Further Resolved, That Abiel Wood shall be confined until he shall give bond, with two good and sufficient sureties, to the Treasurer of this Colony, in the sum of one thousand 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 to, 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 Council, December 23, 1775: Read, and accepted.

Read, and concurred.

The House concurred in the Resolve which was brought down from the honourable Board the 21st current, appointing a Committee to wait on General Washington to desire him to inform this Court to what limits he will extend his Guards.

And Mr. Speaker and Mr. Cashing were joined to the Committee of the honourable Board.

Resolved, That to-morrow morning, ten o'clock, be assigned for the choice of four persons, a Committee on the part of this House, to sign the Bills of Credit of the last emission.

A Bill providing a speedy and cheap course, or method, for the recovery of Debts. Read a first time, and ordered to be read again on Wednesday next, ten o'clock, A. M.

The House then adjourned till ten o'clock, to-morrow morning.

Tuesday, December 26, 1775.

On the Petition of Joshua Haynes, Jun., entered 23d ultimo,

Resolved, That there be paid to him, out of the Colony Treasury, the sum of five Pounds six Shillings and eight Pence, in full for the loss of his time and doctoring.

Order of the Day moved for.

Ordered, That Mr. Wheeler, Deacon Cheever, Mr. Morgan, and Mr. Pynchon, with such as the honourable Board may join, be a Committee to sign the Bills of Credit of the last emission.

Ordered, That Mr. Story, Colonel Grout, and Mr. Wheeler, be a Committee to bring in a Resolve, determining how the Bills of Credit shall be signed.

Ordered. That Captain Partridge and Mr. Cashing, with such as the honourable Board may join, be a Committee to consider in what manner the gentlemen who have been chosen to represent this Colony at the Continental Congress shall be apprized of such choice.

Ordered, That Colonel Otis, Colonel Lovell, and Mr. Cushing, be a Committee to consider what sum is proper to be advanced to the Committee appointed to fit out Vessels for Powder, &c.

The Report of the Committee on the Resolves of the Continental Congress was read, and ordered to lie.

On a motion, Ordered, That Colonel Grout, Mr. Story, and Mr. Brown of Boston, be a Committee to consider those Resolves, and report to the House.

Afternoon.

Ordered, That Colonel Freeman, Mr. Wheeler, Colonel Grout, Mr. Cooper, and Mr. Brown of Boston, be a Committee to consider a meet grant to the President of Harvard College.

"The Committee appointed to bring in a Resolve, determining how the Bills of Credit should be signed, reported. Read, and accepted.

Resolved, That the Committee appointed by this Court to sign and number the Bills of publick Credit, of the seventy-five thousand Pounds emission, issued by a late Act of this Court be, and they hereby are directed, to sign them in the following manner: That is to say, the several denominations of said Bills, from eight Pence to ten Shillings, shall be signed by only one of said Committee, in such manner as they shall agree among themselves; and that the several denominations of said Bills, from ten Shillings to forty-eight Shillings, shall be signed by only two of said Committee, as they shall agree. The signing of which Bills in the manner aforesaid, shall be deemed as valid and effectual, as though each Bill was signed by the whole of the Committee appointed as aforesaid.

Ordered, That Colonel Porter, Mr. Pitts, and Mr. Starkweather, be a Committee to inquire into a report of there being a quantity of Powder arrived at New-London, which was sent for on account of this Colony, and report what is proper to be done with it.

Benjamin Lincoln, Esq., brought down the Resolve relative to the services of Post-Riders, which passed the House yesterday, with the following Vote of Council thereon, viz:

In Council, December 26, 1775: Read, and concurred, as taken into a new draft.

Read, and concurred, as follows, viz:

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 1st 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 Shillings per annum for every mile of their route, beginning the 1st of June, and ending the 5th instant.

And, that Joseph Greenleaf, Esq., be, and hereby is directed to pay to the Treasurer of this Colony all the Moneys he has received, or may receive, from the several Post-Offices in this Colony.

And, whereas, it appears that the several Offices are inadequate to the expense incurred by riding:

Therefore, further, Resolved, That the Receiver-General be, and hereby is directed to pay the several Post-Riders as followeth, in full for their services, viz:

John Noble, from Cambridge to Portsmouth, sixty-five miles, twenty-one Pounds thirteen Shillings and four Pence.

Josiah Barnard, from Portsmouth to Falmouth, fifty-three miles, seventeen Pounds thirteen Shillings and four Pence.

Adams and Hide, from Cambridge to Springfield, eighty-seven miles, twenty-nine Pounds.

Peter Mumford, from Cambridge to Providence, forty-six miles, thirteen Pounds six Shillings and eight Pence.

The above persons began to ride the 1st of June, and ended the 5th of October last, when they entered the Continental service.

Benjamin Epes, from Falmouth to Georgetown, forty-six miles, twenty-eight Pounds fifteen Shillings.

Cadwallader Ford, Jun., from Cambridge to Exeter, forty-eight miles, thirty Pounds.

Isaac Colton, from Springfield to Great-Barrington, forty-three miles, twenty-one Pounds ten Shillings.

Howland and Goodwin, from Cambridge to Falmouth, eighty-one miles, fifty Pounds twelve Shillings and six Pence.

And these four last are dismissed the service.

The Militia Bill was again taken into consideration.

The House being informed that the Army was in great want of Wood,

Ordered, That the following gentlemen repair immediately to the towns respectively set against their names, and represent to the Committees of Correspondence, Selectmen, and inhabitants of such towns, the distresses of the Army on that account, and the great danger the country is exposed to from a dispersion of the Army, which must take place if it is not supplied with Wood; and, to use their utmost endeavours to prevail with them to exert themselves at this critical juncture, to supply the Array with not only such quantity as has been heretofore set on each town by this Court, but as much more as they possibly can, at least half as much more as has been set on them as aforesaid, viz:

Captain Parker, to the Town of Roxbury,

Colonel Norton, to the Town of Dedham,

Colonel Lovell, to the Town of Stoughton,

Mr. Withington, to the Town of Dorchester,

Colonel Thayer, to the Town of Braintree,

Mr. Vose, to the Town of Milton,

Colonel Barret, to the Town of Concord,

Mr. Fessenden, to the Town of Lexington,