A Petition of John Albee, and others, Commanders of the several Companies of Militia and Minute-Men in the Town of Mendon, who marched on the alarm of the 19th April last, praying that they may be allowed the sum of eighteen Pounds twelve Shillings and four Pence, due to said Companies for billeting.

Read, and committed to the Committee on Selectmen's Accounts.

Colonel Freeman, agreeable to order, reported the following Resolve. Read, and accepted, (the House having previously voted to reconsider the vote of yesterday, for drawing off one Company of Sea-Coast Men from Fal-mouth) viz:

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 the 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 lais-ed for the purpose of reinforcing the said Continental Array, 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 the number of 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 Basset, Esq., was appointed by this Court as a Major to command the Forces stationed at the Islands aforesaid, and at Martha's Vineyard, and his attention to said service from this time till the first of April next, being thought unnecessary, and the said Basset 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 Barq-chiah Basset, Esq., be released from his service at the said Islands, until the said first day of April, and thep to return to said station and establishment.

Jedediah Foster, Esq., came down and informed the House, that the honourable Board had passed upon the Resolve appointing Field and Staff-Officers for the six Regiments to reinforce the Army before Boston, and that it was now in the Secretary's Office.

On a motion, Ordered, That Captain Stone, Captain Smith, and Captain Batchelder, be a Committee to consider meet allowance for those gentlemen who served as General Officers previous to the Continental establishment of the Army.

Resolved, That Major John Butrick, of Concord, be, and hereby is appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment to be raised from the Counties of Middlesex and Lincoln, in the room of Colonel Jackson, who has already joined the Army.

The House considered the Report of the Committee of both Houses on the Petition of Joseph Deane, viz:

The Committee of both Houses on the Petition of Joseph Deane, have attended that service, and having considered the same, report the following Resolve, which is submitted.

Resolved, That Joseph Deane be allowed to send the Brigantine, in his Petition mentioned, to the foreign West-Indies, in order to collect any Moneys which may be due him ihere, 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 Brigantine any cash, or produce of the Colonies:

And it is recommended to the said Joseph Deane, to purchase and return here, Arms, Ammunition, and any species of Military Stores enumerated in a late Resolution of the Congress, if there to be obtained.

In Council, January 23, 1776: Read, and accepted.

Read, and concurred.

The House considered the following Report, viz:

The Committee appointed by both Houses to consider the propriety of commissionaling such Captains arid Lieutenants as marched and joined the Continental Army from the Militia, with full Companies, in pursuance of the Resolve of the General Court on the 1st day of December last, have attended their duty, and are of opinion, that the coinmissionating all the Captains and Lieutenants in the order in which they were chosen by their respective Companies, as they marched into camp, is what said Officers expected; and as they have done the duty, sustained the office, and expect the pay due to them by the establishment of the Continental Army, your Committee conclude they ought to he commissionated. Therefore, beg leave to report a Resolve for that purpose.

Resolved, That all the Captains and Lieutenants that marched into the camp as a temporary reinforcement to the Continental Army by order of this Court, of the 1st of last month, be now commissionated by the Council, agreeable to their several ranks, and in the order in which they were chosen by their respective Companies, any thing in a Resolve of this Court of the 13th instant, to the contrary notwithstanding. And that said commissions bear date the 10th of last month, the day on which most of them arrived in the camp.

In Council, January 23, 1776: Read, and accepted.

Read, and concurred.

The House considered the Report of the Committee of both Houses on the Petition of Thomas Russell, viz:

Resolved, That Thomas Russell be allowed lo send a 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, lo 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 there to be obtained.

In Council, January 23, 1776: Read, and accepted.

Read, and concurred.

Major Hawley, agreeable to order, reported the following Resolve.Read, and accepted.

Whereas, by one Resolve of this Court, passed in the House of Representatives on the 7th of November last, and concurred by the Council, directing the method of making up the Rolls of the service, and travel of the Minute-Men and others, who in consequence of the alarm made on the 19th of April last, marched for the defence of the Colony against the Ministerial troops, it is, among other things, provided and directed that the payment of the contents of the said Rolls shall be stayed until the accounts of the Innholders and others, who afforded entertainment or money to bear expenses to the men borne on the said Rolls on their march to and from the place of rendezvous, should be presented and considered by this Court, and that such sums, as by this Court should be allowed on such accounts, shall be stopped and deducted out of the sums due on such Rolls for the discharging such accounts; but it appears that there is no direction given in the said Resolve for drawing out the money so stopped on such Rolls to the person, or towns, for whose use or benefit any sums might he stopped as aforesaid:

It is, therefore, Resolved, That the honourable Council be, and hereby are empowered to make their Warrants on the Treasurer for the payment of all such sums allowed on such Accounts, either by this Court, or any Committee of the same thereunto empowered by the Court, to the person, or persons, or town, for whose use and benefit such moneys were stopped on the Rolls aforesaid.