ported themselves and families by exchanging their lumber lor such things as they found necessary for their support; that the present unhappy situation of affairs has stopped their lumber trade, and have not the means of supporting their families, although they have vast quantities of lumber by them. Wherefore, your petitioners pray your Honours would take their deplorable situation into your wise consideration, and point out some method whereby they may support themselves, as a means of doing which they beg leave to observe to your Honours, if a sufficient quantity of provisions should be allowed them, and proper persons appointed by your Honours to receive their lumber therefor; or, if your Honours would indulge them with the loan of a sum of money, until it be in their power to repay the same by the sale of their lumber, either of which methods would, in great measure, answer the desired end.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to the aforementioned Benjamin Foster, and others, the sum of three hundred and fifty Pounds, lawful money, provided the said Benjamin Foster, and others, before-named, shall, all of them, give their bond, jointly and severally, to repay the same in one year from the date thereof, to the Treasurer of this Colony, for the use of the same; which money the aforementioned persons shall dispose of in the best manner they can, to purchase provisions for the inhabitants of Machias, Chandler's River, Goldsborough, Narraguagus, Number-Four, and Pleasant-River, to be divided among the said Plantations as the aforementioned persons shall direct, having respect to their circumstances, number, and necessities.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

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

Thursday, February 1, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourables William Sever, Caleb cushing, John Winthrop, Thomas Cushing, 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 Council: Read, and concurred; and William Sever and Thomas Cushing, Esquires, are joined.

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That be a Committee, with such as the honourable Board shall join, to take into consideration an anonymous Letter from Dartmouth.

In Council: Read, and concurred, and Thomas Cushing, Esq., is joined.

Colonel Freeman came up with a message from the House, to inform the Board that it was the desire of the House that the Town of Boston be considered as making one regiment in the County of Suffolk, and that they be arranged in their proper place.

Petition from the Selectmen of the Town of Rehoboth, setting forth: "that they have been greatly alarmed by the frequent attempts of the enemy in coming up their river; they have erected a breastwork on an eminence, on a point of land more than twenty rods in length, fourteen feet thick at its basis, about which works they have expended three hundred and eighty days' work, &c., which are nearly finished, and have, also, procured and properly mounted on field-carriages four pieces of ordnance, two of which are four-pounders, the other two are three-pounders, all which, at a moderate computation, amounts to one hundred and three pounds; they pray your Honours would grant them some compensation, &c.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and Ordered, That Colonel Williams, Doctor Bayliss, and Colonel Thayer be a Committee to repair to Rehoboth and view the Fortifications mentioned in the foregoing Petition; and, also, that said Committee view Taunton-River, near Slade's Ferry, at Taunton, and make report to (his Court of the true circumstances of those places, and what would be proper for this Court to do to put those places in a defensible state.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

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

Friday, February 2, 1776.

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

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That the Letter from William West, respecting Doctor Samuel Gelston, be committed to the Committee on said Gelslon's affairs.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Petition of John Bakeman and others, setting forth: "that there were divers Field-Officers chosen by the honourable House of Representatives, for the two Regiments to the eastward of Penobscot-River, in the County of Lincoln. Your petitioners pray your Honours would not concur with said vote until inquiry be made into the conduct of some of said appointments as we apprehend will be prejudicial to the County."

In Council: Read, and committed to Benjamin Lincoln and Jabez Fisher, Esquires.

In Council: Ordered, That William Sever, Caleb Cushing, John Whetcomb, and James Preseott, Esquires, -be a Committee to prepare a general arrangement of the Militia through the Colony.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That Joseph Cushing, Esquire, be appointed a Brigadier-General for the County of Plymouth.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the honourable Council be desired to give commissions to such Officers as joined the Army in December last, who were chosen by the companies, and formed under the direction of the Committees of this Court, who were directed to raise those temporary recruits, although such companies did not amount to sixty-four men.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice, by ballot, of the following gentlemen as Field-Officers for the First Regiment, in the County of Worcester, viz:

Samuel Denny, Colonel; Benjamin Flagg, Lieutenant-Colonel; Paul Raymond, First Major; Asa Baldwin Second Major.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice of the following gentlemen as Field-Officers for the Second Regiment of Militia, in the County of Worcester., viz:

BRDGEWITER, January 18, 1776.—HONOURED SIR: Yesterday the bearer, Mr. James Seward, delivered me a letter from the honourable Council, relating to him, &c, on the receipt of which I have procured a house for his family, and a shop for him, and have assured him of work to do in the finishing way, with such a price as I can afford, and gave it as my opinion that he will have as much work as he can do in repairing of old arms, as soon as it is known that he is settled here. But from some conversation that he had with Mr. Devans, the Com-miasary, and with your Honours, he prays that he may have leave to repair lo Watertown, to see whether or not it may not be more to his advantage to be employed by the Commissary, than to bo employed hero, more especially as he has a son in the Army, which he expects to have the advantage of working with him, in order to give the lad what insight ho can into his business; have, therefore, favoured him with an opportunity of making a personal application to the Council, for a revocation of what was done respecting him before, not doubting but all proper indulgence will be granted him.

I am, sir, with due esteem, your Honour's very humble servant,

HUGH ORR. For the Honourable Moses Gill, Esq.

IN COUNCIL, January 31, 1776: Read, and Ordered, That the order of Council respecting the said Seward's being confined within the limits of the Town of Bridgewater be reconsidered, and that the said Seward be confined to the Town of Watertown, in order to his being employed by Richard Devans, Esq., Commissary-General of this Colony, who is desired to see that he does not pass without the limits of said town.

PEREZ MORTON, Deputy Secretary