Adjourned till three o'clock, in the afternoon.

Met according to adjournment.

The Congress proceeded to the election of Officers in the Third Battalion, when the following persons were chosen by ballot:

Samuel Potter, Captain; Rinear Blanchard, Lieutenant; Josiah Quimby, Second Lieutenant; Cornelius Hennion, Ensign.

Thomas Patterson, Captain; John Mott, First Lieutenant; William McDaniel, Jun., Second Lieutenant; Edward Patterson, Ensign.

John Ross, Captain; Edward Me Michael, First Lieutenant; Richard Cox, Jun., Second Lieutenant; Thomas Coachey, Ensign.

William Eugene Imlay, Captain; Richard Lloyd, First Lieutenant; Daniel Pierson, Second Lieutenant; Edgar Gaulidet, Ensign.

Peter Dickinson, Captain; Stephen Dunham, First Lieutenant; David Tuttle, Second Lieutenant; William Tenbrook, Ensign.

Thomas Reading, Captain; John Anderson, First Lieutenant; Ralph Guild, Second Lieutenant; John Hagan, Ensign.

Joseph Bloomfield, Captain; Josiah Seely, First Lieutenant; William Gifford, Second Lieutenant; Ebenezer Elmer, Ensign.

Anthony Sharp, Captain; Samuel Flanagan, First Lieutenant; Samuel Hazlett, Second Lieutenant; Nathaniel Leonard, Jun., Ensign.

Ordered, That Warrants be signed by the President, and attested by the Secretary, do issue to the above named persons, to inlist men for the Third Battalion.

Samuel Shepherd was unanimously appointed Adjutant for said Battalion.

Adjourned till nine o'clock, to-morrow morning.

Thursday, February 8, 1776.

Congress met.

The Representation of the County Committee of Salem, touching the origin, progress, and present state of the disturbances in said County, was laid before the Congress, and read: Whereupon, Doctor Samuel Dick was notified, in pursuance of an order of the Committee of Safety of the 11th day of January last, attending, came before Congress, and after some time spent in hearing his defence against said representation, the Congress postponed the further hearing thereof till to-morrow.

The Resolution of the Justices and Freeholders, County Committee, and Field-Officers, of Middlesex, purporting, that they would furnish Colonel Maxwells Battalion with fifty stand of Arms, &c., was read; whereupon, it is

Ordered, That Mr. Martin, Mr. Camp, and Mr. Pope, be a Committee to inspect said Arms, and to report thereon.

Adjourned to three o'clock, afternoon.

The Congress met, and adjourned to nine o'clock, tomorrow morning.

Friday, February 9, 1776.

Congress met.

Ordered, That Commissions do issue to Mathias Ward, Lieutenant-Colonel; David Conduit, Major; and Samuel Hays, Adjutant, in the First Battalion of the Second Regiment of Militia in the County of Essex, whereof Philip Cortland, Esq., is Colonel.

A Return of the Captains and Subalterns in said Battalion was read and filed, and Commissions ordered to be made out according to said Return.

Ordered, That a Commission do issue to Richard Stites, Esq., Captain of a Company in the First Regiment of Foot Militia in the County of Somerset.

The same was made out accordingly.

A Petition from sundry Inhabitants of Middlesex County, praying that Money at interest may be taxed, was read, and ordered a second reading.

A Letter from Mr. Smyth, respecting his officiating as Treasurer, was received and read, and ordered a second reading.

The Congress proceeded to the further hearing of the defence against the representation of the County Committee of Salem, and, also, what might be offered in support thereof; but, not having time fully to hear both parties, the said hearing was further postponed to the afternoon.

Adjourned to three o'clock, in the afternoon.

Met according to adjournment.

The Congress again proceeded to hear the proofs and arguments for and against the allegation contained in the representation of the County Committee of Salem, and referred the consideration thereof till to-morrow morning.

A Petition and Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of Salem, respecting Representation in Congress, were presented and read, and ordered second readings.

Adjourned till nine o'clock, to-morrow morning.

Saturday, February 10, 1776.

Met according to adjournment.

Whereas, by an Ordinance of this Congress, passed at Trenton, the 28th day of October last, the Commissioners therein named and appointed to purchase Fire-Arms and Military Stores, were particularly restricted in the price to be paid for said Fire-Arms, whereby the manufactory thereof hath been greatly impeded; for remedy whereof,

It is Resolved, unanimously, That the said Commissioners have full power immediately to proceed in contracting for Fire-Arms, upon the best terms in their power, without any limitation or restriction, and that this Congress will, in convenient time, pass an Ordinance for that purpose.

The Memorial of William Patterson and Frederick Frelinghuysen, Officers in the Somerset Battalion of Minute-Men, praying that some further regulation be made for the equipment and government of said men, was read, and ordered a second reading.

The Memorial of Thomas Reading, nominated Captain in the Third Battalion, ordered to be raised in this Province for the service of the United Colonies, praying that he may be Senior Captain in said Battalion, was read, and ordered a second reading.

Adjourned to three o'clock, in the afternoon.

Met according to adjournment.

The Memorial of Thomas Reading, praying that he may be Senior Captain in the Third Battalion, was read a second time, and, after some debate thereon, the previous question was demanded and put, Whether this Congress will now go into the appointment or not ? It was carried in the negative.

The Congress proceeded to the election of a Quartermaster for the Third Battalion, when William Norcross was chosen to that office.

Cyrus De Hart having resigned his office of Ensign in Captain Howells Company, in the First Battalion, Jacob Kemper was appointed Ensign in said Company in his stead.

As William Tenbrook, appointed an Ensign in Captain Dickinson's Company, refused to accept said appointment, Francis Du Clos was elected Ensign in said Company.

The Congress resumed the consideration of the Representation from the County Committee of Salem, and it appearing that there is a sufficient number of Associators in the County of Salem, to form two Battalions:

Therefore, Resolved, unanimously, That it be recommended to the Committee of said County to divide the said County into two Districts, and that in each District a Battalion be formed, and a list of the Officers, nominated to command each Battalion, be presented by the said County Committee to this Congress, or Committee of Safety, in order that Commissions may be granted.

On motion, Ordered, That the following Letter be sent to the Continental Congress.

In Provincial Congress, New-Jersey, New-Brunswick,

February 10, 1776.

GENTLEMEN: Sensible of the importance that the battalions raised in this Province should be as speedily as possible furnished with arms, we collected, for the supply of the First and Second Battalions, all the arms fit for service that could be obtained in this Province; we have, therefore, no resource of providing arms for the Third Battalion, but