read, and committed to Colonel Orne, Mr. Story, and Mr. Sullivan, with such as the honourable Board may join.

Michael Farley, Esq., brought down a Petition of Thomas Gould, of Eastham, Master of the Schooner William, owned by Mr. John Prince, now at Halifax, praying the directions of the Court with respect to a Letter he has received from said Prince. Read and committed.

Mr. Sullivan, according to order, reported the following; which was read and accepted, viz:

May it please your Honours:

The House has just received intelligence that there are now at Long-Island, near Penobscot River, several persons employed in cutting wood, in order to supply our enemies, the Ministerial Army, now in possession of the Town of Boston, and that Admiral Graves has sent a number of armed vessels to guard and protect the providers and carriers of said wood. And as the militia, with the forces raised in this Colony to defend the sea-coast, are under the command of your Honours, the House begs leave to suggest to you the necessity of your taking this matter under consideration, that your Honours may order such re-enforcements as you shall judge necessary. And the House further begs leave to suggest that one Captain Bradish, now in the Army, can give your Honours information of the above facts.

Ordered, That Mr. Sullivan, Colonel Orne, Mr. Pitts, Colonel Sawyer, and Mr. Mills, be a Committee to wait upon the majority of the honourable Council with the foregoing Message.

“In Council, October 9, 1775: Read, and by the major part of the Council, Ordered, That William Sever, Walter Spooner, and Moses Gill, Esqs., be a Committee to consider the merits thereof, and report.”

The Committee appointed to consider at large the expense which the several Towns in this Colony have been at in providing and conveying Provisions to the Soldiers immediately after the battle at Concord and Lexington, reported the following Resolve, viz:

Resolved, That the Selectmen of each Town make out an exact Account of the Provisions that their respective Towns provided, and the charge of conveyance, certified by them; and that there be a Committee appointed by this House to examine their respective Accounts, and when corrected, to be paid out of the publick Treasury.

Read and accepted; and Mr. Cross, Deacon Nichols, Mr. Moody, Mr. Rawson, and Colonel Doane, were appointed a Committee for the purpose abovementioned.

The Petition of the Selectmen of Lunenburgh was committed to the said Committee.

An Account of Mrs. Dorothy Coolidge, for dining forty Gentlemen of the Clergy, &c., was read, and committed to the Committee on Accounts.

Afternoon.

The Report of the Committee appointed to consider the expediency of fitting out Armed Vessels was taken into consideration. Read and accepted.

Whereas the unnatural enemies of these Colonies have infested the sea-coasts with Armed Vessels, and are daily endeavouring to distress the inhabitants, by plundering Live Stock, and making captures of Provision and other Vessels, being the property of said inhabitants; and whereas the Grand Congress of America have resolved, “That each Colony, at their own expense, make such provision, by Armed Vessels or otherwise, as their respective Assemblies, Conventions, or Committees of Safety, shall judge expedient, and suitable to their circumstances and situations, for the protection of their Harbours and navigation on the Sea-Coasts, against all unlawful invasions, attacks, and depredations from Cutters and Ships of War;” and whereas it is the duty and interest of each Colony to exert itself, as well for the purpose of keeping Supplies from the enemy as for those mentioned in the Resolve just recited:

Therefore, Resolved, That a Committee be now appointed to prepare and bring in a Bill for the confiscation of all armed and other Vessels that shall be taken and brought into this Colony, together with their Cargoes, appurtenances, &c., which shall have been found making unlawful invasions, attacks, or depredations on our sea-coasts or navigation, or improved in supplying the enemy with Provisions, &c., or employed by them in any other respect whatever; and that provision be made in said Bill for encouraging such of the inhabitants of this Colony as shall for this purpose be recommended by the Committees of Correspondence and Safety of the Town in which they shall dwell, to fit out Armed Vessels, under such regulations as the General Court shall order; and that all Vessels and Cargoes that shall be taken by said inhabitants or others, properly authorized to take the same, and that shall be legally condemned in this Colony, shall be the property of the captors, they paying the charges of condemnation. Also, that further provision be made in said Bill for determining the Salvage that shall be allowed on such Vessels as shall be retaken from the enemy before condemnation; and for erecting a Court for the trial and condemnation of all Vessels, Cargoes, &c., as aforesaid, that shall be taken and brought into this Colony.

The Letter prepared to be sent to the Continental Congress was considered, and recommitted for amendment.

Ordered, That the Expenses for defending and protecting the Sea-Coast be detached from the general Account which is designed to accompany the said Letter abovementioned.

Ordered, That the Secretary lay upon the table the Resolve of this Court appointing a Committee to examine into the reason and justness of the capture of Vessels that may be carried into the eastern parts of this Colony.

Tuesday, October 10, 1775.

Mr. John Lowell came in, and laid upon the table the Resolve of this Court, appointing a Committee to examine into the captures that may be carried into the eastern parts of the Colony.

Afternoon.

Ordered, That the Committee appointed to consider the Proceedings of the Committee of Deer-Island, relative to the Schooner Nightingale, sit thereon, and report as soon as may be.

On the Petition of a number of Prisoners in Concord Jail, *

Resolved, That the prayer of this Petition be so far granted as that Ephraim Wood, one of the Selectmen of the Town of Concord, be empowered and directed to provide one Coat, one pair of Breeches, one pair of Stockings, one Shirt, and one pair of Shoes, for such of the Petitioners as the Selectmen of the Town of Concord judge are present sufferers from want of Clothing: and he is desired to apply to this Court for the pay for said Clothing.

In Council, October 10, 1775: Read and concurred.

* Petition of ten prisoners belonging to the different Regiments now in Boston, being prisoners ever since the 19th of April last, and remaining now in jail in the Town of Concord. Pray your Honours to take under consideration our disagreeable necessity of applying to your Honours for clothing to cover our nakedness, to make us comfortable in the approaching season. We rely on your Honours’ humanity for that relief which is necessary for your petitioners; preservation; and, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.