appointed for the purpose of supplying the Army with wood; and whereas, in consequence of said vote, a number of persons have entered the wood lots of your memorialist, owned as aforesaid, and situated in Newton, in the County of Middlesex, and cut from thence very considerable quantities of wood, to the great detriment of said wood lot; and, whereas, your memorialist hath already freely supplied the Army with a great quantity of wood, and is, and has been always ready to supply her full proportion of wood for the supporting said Army; your memorialist, therefore, prays a Committee from both Houses may be appointed to make full inquiry into the truth of this memorial, and afford your memorialist relief adequate to her peculiar situation, and further prays, that orders be immediately given to the said Court's Committee, to desist from cutting any more wood from said lots until the honourable Committee, that may be appointed for said inquiry, shall make report to this honourable Court.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the Committee appointed by this Court to provide Wood for the Continental Army, in this Colony, be immediately ordered to desist from cutting any more Wood on the land of the memorialist, till the further order of this Court.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

An engrossed Bill, entitled, "An Act for assessing a Tax of seventy-five thousand Pounds, to defray the charges of this Colony," having passed the House of Representatives, to be enacted.

In Council: Read a second time, and passed a concurrence, to be enacted.

Mr. Story came up with a message from the House, to inform the Board that the House proposed to postpone the choice of Military Officers, till to-morrow, ten o'clock, if agreeable to the honourable Board.

Mr. Fisher went down with a message to the House, to inform them that the Board had agreed to the foregoing proposal of the House.

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That the Committee appointed to procure Hay for the Army, be directed to proceed immediately to execute their commission, and procure as much Hay as they can, (over and above what is specified in the resolve of this Court,) agreeable to said resolve.

ln Council: Read, and concurred.

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

Saturday, December 23, 1775.

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

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That a Resolution of this Court, that passed the House on the 12th instant, directing Mr. Putnam and others to erect a Powder-Mill at Sutton, and repair another at Stoughton, he reconsidered, and that Captain Goodman attend Mr. Thomas Harling to Andover and Stoughton, to take a view of a place in each of those towns, proposed for erecting a Powder-Mill, and report to this Court at which place said Mill may be erected with the greatest convenience and despatch.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Memorial of William Hunt, (Blank.)

In Council: Resolved, That the former Committee of Inspection on the East part of the Town of Pownalborough, had sufficient evidence to justify them for publishing Abiel Wood as a violator of the Continental Association, and that in many other instances he (the said Wood) appeared by his conduct to be an enemy to the liberties of this country, and the said Committee deserve to be highly commended for so doing; and the Committee of Correspondence of said town, who counteracted the doings of said Committee of Inspection, is very unjustifiable, as it encouraged the said Abiel Wood in his principles and practices, so inimical to the rights and liberties of America.

Further Resolved, That Abiel Wood shall be confined until he shall give bonds, with two good and sufficient sureties, to the Treasurer of this Colony, in the sum of one thou sand Pounds, the condition whereof shall be, that he, the said Abiel, will not, in any way, assist or correspond with any of the enemies of this country, and that he will be of good behaviour, and peaceable towards all, and more especially towards the persons of the former Committee of Inspection for the east part of the Town of Pownalborough; and that he will at any time appear, and answer to any complaint which may hereafter be made against him, when he shall be thereunto required by order of this Court, and that he will abide their order thereon.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred.

Adjourned till ten o'clock, Monday morning.

Monday, December 25, 1775.

Present in Council: Honourables William Sever, Benjamin Greenleaf, Caleb Cushing, Benjamin Chadbourn, Joseph Gerrish, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

In the House of Representatives: Whereas, by a Resolve passed in the House of Representatives on the 3d day of November last, and concurred by the Board on the 4th day of the said month, it is ordered that Mr. Devans, Captain Thatcher, Mr. Cheeper, Colonel Thayer, Mr. Walker, Mr. Dicks, and Mr. Ellis, should be a Committee, who were directed to afford their utmost assistance and aid to the Quartermaster-General, that the Continental Army might be provided with a full supply of wood, until the further order of the Court; and, for the purpose of more effectually procuring the same, they were empowered Jo enter the wood lots of such of our enemies as had fled into Boston, and, after having the wood thereon growing appraised, to cause the same to be cut down and drawn to the camp; which Resolve, with one since passed for the same purpose, has proved ineffectual, and it being of absolute necessity for the preservation of the lives and property of the people of all America, that the said Army be supplied with necessary wood, it is, therefore,

Resolved, That Captain Vose, Mr. Guild, Mr. Stone, of Lexington, and Mr. Withington, be added to the said Committee, and that either three, or more, of said Committee be, and they hereby are empowered, if Wood sufficient for said Army cannot be procured at a reasonable price without it, to enter the woodlands of any person, or persons, within this Colony, and, after appraising the Wood thereon standing and growing, to cause the same to be cut clown and carried to the camp, to supply said Army. And if any person, owner, or proprietor, of such woodland, shall molest or hinder the said Committee, or any three of them, from acting in pursuance to this Resolve, the said Committee, or the major part present, being not less than three, are hereby empowered to cause such person to be arrested and sent to this Court, to be dealt with according to the demerits of his contempt. And the said Committee is hereby directed to pay each person, whose Wood they shall cause to be cut down and carried away, the price the same shall be by them appraised at, and, also, to pay all axemen which they shall employ reasonable wages, and the owner of any team that they may employ reasonable wages for his team.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

The Secretary, by order of the House, laid on the Speaker's table the Resolve to raise two Companies for the defence of Gloucester.

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

Tuesday, December 26, 1775.

Present in Council: Honourable William Sever, Benjamin Chadbourn, Joseph Gerrish, James Prescott, Jedediah Foster, Eldad Taylor, Benjamin Lincoln, Joseph Palmer, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Esquires.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the several Post-Riders (excepting Peter Mumford, already agreed with, at ten Pounds per quarter,) be paid for their service at the rate of twenty Shillings per annum, on every mile of their route, for those taken into the Continental service, beginning the first of June, and ending the 5th of October last. The four that are dismissed from the service, excepting Isaac Colton, at the rate of twenty-five Shillings per annum, for every mile of their route, beginning the first of June, and ending the 5th instant. And that Joseph Greenleaf, Esq., be, and he hereby is, directed