by Captain Manly, and has ever since been confined; William Bishop was taken at Machias, June 12th, 1775, in Admiral Graves’s tender; Alexander Gordon, a regular, was taken at Nantasket-Beach, January 1st, 1776; Charles Hickey, a regular, taken at Charlestown, January 8th, 1776; and Peter Mackoy, a regular, taken July 17th, 1775, at the advance-post, Bunker-Hill.

Gentlemen, we humbly beg you will look over the petition of your humble servants, and grant us our enlargement.

We are yours.

Worcester Gaol, April 29, 1776.

LONDON COMMON COUNCIL.

At a Common Council holden at Guildhall, on Monday, the 29th of April, 1776,

Resolved, That the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor be requested to move the following Resolution in the House of Commons: “That his Majesty’s Colonies in America be continued upon the same footing of giving and granting their Money as his Majesty’s subjects in Ireland are, by their own Representatives.” And the other Representatives of this city, and such other members of this Court as are members of Parliament, are requested to support the same.

ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE EXPORTATION OP ARMS, ETC., TO AMERICA.

Brussels, April 29, 1776.

An Ordinance has been published here, prohibiting the supplying the English Colonies in America with Warlike Stores, and also the exportation during the term of one year of Warlike Stores from the sea-ports; of which the following is a translation:

“MARIA THERESA, &c., &c., & c., to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting:

“Our most dearly beloved brother, the King of Great Britain, having required us to take proper measures for preventing the subjects of the Provinces under our dominion in the Low Countries from furnishing succour to the inhabitants of the English Colonies in America, actually in rebellion against their mother country; and as, in consequence of the friendship and good understanding subsisting between us and his Majesty, we are desirous to testify to him our zeal to second the views which so greatly interest the good of his service; we have, by advice, &c., ordered and decreed, and do order and decree the points and articles following:

“Article I. We forbid all our subjects, of what rank and condition soever, to furnish, directly or indirectly, by their own ships, or by foreign ships, any succour to the Americans, subjects of Great Britain, in Artillery, Arms, Powder, Flints, or other Ammunition, or Implements or Instruments of War, under pain to the offenders of the confiscation of such effects, and a fine of one thousand florins, to be paid by the Captain or owner, whose ship may be detained and sold for the recovery of the said fine.

“Art. II. We forbid provisionally during the term of one year, under the same penalties, the exportation of every kind of Arms, Ammunition, Instruments, or Implements of War, from our sea-ports, without a special license from our Council of Finances; which shall not be granted but on examination of the case, and taking the necessary precautions to ascertain the destination of those effects, and to prevent their being transported to the English Colonies in America.

“This we give in command, &c.”

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM WILMINGTON, NORTH-CAROLINA, DATED APRIL 29, 1776.

By two men who arrived here last night, after making their escape from the men-of-war below, I find there are a number of prizes, to the amount of thirty sail. They say five transports arrived a few days past from Cork, being part of a fleet of forty-five sail, viz: thirty transports, ten store-ships, one fifty-gun ship, two frigates, and two bombs, with nine regiments on board, destined for this place; which are expected to land when the whole fleet arrives. This is generally believed here, as the ships were seen off on Monday by the pilots. The Militia, who have been but a few days discharged, are coming in fast, and who, with the Continental forces already here, will be able to make a good stand.

MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY TO CAPTAIN HOLDEN.

SIR: We are informed that you have a schooner which sails well, and will carry about four or five hundred barrels of flour. If you incline to let us have her on freight to the West-Indies, we will take her of you and insure her to the sum she may be valued at. Her loading is now ready at Baltimore town. Let us hear from you by return of this boat, or by some earlier opportunity.

We are, &c.

To Captain Jeremiah Holden.

MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY TO CAPTAIN VALIANT.

SIR: We are informed that you have a sloop which sails well, burden about forty tons. If you incline to let us have her on freight to the West-Indies, we will take her of you, and insure her to the sum she may be valued at. Her loading is now ready at Baltimore town. Let us hear from you by return of this boat, or by some earlier opportunity.

We are, &c.

To Captain John Valiant.

PETITION OF DR. POTTS.

[Presented 29th April, 1776, and referred to Mr. Harrison, Mr. Rut-ledge, Mr. Goldsborough, Mr. Paine, and Mr. Rodney.]

To the Honourable the Delegates of the United Colonies in Congress assembled:

The Petition of JONATHAN POTTS, Doctor in Physick, showeth:

That upon an application lately made in behalf of your petitioner to be appointed Director of the Hospital intended to be erected for the Army in the Middle Department, your Petitioner was encouraged by many Members of your honourable House to hope for such appointment, as soon as it should be found necessary to form such an establishment; that, by the movements of the Army since that time, it appears the Hospital under the direction of Doctor Morgan will be placed in the Middle Department, and your petitioner is informed it will be necessary to establish one in Canada.

He therefore prays he may be appointed Director of the Hospital there; and hopes, by a constant and faithful discharge of the trust reposed in him, he will merit the approbation of the honourable House. And he will ever pray.

JONATHAN POTTS.

ADDRESS TO THE FREE AND INDEPENDENT ELECTORS OF PHILADELPHIA.

Philadelphia, April 29, 1776.

GENTLEMEN: Were any words capable of expressing the importance of exerting yourselves to maintain the character I have addressed you by, I could wish, from the bottom of my heart, to find them, and set them in due order before you. I tremble to reflect what a party there is in this City, who, either in plain words or tantamount insinuations, espouse the cause of tyranny. You have read their insidious publications; you have remarked their zeal for a reconciliation and a reunion with Great Britain on constitutional principles. This proposal, gentlemen, is a mere phantom, a lure, a pitfall to catch you in. In the first place, no man ever did or can show what this constitutional dependance on Great Britain is, or can be, which will secure our liberties. And, in the second place, no terms have been, nor at all probably will be offered us, besides those of unconditional submission to the supremacy of the Parliament in all cases whatsoever. Certainly no better have appeared from the other side the water; and, when pressed on the subject, the sticklers for reconciliation acknowledge they know of no other, and yet urge you to maintain our connection with Great Britain upon the best terms we can obtain. If such men are not advocates for absolute tyranny, I have no conception of the meaning of the words. To be commercially connected with our friends in Great Britain would doubtless be very pleasing to us all; but to be subject to the destroyers of British as well as American liberty, is what none but an ignorant slave, or an insidious tool, would propose and strive to persuade you.

The Constitution of this Province is the Shibboleth of this