in a draft of Resolves for striking the said eighty-five thousand Pounds in Bills of Credit.

The Committee for Battalion expenses reporting to the House that Captain Josiah Hart, in pursuance of the order to the Sergeant-at-Arms, had attended the Committee, and paid all the expenses incurred by his late misconduct,

Ordered, That the said Hart be dismissed, without appearing at the bar of the House.

Upon motion, Ordered, That the several Petitions from a number of the inhabitants of the City of Philadelphia, relative to the setting Negro Slaves at liberty, be referred to further consideration at the next meeting of the House.

The Committee appointed to prepare and bring in Resolves for striking the sum of eighty-five thousand Pounds in Bills of Credit, reported a draft for that purpose; which being considered and agreed to, was transcribed, and is as follows, viz:

Resolved, That Bills of Credit, to the value of eighty-five thousand Pounds, shall, on or before the 20th day of May next, be prepared and printed on good strong paper, under the care and direction of George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, Esquires, or any three of them, the charge of which shall be defrayed out of the Bills hereby to be emitted; which Bills shall be made and prepared in the manner and form following, viz:

. . . . . . according to the Resolves of the Assembly of Pennsylvania of the 6th day of April, in the sixteenth year of the reign of his Majesty George the Third: Dated at Philadelphia, the 25th day of April, Anno Domini 1776.

And the said Bills shall have such like escutcheons and devices as the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them shall think proper; each of which Bills shall be of the several and respective denominations following, and no other, viz:

54,545 of the same bills of the sum of three Pence.

54,546 of the same bills of the sum of four Pence.

54,546 of the same bills of the sum of six Pence.

54,545 of the same bills of the sum of nine Pence.

28,572 of the same bills of the sum of one Shilling.

28,571 of the same bills of the sum of one Shilling and six Pence.

28,572 of the same bills of the sum of two Shillings.

28,571 of the same bills of the sum of two Shillings and six Pence.

14,000 of the same bills of the sum of ten Shillings.

14,000 of the same bills of the sum of twenty Shillings.

14,000 of the same bills of the sum of thirty Shillings.

14,000 of the same bills of the sum of forty Shillings.

And the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them, shall use their best care, attention, and diligence during the printing of the said Bills, that the number and amount thereof according to the respective denominations aforesaid, be not exceeded, nor any clandestine or fraudulent practice be used by the Printer, his Servants, or others concerned therein.

Resolved, That, for perfecting the said Bills, all and every of them under the denomination of one Shilling, shall be signed by one of the persons hereafter named: all and every of them of the denomination of one Shilling to half a Crown, inclusive, shall be signed by two of the persons hereafter named; and all the rest of the said Bills shall be signed by three of the persons hereafter named; that is to say, Benjamin Betterton, William Smith, Broker, Joseph Redman, William Crispin, William Kenly, William Cliffton, Josiah Hewes, Andrew Tybout, George Douglass, Charles Moore, Thomas Moore, Abel Evans, Peter Thompson, Samuel Cadwallader Morris, Cornelius Barnes, Sketchly Morton, Elisha Price, and Hugh Lloyd, Gentlemen, who are hereby nominated and appointed to be signers of the said Bills, and shall, before they receive or sign any of the said Bills, take an oath or affirmation to the following effect, viz:

“That they shall well and truly sign and number all the Bills of Credit that shall come to their hands for that purpose; and the same, when so signed and numbered, will deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them.”

Resolved, That, for avoiding the danger of embezzlement or misapplication of any of the said Bills of Credit, the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them, after the said Bills are printed, shall deliver them to the said signers, to be signed and numbered by parcels, for which the said signers, or some of them, shall give their receipt: that is to say, two thousand Pounds value in the said Bills, at one time, and so, from time to time, until all the said Bills of Credit shall be signed and numbered in such manner, that not more than the sum of two thousand Pounds shall remain in such signers’ hands at any one time; of all which said Bills of Credit, so delivered to be signed, a true account shall bo kept by the signers, who, upon their redelivery of each or any parcel of the said Bills by them signed and numbered shall take the receipt of the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them, to charge them before any Committee of Assembly to be appointed for that purpose. And each of the said signers shall have and receive ten Shillings for every thousand of the said Bills by them signed and numbered, and each of the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, shall have and receive for their trouble the sum of ten Shillings per diem; and the Treasurer hereafter appointed for receiving and paying the said Bills of Credit, shall have and receive five Shillings for every hundred Pounds, and no more, to be paid out of the Bills of Credit hereby ordered to be emitted.

Resolved, That, after the said Bills shall be signed, numbered, and perfected, the said George Gray, Joseph Parker, William Rodman, and Isaac Pearson, or any three of them, shall deliver them to Michael Hillegas, Esq., who is hereby appointed Treasurer for that purpose, and take his receipt or receipts for the same, who shall pay off and discharge, out of the said Bills of Credit, all such Drafts and Certificates as shall be made by order of the Assembly or the Committee of Safety of this Province.

Resolved, That the Treasurer aforesaid shall give bond, with two sufficient sureties, to John Morton, Esq., in the sum of ten thousand Pounds, for the faithful discharge of the trust reposed in him.

And for the more certain paying, redeeming, discharging, and sinking the said Bills of Credit hereby omitted,

Resolved, That a Tax shall be raised and levied, by the respective Commissioners and Assessors of the several Counties within this Province, on the same persons and property, in the same proportion, and in the same manner and mode as the Provincial Tax, by the laws now in force, is raised, levied, and recovered, and shall be paid by the respective County Treasurers to the Treasurer for the time appointed, or to be appointed for that purpose; which said Tax shall commence immediately sinking the thirty-five thousand Pounds issued by the Resolutions of the late Assembly, on the 30th day of June last, and of the eighty thousand Pounds heretofore issued by this House; which Tax, for the purpose aforesaid, the several Commissioners and Assessors are enjoined and required to raise, levy, and recover, and cause to be paid to the Treasurer aforesaid, as they regard the freedom, welfare, and safety of their country.

Resolved, That the Treasurer appointed as aforesaid, or his successor, shall yearly, and every year, pay into the hands of the Committees of Assembly appointed to settle the Publick Accounts, all such sum and sums of money in the Bills of Credit of the thirty-five thousand Pounds emitted as aforesaid, and of the eighty thousand Pounds heretofore emitted by this House, and of the eighty-five thousand Pounds hereby to be emitted; which sums so paid, the said Committees are hereby enjoined and required to burn, sink, and destroy. And the said Treasurer, when required, shall also lay his Accounts before the Assembly, or the said Committees, for their inspection and settlement.

Upon motion, the House resumed the consideration of the Memorial from the Committee of Inspection and Observation for the City and Liberties of Philadelphia; and after a debate of considerable length, the question being called for, and put by the Speaker, whether the House will alter the instructions given at their last sitting to the Delegates for this Province in Congress?

Carried in the negative by a great majority.

The House adjourned to Monday, the 20th of May next, at four o’clock in the afternoon.