deliver the cotton to some person by us authorized to receive it. I should have applied to you, gentlemen, in person, but as you were not sitting to-day, and I being obliged to go out of town, desire you will transact the whole matter with Mr. Benjamin Clarke, whose receipt for the cotton, or any other matters to us belonging, shall be as effectual as if signed by us. I am further to inform you that Richard Alsop, Esq., late of said Middletown, was concerned in some part of the cargo of said brigantine, and that I am empowered by his administratrix, Mrs. Mary Alsop, to transact for her, as well as for Matthew Talbott, Esq. As by said power determined, Mr. Clarke will appear.

I am, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,

JEREMIAH WADSWORTH.

To John Brown, Esq., Chairman of the Committee in Boston.

MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL.

At a Great and General Court, or Assembly, of the Colony of Massachusetts-Bay, begun and held at Watertown, on Wednesday, the 26th day of July, 1775, and continued by a prorogation and adjournment to Wednesday, the 13th of March, 1776.

Wednesday, March 13, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable Thomas Cushing, John Whetcomb Jedediah Foster, Benjamin Lincoln, Charles Chauncy, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Jabez Fisher, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

A Letter from Stephen Moylan, Esq., relative to the capture of the Vessel Friendship, Captain Holmes. Read, and committed to Thomas Cashing and Jedediah Foster, Esquires, with such as the honourable House shall join.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and Mr. Ellis, Mr. Wheeler, and Colonel Orne, are joined.

Mr. Sullivan came up with a message from the House to inform the Board that the House had now a quorum of Members present, and were ready to proceed to business.

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That . . . . . . . . . . . be a Committee, with such as the honourable Board shall join, to examine the Accounts of the several Commissaries appointed to supply the Sea-Coast Forces.

In Council: Read, and concurred, and Charles Chauncy, Esq., is joined.

Adjourned to nine o’clock, to-morrow morning.

Thursday, March 14, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable William Sever, Walter Spooner, Thomas Cushing, John Winthrop, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Charles Chauncy, Michael Farley, Jabez Fisher, John Taylor, Moses Gill, Benjamin White, Esquires.

In the House of Representatives: The Committee appointed to take into consideration the Letter from Mr. Gerry, with another Letter said to come from Philadelphia, reported, as their opinion, that a Committee be appointed to transmit the Memorandum and Day-Books, with files of Letters mentioned in Mr. Gerry’s Letter, to our Delegates in Congress; and also to obtain an account of all the Powder lent by this Colony to the Continental Army; and report the same to this House.

Read, and accepted, and Deacon Cheever, Mr. Partridge, and Mr. Ellis, are appointed a Committee for the purpose therein expressed.

In Council: Read, and concurred; consented to by fifteen of the Council.

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That Mr. Sullivan and Colonel Orne, with such as the honourable Board may join, be a Committee to revise the Act for encouraging the fixing out of Armed Vessels, &c., and report what is proper to be done.

In Council: Read, and concurred, and Thomas Cushing, Esq., is joined.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice of the following Field-Officers, viz:

John Goodwin, Second Lieutenant of a Company raised in the County of York, and stationed at Falmouth, under the command of Tobias Lord, in the room of Lieutenant Webber, who declines.

William Lithgow, Captain of the Company raised in the County of Lincoln, and stationed at said Falmouth, in the room of Benjamin Patten, who declines.

Robert Edgcomb Nason, Second Lieutenant of Captain Benjamin Hooper’s Company, stationed at Falmouth, in the room of Lieutenant Chadbourne, who declines.

George White, First Lieutenant of the same Company, in the room of the said William Lithgow.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

In the House of Representatives: Ordered, That the Account of James Sullivan, Commissary, be committed to the Committee appointed to consider the Accounts of the Commissaries of the Sea-Coast Forces.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Adjourned to nine o’clock, to-morrow morning.

Friday, March 15, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable Waller Spooner, John Winthrop, Thomas Cushing, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Charles Chauncy, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Jabez Fisher, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

Ordered, That the Committee on Muster-Rolls, in making up the same, be directed to consider the pay of a Second Major at seven Pounds per month.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Joseph Miscer, in full for the loss of his Gun at the battle of Bunker’s Hill, the sum of one Pound sixteen Shillings.

Whereas Committees were appointed by this Court, in several Counties in this Colony, to procure subscribers, who should certify under their hands what sum of hard money each subscriber would exchange for Continental Bills, but no Bills have been granted for that purpose:

Therefore Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to each person belonging to either of the Committees aforesaid, such sum or sums as shall appear to the honourable Council that they severally may be able to exchange for hard money; and that the said Committee pay the said hard money to the Treasurer of this Colony, for the use of the Canadian expedition, and take his receipt for the same; they severally to be accountable to this Court.

Resolved, That the Committee on the Rolls be, and they hereby are, directed to make up the Muster-Roil of Captain James Perry’s Company, in Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent’s Regiment, to the 12th of August, for the Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers borne on said Roll; they having received no pay from the Continent before that date, as appears by a Certificate on said Roll from the Colonel.

Adjourned to nine o’clock, to-morrow morning.

Saturday, March 16, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable William Sever, Walter Spooner, John Winthrop, Thomas Cushing, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Charles Chauncy, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Jabez Fisher, Moses Gill, John Taylor, Benjamin White, Esquires.

In Council: Resolved, That John Winthrop and Thomas Cushing, Esquires, with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to prepare a Letter to the Delegates of this Colony now at the Congress at Philadelphia, representing that as the British Troops, now at Boston, are about removing from thence, in consequence of which a considerable part of the Continental Army may be removed from this Colony to the southward, by which means this Colony will be left in almost a defenceless state; and to desire them to use their influence with the Congress, in case any motion should be made for the removal of the Army, that they would leave a sufficient number of forces within the Colony for its defence.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and Mr. Cooper, Colonel Orne, and Mr. Sullivan, are joined.

Petition of James Holmes, setting forth: That in the transport-ship called the Friendship, lately cast ashore on Cape Cod, whereof he was master, he had a considerable sum of money, (his own private cash,) to the amount of three hundred and seventy-five dollars, the whole of which,