In Council: Read, and accepted.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred.

Petition of Thomas Russell, late of Charlestown, setting forth: "that he has now due to him considerable sums of money from the foreign West-India Islands, for the recovery of which he conceives there are no possible means, if the intercourse between them and us is totally stopped. That your petitioner is also possessed of a small schooner, of which Matthew Groves is master, now in the harbour of Salem, the inactivity of which, if a total stagnation of trade takes place, your Honours are doubtless sensible must prove a dead loss.

"That your petitioner proposes by no means to export the produce of this Province to the foreign West-Indies, but to sail in ballast, and make a return with the commodities of said foreign Islands; wherefore, and considering the amazing scarcity, and consequently high price of West-India, commodities, your petitioner prays that the said schooner may be permitted to perform said voyage."

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That the Speaker, Mr. Hopkins, and Colonel Sawyer, with such as the honourable Board shall join, be a Committee to consider at large the subject-matter of the within Petition, and report.

In Council: Read, and concurred, and William Sever and John Winthrop, Esquires, are joined.

The Committee of both Houses on the Petition of Thomas Russell, have attended that service, and having considered the same, report the following:

Resolved, That Thomas Russell be allowed to send the schooner, of which Matthew Groves is master, to the foreign West-Indies, in order to collect any moneys which may be due to him there, he giving bonds, with sufficient sureties, in the sum of one thousand Pounds, to the Treasurer of this Colony, that he will not export in said schooner any cash or produce of the Colonies. And it is hereby recommended to the said Thomas Russell, to direct the master of said vessel to purchase Arms, Ammunition, or any kind of Military Stores enumerated in a late Resolution of the Congress, if they are to be obtained.

In Council: Read, and accepted.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred.

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

Wednesday, January 24, 1776.

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

In the House of Representatives: Whereas, there are two Companies, of seventy-five men each, raised and stationed at the Elizabeth-Islands, by a former Resolve of this Court, and it being apprehended that one of those Companies will be sufficient to guard those Islands till the first day of April next, and as it is of importance to reinforce the Continental Army before Boston, with the greatest expedition,

Therefore, it is Resolved, That the Committee for raising men, in the County of Barnstable, be directed to include in the proportion of men to be raised in that County, one company of said men stationed at the Elizabeth-Islands aforesaid, in case they will inlist; and all such officers and soldiers of them, who shall inlist and engage in the service of the Continental Army, till the said first day of April, shall receive the same allowance for travelling to and from the camp, as also the same wages as others raised for the purpose of reinforcing the said Continental Army, and shall be released from their service at the said Elizabeth-Islands till the first day of April next, and then shall return to that service and establishment again; and if one set of officers shall inlist one company of seventy-five men of said companies, stationed at said Islands, they shall, in that case, be the officers of that company, and may fill up, by inlistment, the remainder of the company, to make up ninety men in the whole, including officers, and the whole of said company shall then proceed to the choice of an Ensign, to serve till the first day of April.

And whereas, Barachiah Bassett, Esq., was appointed by this Court as a Major, to command the forces stationed at the Islands aforesaid, at Martha's Vineyard., and his attention to said service, till the first of April next, being thought unnecessary, and the said Bassett being chosen as a Lieutenant-Colonel by this Court, for the regiment to be raised in the Counties of Plymouth and Barnstable, to reinforce the Continental Army till the said first day of April,

Therefore, it is further Resolved, That the said Barachiah Bassett, Esq., be released from his service at said Island, until the first day of April, and then return to said station and establishment.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, in Continental Bills, to the Honourable John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, and Elbridge Gerry, Esquires, Delegates from this Colony in Continental Congress, the sum of one hundred and thirty Pounds each, to enable the said gentlemen to defray their expenses and support the dignity of their office, they to be accountable to the General Court for the same.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

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

Thursday, January 25, 1776.

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

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the Receiver-General have liberty lo pay the fifty thousand Pounds which this Court have offered to lend his Excellency General Washington, either in Continental Bills or other money.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Doctor Samuel Langdon, President of Harvard College, the sum of one hundred Pounds, in full for the balance of his services for one year, ending 14th of October, 1775.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Major Joseph Hawley, the sum of three hundred and twelve Pounds sixteen Shillings, to be delivered to Colonel Elisha Porter, Esquire, to be by him paid to such of his soldiers as shall provide themselves with a blanket.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In Council: Resolved, That all Fire-Arms and Cartridge-boxes belonging to this Colony, or to any town within the same, and which are or shall be in the hands of any officer or soldier belonging to this Government, shall, when such officer or soldier is discharged the service, be lodged either with the Commissary-General of this Colony, or with the Quartermaster-General, his Deputies, or the Ordnance Storekeeper of the Continental Army, who shall give his receipt for the same, taking care particularly to mention whether they belong to the Colony, or any particular town in the Colony, and if to any town, to what town and in what County; which receipt the Receiver-General is hereby directed to annex to the roll of the company to which such officer or soldier belongs, and pay all such stoppages as shall have been made for the same, without any special warrant from the Council therefor; and the Treasurer is also hereby directed, upon his receiving any receipt of the Quartermaster-General, his Deputies, or the Ordnance Storekeeper of the Continental Army, for any arm, or arms, cartridge-box or boxes, which have been delivered him by any officer or soldier belonging to this Government, to charge the Continent with the arms and cartridge-boxes so delivered.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred.

In Council: Whereas, upon inquiry, it doth not appear that many of the Inhabitants of the Island of Martha's Vineyard, ever had a disposition to supply the enemy with Provisions, and it doth not appear by the Resolve of the 9th of December last, that they were suspected of corruptly doing the same; and such measures having been taken as (in all probability) will prevent the enemy from being sup-