during the winter season; and to wait on his Excellency General Washington, and represent to him the exposed situation of such place or places as they may judge necessary to be guarded, and to request his protection of them; and make report.

Sent down for concurrence. Came up concurred, and Mr. Sullivan, Colonel Orne, Colonel Lovell, and Captain Tobey, are joined on the part of the House.

Adjourned to nine o'clock, to-morrow morning.

Wednesday, December 6, 1775.

Present in Council: Honourables William Sever, Walter Spooner, John Winthrop, Joseph Gerrish, Jedediah Foster, Eldad Taylor, Benjamin Lincoln, John Whetcomb, Charles Chauncy, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Jabez Fisher, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

A Letter from his Honour Jonathan Trumbull, Esq., Governour of Connecticut, relative to the fraud of persons supplying the enemy with Provisions, by way of Nantucket.

Read, and Ordered, That John Winthrop and Charles Chauncy, Esqrs., with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to take the said Letter, and Papers enclosed, under consideration, and report.

Sent down for concurrence.

Two Letters from his Excellency General Washington, on the critical situation of the Army.

Read, and Ordered, That Walter Spooner, John Winthrop, and Joseph Palmer, Esquires, with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to wait on his Excellency General Washington, immediately, to confer with him on the subject-matter of the foregoing Letters, and devise some ways and means of easing the difficulties therein suggested.

Sent down for concurrence. Came up concurred, and Mr. Sullivan, Captain Batchelder, Mr. Cushing, and Colonel Orne, Esquires, are joined on the part of the House.

In Council: Ordered, That Benjamin Lincoln, Esquire, with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to consider what may be necessary to be done relative to the expense arising by the Prisoners taken by private adventurers, and report.

Sent down for concurrence.

Petition of the Selectmen of Boxford, humbly showeth: "In consequence of a request from the Committee of Safety of the Town of Gloucester, to the Selectmen and Committee of Safety of this town, in which they desired a number of men might be sent to their assistance, with provisions and other necessaries, for a short time, as they were apprehensive of an immediate attack by sea from our inveterate enemies:

"Accordingly we have raised and sent to their assistance sixteen men, including suitable officers, with provision, &.c, suitable for fourteen days, and at the end of the said fourteen days we received another request from the Selectmen and Committee of Safety of said town, desiring us to continue the said men with them some time longer, or send others in their stead; we have, therefore, raised ten other men, including a suitable officer, and sent them, with provision, fee, for fourteen days more, which terms they have respectively served out at said Gloucester.

"The charge we have been at in sending and providing provision for the above-mentioned twenty-six men, for fourteen days, amounts to fifteen pounds twelve shillings, which charge, together with such wages as the honourable Court shall think adequate to their services, as we in duty bound shall ever pray."

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the Receiver-General be, and he is hereby directed to pay to Aaron Wood, Esq., thirty-nine Pounds seven Shillings, to be by him applied for the payment of one Sergeant and twenty-five Privates, for their service as soldiers at Gloucester, viz: the Sergeant one month, and the men half month each; and, also, for the billeting, &c., of the said soldiers.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In Council: Ordered, That Walter Spooner, Charles Chauncy, and Joseph Palmer, Esquires, with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to wait on his Excellency General Washington, and represent to him the circumstances of the four Companies now doing duty at Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham, as to when they were inlisted, and by whose order, from whom they have received their orders from time to time, and in what service they have been employed. That they were considered by this Colony, when raised, as part of the thirteen thousand six hundred men voted by us, and have always been so considered; and desire that his Excellency would order them to be paid by the Continent, as they were not inlisted, neither have they been employed for the special purpose of defending the sea-costs, as a number since have been.

Sent down for concurrence. Came up concurred, and Mr. Pitts, Mr. Jewett, Mr. Hobart, and Mr. Story, are joined on the part of the House.

Petition of Thomas Livermore, Sergeant of the Sixty-Third Regiment, setting forth, "that he, with seven soldiers and nine sailors, being prisoners, and confined in jail in Ipswich, would acquaint your Honours, that five of our number have been very sick, one of which men remains very ill, and has nothing to cover him in this inclement season but the clothes which he has now on his back, and these have remained on for three months. We are all in a bad situation for clothing, and our necessity obliges us to petition your Honours to grant us such relief as your Honours shall think proper; and, as in duty bound, shall ever pray."

In the Home of Representatives: Resolved, That the Selectmen of the Town of Ipswich be, and they hereby are required and empowered, as soon as may be, to furnish each of the seven Soldiers mentioned in said petition, with two Shirts, one Blanket, and a Cap; that they furnish each of the nine Sailors in said jail, with one Coat, Jacket, and a pair of Breeches, two Shirts, two pair of Stockings, a pair of Shoes, one Cap, and one Blanket; and that the said Selectmen provide light Sacks, for the said sixteen prisoners, and lay an account of their expenses before this Court for allowance and payment.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Adjourned to nine o'clock, to-morrow morning.

Thursday, December 7, 1775.

Present in Council: Honourables William Sever, Benjamin Greenleaf, Walter Spooner, Caleb Cushing, John Winthrop, Joseph Gerrish, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Benjamin Lincoln, Charles Channcy, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Jabez Fisher, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

Petition of Joseph Greenleaf, late of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, humbly shows, "that your petitioner, with Doctor Jonathan King and Captain Phineas Upham, both of Brookfield, in the County of Worcester, with considerable expense, and close application and labour, have happily discovered the method of manufacturing copperas and alum, which they have the fullest assurance they can obtain, in sufficient quantities, to supply this whole Colony at least; and they humbly apprehend they can also manufacture oils of vitriol and sulphur, spirits and balsam of sulphur, and sundry other chemical matters of great importance to their country in this critical day. And, inasmuch as the foregoing articles cannot be produced without great expense for a proper apparatus, and whereas there will be no clear profits for a considerable time, your petitioner humbly prays, that an exclusive privilege of manufacturing in this Colony, the above-mentioned articles, for the term of ten years, may be granted him in conjunction with the above named Jonathan King and Phineas Upham, and that they may have their action against any person or persons who shall venture to manufacture said articles during said term; and that your Honours would afford your petitioners and company such further encouragement as your Honours, in your wisdom and goodness, may think proper, and your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray."

In the House of Representatives: Read, and Ordered, That Colonel Orne and Mr. Cushing, at Captain Stearns's, with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to consider the within Petition, and report thereon.

In Council: Read, and concurred, and William Sever and Joseph Palmer, Esquires, are joined.

The Committee of both Houses, appointed to wait on General Washington, to hold a conference with him, on the subject-matter of his Letter of the 6th instant, have waited on his Excellency, and held the proposed conference, and