The Pilots attended this day, when they agreed to enter into the service of this Province, at the rate of six Pounds per month, for the purpose of piloting all vessels from Chester, through the machines sunk near Fort-Island, to this City, and from this City to Chester, when it was unanimously

Resolved, That Michael Dawson, James Roberts, Joseph Gamble, William Moleston, Daniel Gorton, William Marshall, Nehemiah Maule, John Snyder, Matthew Strong, and William Ross, Pilots, be employed in the above service, at the said rate of six Pounds per month; and that Mr. Clymer, Mr. White, Mr. Nixon, Mr. Wharton, and Mr. Mease, or any three of them, be a Committee to draw up Instructions for the Pilots, and the form of the Oath they are to take; and that the said Committee are to have the whole direction of the said Pilots, and the services they are to perform.

Agreeable to the above Resolve, the following Oath was administered and signed by the abovementioned Pilots, viz:

“We, Michael Dawson, James Roberts, Joseph Gamble, William Moleston, Daniel Gorton, William Marshall, Nehemiah Maule, John Snyder, Matthew Strong, and William Ross, now of the City of Philadelphia, being appointed, by the Committee of Safety, Pilots, to navigate vessels sailing from the City of Philadelphia to the Town of Chester, upon Delaware, and from the said Town to the City aforesaid, being each of us duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, do, and every of us does, declare and swear, that he will not discover, to any person or persons whatever, any matter or thing which he shall be informed of or intrusted with, or which he now knows, or shall hereafter acquire knowledge of, by his own skill and experience or otherwise, whereby any person or persons may be taught and instructed how to conduct and navigate a vessel to pass through or between the machines called chevauxde-frise, sunk in the River Delaware, by order of the Committee of Safety; and that each of us will use his utmost skill and endeavours to keep out of the way of and prevent his being taken by any British man-of-war, armed vessel, or other vessel in the immediate service of the King of Great Britain. And, further, each of us do swear, that he will continue in the service to which he is now appointed, and not depart the same until he is discharged from it by order of the Committee of Safety; and that, in all things which respect his duty in the service aforesaid, he will faithfully and readily obey and execute all orders and directions which he shall receive from the Sub-Committee who are appointed by the Committee of Safety to superintend and direct his duty, or such as he shall receive from the General Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania or from the Committee of Safety.

“MICHAEL DAWSON,	WILLIAM MARSHALL,
“JAMES ROBERTS,	NEHEMIAH MAULE,
“JOSEPH GAMBLE,	JOHN SNYDER,
“WILLIAM MOLESTON,	MATTHEW STRONG,
“DANIEL GORTON,	WILLIAM ROSS.

“Taken and sworn the 20th October, 1775, before me,

“JAMES BIDDLE, J. P.”

Captain William Bradford having informed the Vice-President that Major Wescott, of New-Jersey, was arrived in this City, with the Captain of a Transport Ship lately cast away on Brigantine Beach, near Egg Harbour, he ordered the Committee to be summoned, when the following members appeared:

Robert Morris, James Mease, George Clymer, George Taylor, Bernard Dougherty, Alexander Wilcocks, James Biddle, Andrew Allen, John Montgomery, Thomas Wharton, Jun., Owen Biddle, Michael Swoope, John Cadwal-lader, Daniel Roberdeau, George Ross.

Captain George Hastings, late Commander of the above-mentioned Transport, being brought before the Committee, gave the following intelligence:

That he was Master of the Ship Rebecca & Francis, of two hundred and ninety–three tons burden, owned in London, by James Mather; that he left Boston the 5th of October, for New-York, with two commissioned officers, Captain Duncan Campbell and Lieutenant Symes—two Sergeants, named Hugh Morrison and William Forster—and twenty-one privates, belonging to a Regiment raising in America; that he understood they were going to New-York, for the purpose of recruiting; that last Monday morning, before day, the weather being hazy, the said Ship Rebecca & Francis struck on the shore at Brigantine Beach, where she is stranded. That Captain Campbell parted with him at the Beach, on Tuesday evening, and, he supposes, made the best of his way to New-York in some boat, but did not see him go into any boat, as it was dark when he left his tent. That Lieutenant Symes went away about Tuesday, at noon, in a small boat, with an elderly man, dressed like a fisherman. That they had on board sixty firelocks, with bayonets and cartouch-boxes, and two barrels and a half of powder, all which were thrown into the sea. That on the 20th July last the said Captain Campbell sailed with him from Boston to New-York, and carried between fifty and sixty recruits from New-York to Boston. That the said Captain Campbell had been in the Forty-Second Regiment; lived in Dutchess County, New-York Government, and has a wife and children there. That he (the Captain of the vessel) was not ordered to apply to any person at New-York, but to lie under the protection of the Asia, ship-of-war. That Captain Campbell frequently sent the boat on shore, for the recruits that were raised for him. That the soldiers now brought in said ship were some of those enlisted at New-York, and carried by Captain Campbell to Boston in July last. That General Gage and the officers of the Forty-Eighth and Fifty-Ninth Regiments are going home in a transport vessel of sixteen guns. That bills of one hundred Pounds sterling sold in Boston for eighty Pounds. That no men of war or troops had gone to Quebeck; neither had they an account of an expedition against Quebeck, but there was a talk of one against Halifax.

Monday, October 23, 1775.

At a meeting of the Committee of Safety: Present—

Robert Morris, Andrew Allen, George Clymer, John Montgomery, Daniel Roberdeau, Alexander Wilcocks, John Nixon, Owen Biddle, Thomas Wharton, Jun., Bernard Dougherty, George Gray, James Mease, James Biddle.

Upon motion, Resolved, That Mr. Allen, Mr. Clymer, and Mr. Roberdeau, be a Committee to give orders respecting the removal of Dr. John Kearsley to Yorktown Jail, and the removal of J. Brooks to Lancaster Jail, and to give the necessary orders for their sentence being carried into execution.

Resolved, That Captain Long be ordered to buy a quantity of half-price boards, and send them to Fort-Island, for the purpose of building a leanto Shed against the inside of the fort wall, sufficient to cover two or three hundred men in bad weather.

Robert Towers, Commissary, reports his having received the following Firelocks from the undermentioned Captains of the Associators: twelve Firelocks from Captain Furman, twenty–three ditto from Captain Cadwallader, eleven ditto from Captain Wilcox, twelve ditto from Captain Little, five ditto from Captain Shce, nine ditto from Captain Willing. That he has received six Firelocks, purchased from Captain Robison. That he has delivered to the undermentioned Captains of the Armed Boats the following Firelocks, viz: thirteen Firelocks to Captain Dougherty, of the Washington; fifteen ditto to Captain Alexander, of the Chatham; fifteen ditto to Captain Moore, of the Effingham; fifteen ditto to Captain Davidson, of the Warren; fifteen ditto to Captain Blair, of the Burke; fifteen ditto to Captain Montgomery, of the Ranger; fifteen ditto to Captain Hamilton, of the Congress; fifteen ditto to Captain Eyres, of the Camden; two ditto to Captain Thomas Moore, of the Hancock; two ditto to Captain Rice, of the Dickinson; six ditto to Captain Henderson, of the Bull-Dog; eight ditto to Captain Biddle, of the Franklin.

Upon application of Captain Peter Long, Ships’ Husband, for the sum of money for the payment of a number of small articles he had occasion to purchase, for the use of the Armed Boats, by order of the Board, an Order was drawn on Michael Hillegas, Esq., Treasurer, in his favour, for one hundred Pounds.

This Board having taken into their consideration, by