Ordered, That the Letter from S. T. Bruyn be referred to the Members of Ulster County, and that they make report with all convenient speed.

A Letter from the Committee of Marbletown, dated January 29, signed by Levi Pawling, Chairman, was read and filed, and is in the words following, to wit:

“Marbletown, January 29, 1776.

“GENTLEMEN: We, the Committee of the township of Marbletown, are under the disagreeable necessity of troubling your honourable body; though, as it is the first of the kind, we expect to be excused.

“The matter we have to lay before your honourable Board is, that, in compliance to a resolve passed by the honourable Provincial Congress the 22d of August last, there was an election for choosing of officers in the company of the southwest district of said town, and the following persons were chosen by a very great majority, viz: Cornelius E. Wynkoop, Captain; Charles W. Brodhead, First Lieutenant; Moses M. Cantine, Second Lieutenant; and Jacob Chambers Ensign; which your honourable Board has been pleased to commission. These gentlemen officiated each in their respective ranks with great satisfaction, as far as we know, until it pleased your honourable body to promote Captain Wynkoop to be a Major in Colonel Dewitt’s Regiment of Minute-men; after which, there was a day appointed, agreeably to said resolve, for filling up the vacancy by the company’s choice, when John Hasbrouck, a person not belonging to the company, nor even to the regiment, set up, or intended to set up, for Captain of said company; which caused a great deal of con fusion.

“We therefore pray that we may be informed, as soon as possible, whether it is the opinion of your honourable body that a Captain should be chosen, or that the First Lieutenant should be promoted, and the other subalterns rise in rank, and then an Ensign to be chosen; which we think is the most natural construction to be laid on the resisted resolve. And if a procedure of that kind cannot take place, your Honours may be assured that Mr. Brodhead will resign, and then a new election must ensue, and in course more troubles of that kind ensue. But, at the same time, we are willing to comply with such directions as we may receive from your honourable body.

“We are, gentlemen, your Honours’ very humble servants.

“By order of the Committee:

“LEVI PAWLING, Chairman.

“To the Honourable Provincial Congress in New-York.”

“The Petition of John Hasbrouck and others, dated at Marbletown, January 30, 1776, was read and filed.

Ordered, That the Letter from the Committee of Marbletown, as also the Petition of John Hasbrouck and others, be referred to the Members of Orange and Dutchess, and that they make report with all convenient speed.

Colonel McDougall, from the Committee appointed to wait on General Lee, reported, that they had waited on General Lee, and delivered him the Congress’s message of yesterday, and that the General was pleased to answer, that he thanked the Congress for their politeness, and would avail himself of the tender of their services as circumstances shall make it necessary.

As the following gentlemen (being among the number of Deputies chosen to represent the City and County of New-York, in this Congress) have not taken their seats, to wit: Peter Van Brugh Livingston, Benjamin Kissam, John Morton, Gabriel W. Ludlow, Isaac Sears, Cornelius Clopper, and Theodorus Van Wyck.

And as it is necessary for the publick service that the representation of the City and County of New-York be complete, it is therefore

Ordered, That the General Committee of the City and County of New-York be directed to cause, by election of the inhabitants entitled to vote, a Return to be made of seven Deputies, to serve in this Congress with the other Deputies of the said City and County, in the room of the above-mentioned persons, who have not taken their seats, and that the said Return be made on or before the 20th instant.

Ordered, further, That such Members who have taken their seats in Congress be requested to give their attendance.

Mr. Mayor of the City of New-York attending, was requested to come into Congress. He informed the Congress that the passage to his Excellency Governour Tryon’s Ship is impeded by sentinels; that his Majesty’s Council,and some of the Magistrates of this City, may have occasion to wait on his Excellency. Therefore,

Ordered, That the Hon. Cadwallader Colden, Esq., Lieutenant-Governour, and the Hon. Daniel Horsmanden, Oliver De Lancey, Charles Ward Apthorpe, William Smith, Hugh Wallace, William Axtell, and John Harris Cruger, Esquires, of his Majesty’s Council for this Colony; the Worshipful Whitehead Hicks, Esq., Mayor of the City of New-York, and Samuel Bayard, Jun., Esq., Deputy Secretary and Deputy Clerk of the Council, or any of his stated Clerks, who may by his order attend the Council of this Colony, and each and every of them, be permitted to go on board of his Excellency’s Ship, until the further order or direction of this Congress or the Committee of Safety, and that a copy hereof, delivered to the officer of the Port-Guard, be a sufficient pass for each and every of the aforesaid publick officers, without any other pass or copy hereof in the custody of either of those gentlemen; and

Ordered, That the copy hereof delivered to the officer of the Port-Guard, be delivered over to each successive officer of the Port-Guard.

A Letter from Samuel Bayard, Jun., Esq., Deputy Secretary of this Colony, was again read. He therein mentions his inclination to have it in his power to use any recreation, on his engagement not to quit the Records. And Mr. John McKesson informed Congress that his Majesty’s Council is to sit to-morrow, and that the attendance of Samuel Bayard, Jun., Esq., as Clerk of the Council, may be necessary: Therefore,

Ordered, That Samuel Bayard, Jun., Esq., the. Deputy Secretary of this Colony, be permitted to come to the City of New-York, or to depart from the house of Nicholas Bayard, Esq., at any time he shall think proper, on his leaving one of his stated Clerks there, during his absence, on every such occasion.

On request of Mr. Gansevoort, Colonel Rensselaer and Major R. G. Livingston are added to the Committee appointed yesterday, to take into consideration the matters which the Continental Congress have recommended for execution to this Congress or the Committee of Safety.

Colonel Joseph Drake applied for some blank Commissions for Officers of Militia in Westchester County.

Ordered, That the Secretaries send to the Committee of Westchester County, by Colonel Joseph Drake, such blank Commissions, signed by the President of this Congress, as they have here in the Congress Chamber.

Thereupon, three blank Commissions (which are all the Secretaries had here) were delivered to Colonel Joseph Drake, to be delivered to the Chairman of the Committee of Westchester County, to be filled up.

A Letter from Isaac Thompson, Chairman of the Committee of Islip, in Suffolk County, bearing date the 9th instant, was read and filed, and is in the words following, to wit:

“Islip, in Suffolk County, February 9, A. D. 1776.

“SIR: There never has been a Militia Company formed in this Precinct; but they that bore arms in the east part of this Precinct have been in the Smithtown Company, and those of the west part of this Precinct have been under a Huntington Captain; which has been disagreeable to the greatest part of the people of this Precinct, and it has been the cause of uneasiness amongst us. We informed Colonel Potter of what we were going to do, before we proceeded to form a company. The Colonel said the company would not be so large as he should choose; but if it would unite the people, and if they did proceed to choose their officers, &c., that he would order the names of those of the east part of this Precinct to be taken out of the list at Smithtown.

“The way thus being laid open, the people of this Precinct assembled together, and in our presence proceeded to the choice of their officers. They unanimously chose Benajah Strong for their Captain, Jeremiah Terry for their First Lieutenant, Samuel Oakley for their Second Lieutenant, and Annen Mobrey for their Ensign.