We salute you, and wish you the best of Heaven’s blessings—health, peace, and prosperity. We heartily receive you as our brethren, in the same manner as we have received our brethren of the Penobscot Tribe. We will do every thing for you that we have promised to do for them. We shall be always ready to help you, and stand firm together with you in opposing the wicked people of Old-England, who are fighting against us, and who are seeking to take your and our lands and liberties from us, and make us their servants; and we have good reason to believe that we shall soon drive them out of our land.

We are thirteen Colonies of white people, who have joined in one long chain, and almost as many Tribes of our brethren, the Indians, who have very much lengthened and strengthened our chain: it is now so long and so strong, that (if we don’t break it ourselves) those wicked people of Old-England will never be able to break it. We are willing you should have a Priest of your own, and worship as you choose; for our great dependance and trust is on Almighty God, (who made you and us, ) for protection and defence.

According to your desire, we have sent to our Truck-master, at Penobscot, money to purchase ammunition, provisions, and goods, as we think will be sufficient to supply you this winter. We have told our Truckmaster to supply you, and take your skins and furs in payment. Thus we have cheerfully complied with your requests, and shall be always ready to hear your requests or complaints, and we trust you will help us in our present war with the wicked people of Old-England, if we send for you.

We pray God to bless you, and keep you out of the hands of all your and our enemies, and that you may make a part of our long chain of brothers, as long as the sun and moon shall endure.

In Council, October 16, 1775. Read and concurred.

On the Petition of the Committee of Correspondence for the Town of Worcester, *

Resolved, That the said Committee be, and they hereby are empowered and directed to liberate Monsieur Viart, in said Petition named, that he may be able to provide for himself.

Ordered, That Colonel Freeman, Colonel Orne, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Gerry, be a Committee to make suitable provision and entertainment for the Committee expected from the honourable Continental Congress, the Governours of Connecticut and Rhode-Island, the President of the New-Hampshire Congress, the honourable Council of this Colony, the General Officers of the Continental Army, the Speaker of this House, and any gentlemen strangers whom said Committee may see fit to invite.

Voted, That four o’clock, in the afternoon, be assigned for the first reading of the Militia Bill.

The Committee on the Petition of the Selectmen of Provincetown,† reported. Read and accepted.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to the Honourable James Otis, Esq., to be by him delivered into the hands of the Selectmen of the Town of Provincetown, or to their order, the sum of one hundred and thirty-five Pounds, for the use of the Inhabitants of said Town, to enable them to discharge such debts as have arisen for the preaching of the gospel; and further to enable them to pay the Protestant Minister already settled in said Town, agreeable to a grant of the General Court or Assembly of this Colony, at their Sessions in February, A. D., 1774, which grant was made of the sum of forty-five Pounds annually, for twelve years next after the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-two, which sum of one hundred and thirty-five Pounds is in full of said grant till May last. And the Receiver-General is hereby ordered and directed to pay the above-said sum of one hundred and thirty-five Pounds to the said James Otis, Esq., for the purpose abovesaid, he giving his receipt therefor.

In Council, October 17, 1775: Read and concurred.

Afternoon.

The Militia Bill was read the first time, and ordered to be read again on Tuesday, at ten o’clock, A. M.

Ordered, That Mr. Sullivan bring in a Resolve empowering some person to purchase sundry articles of Provisions, Goods, &c., for the Honourable Jedediah Preble, Truckmaster at Fort Pownall.

Tuesday, October 17, 1775.

Mr. Gerry, according to order, brought in the following Resolve. Read and accepted.

Whereas the Committee appointed to settle all such Accounts of the Committee of Supplies as remain unsettled are empowered to pay and discharge the Accounts of the Selectmen of the several Towns in the Government, for Blankets by them supplied, agreeable to a Resolve of Congress; and there are many Non-Commissioned Officers and Private Soldiers enlisted by this Colony, and now in the American Army, who have found their own Blankets, and not received payment therefor; and others who are yet unsupplied with Blankets, or Money to purchase the same:

Therefore, Resolved, That the Committee aforesaid be, and they hereby are empowered to pay twelve Shillings to each and every Soldier, as aforesaid, who shall fully satisfy said Committee that he hath not received a Blanket, or payment therefor, from any Selectman or Committee of this Colony.

Mr. Speaker communicated to the House a Letter from Joseph Reed, Esq., Secretary to General Washington, enclosing a Letter from Dr. Church to the enemy, as deciphered by the Reverend Mr. West, together with the Proceedings of the Council respecting the same. Whereupon,

Resolved, That Dr. Church ought to be brought to the Bar of this House, to show cause, if any he has, why he should not be expelled the same.

* Petition of the Committee of Correspondence for the Town of Worcester, humbly sheweth: That Monsieur Viart, a Frenchman, about three months ago, was put under their custody by the Committee of Safety, with directions that the said Viart should have liberty to walk for his health, to a convenient distance about this Town; and they would inform your Honours’ that he hath enjoyed the liberty according to the directions given him, like a gentleman of strict honour; and as they have received your Honours’ orders, dated August 15, 1775, to keep the said Viart under custody, with the same liberty, until further order, they beg leave humbly to show that the said Monsieur Viart came to them in such clothing as was fit for summer only, and that without some provision be made for him, or ho bo liberated, so he may provide for himself, he must suffer in this cold climate. He is at this time destitute of comfortable linen, stockings, shoes, &c.

Your petitioners therefore pray, that your Honours would take the matter into consideration, and give such directions relative to the premises, as your wisdom shall dictate. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.

† Petition of the Selectmen of Provincetown, in the County of Barn. stable, humbly sheweth: That this Province, for several years last past, to encourage the poor inhabitants of that place to tarry there for the preservation of so valuable a harbour, and to relieve people that are frequently cast on shore on that desolate place, and who must unavoid. ably perish, in case the inhabitants leave the place, made a grant of twenty Pounds a year towards supplying them with winter preaching, which sum they have received annually until May, 1772, for which grant they gratefully acknowledge the Province’s care of them; and upon the 26th day of February, 1774, the General Court, taking their circumstances into consideration, came into the following resolve, viz:

“That there be allowed and paid, out of the publick Treasury, into the hands of the Selectmen of Provincetown for the time being, the sum of forty-five Pounds annually, for twelve years next after the first day of May, 1772, to the use of the inhabitants of said Town, to enable them to discharge such debts as had arisen for the preaching of the gospel amongst them, and further to enable them to pay the Protestant Minister already settled in said Town: Provided, always, That they continue him, or some other officiating in that character, amongst them during that time; the same to be applied to that use only. And further, that all such sum or sums which said Town have received out of the publick Treasury, to hire publick preaching in said Town, within the time included in said grant, be first deducted out of such sums as by this resolve they might have been entitled to receive.”

But so it happened, that, notwithstanding said grant passed all the branches of Government, by the neglect of the person who had the care of the business, there was no application made for a warrant on the Treasury for what was then due, according to said resolve, by which moans the said Town has had no benefit of said resolve to this day, by reason whereof our present Pastor is kept out of the money due to him, and will be under a necessity of leaving us, in case he has not that subsistence the Province intended him, as an encouragement to settle amongst us. Wherefore, as there is due to us, in consequence of said resolve, from May, 1772, to May, 1775, one hundred and thirty-five Pounds, according to said resolve passed, we humbly pray the honourable Court to take the matter into their wise consideration, and order us to receive one hundred and thirty-five Pounds, out of the publick Treasury, to complete the grant to May, 1775, unless you should, in your wonted goodness, give us twenty Pounds for the cost and trouble of Our reverend Pastor’s ordination, as we are very poor, and order us to receive one hundred and fifty-five Pounds, or to relieve us as your great wisdom shall see fit. And, as in duty bound, shall ever pray.