men the distance of two hundred miles at this season of the year; that the present appearances of our affairs are materially different from what they were when said order of Court was made, and that there is good reason to believe that one, if not both of the vessels, are unfit, in their construction, for what they are designed; the Council thought it their duty to lay this matter before you, and recommend it to your immediate consideration.”

Adjourned to ten o’clock, on Monday morning.

Monday, March 25, 1776.

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

In Council: Resolved, That Benjamin Lincoln and Joseph Palmer, Esquires, with such as the honourable House may join, be a Committee to wait on his Excellency General Washington, and request, as this Colony is greatly weakened by the destruction of its fortifications and warlike stores by our enemies, and will be more so on the removal of the Continental Army, as a large proportion of the men and arms therein are from this Government; that he would further consider the exposed state of this Colony, and if it is consistent with the general interest, he would continue here six Regiments of Continental Troops, and two Companies of the Train of Artillery, for the defence thereof, instead of three or four Regiments his Excellency informed this Court he intended to leave.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Nichols, are joined.

Whereas, by the request of Doctor John Greenleaf, he is excused from being of the Committee to receive Saltpetre:

Therefore, Resolved, That Mr. Samuel Tufts, of Newburyport, be, and he hereby is, appointed to receive all the good and merchantable Saltpetre made within this Colony, which may be brought and delivered to him at Newburyport, before the 1st day of June next, with a certificate from the Selectmen of the town wherein it was made, that said Saltpetre was made in such town, within this Colony; and he is hereby directed to pay the persons so delivering the same seven Shillings per pound.

And that the said Samuel Tufts may be enabled to com ply with the above direction,

It is further Resolved, That he be furnished from the Treasury of this Colony with the sum of one thousand Pounds, he to be accountable to this Court for the same, and to deliver the Saltpetre he may so receive to the order of this Court; and the Secretary is directed to send to the said Samuel Tufts an attested copy of the above.

Whereas the Mandamus Counsellors, Commissioners of the Customs, and others, the open and avowed enemies to the rights of their country, and the cause of liberty, have been compelled, by the terror of the American arms, and an apprehension of the resentment of a justly incensed People, to depart the Town of Boston, at any time since the 19th April, 1775, and before the 20th March instant; abandoning not only their Houses and Real Estates, but also, in their hasty and precipitate flight, their personal and other move- able effects, to a very considerable value:

Resolved, That Mr. Brown, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Rawson, Mr. Pitts, and Colonel Sartel, be a Committee to repair to the Town of Boston, and there take, or cause to be taken, just and true accounts of said Houses and Real Estates, personal and other moveable effects, the property of the before- mentioned Mandamus Counsellors, and others; to commit the charge and care of said estates and effects to such suit able persons as they may judge proper; and to make report of their proceedings hereon as soon as may be, that this Court may take such further order thereon as may be necessary and fitting.

In Council: Read and concurred, as taken into a new draft.

Petition of Abijah Burbank, of Sutton, setting forth that your Petitioner is owner of the stream, land, and dam in said Town of Sutton, which was lately viewed by a Committee of the honourable House, in order for the erecting a Powder-Mill; that, in consequence of a late resolve of the General Court for encouraging the building two Powder-Mills within this Colony, and from an earnest desire of supporting the great and important cause of America, by his endeavours to supply the publick with that very important article of gunpowder; your Petitioner is induced to apply to your Honours, and humbly prays that your Honours would grant him license, agreeably to said resolve, to erect a Powder-Mill within the said Town of Sutton, in such place as the major part of the Selectmen of said town shall approve of.

Resolved, That the prayer thereof be granted, and that said Abijah Burbank have liberty to build a Powder-Mill on the stream in his Petition mentioned, on the encouragements of this Court for erecting two other Powder-Mills.

In the Home of Representatives: The House made choice (by ballot) of the following gentlemen for Field-Officers of the sixth Regiment of Militia in the County of Worcester, viz: John Golden, Colonel; Levi Bridgham, Lieutenant-Colonel; Job Gushing, Major; Moses Wheelock, Second Major.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

It being represented that there are many valuable articles on Castle-Island, the property of this Colony, which are now exposed to embezzlement and waste:

Resolved, That the Commissary-General be directed immediately to cause all such articles to be collected, and deposited in some place where they may be kept safe, for the future benefit of this Colony.

And further Resolved, That the Commissary-General, before he shall proceed in this matter, be directed to apply to his Excellency General Washington for his advice relative thereto.

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

Tuesday, March 26, 1776.

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

Petition of Doctor Samuel Cooper, setting forth that he has, among many others, been a great sufferer through the infamous violence and robbery of the British Troops lately driven from Boston; that his house has been plundered, the greatest and most necessary part of his? furniture carried away, as well as, considerable part of his library; he there fore prays that your Honours may be pleased to grant him a warrant or order for such articles as he may find necessary from out of the goods left by the enemies to their country who have followed the Army, your Petitioner holding himself accountable to your Honours for the same.

In Council: Read, and committed to Thomas Cushing, Esquire, with such as the honourable House shall join.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Wheeler are joined.

Petition of Richard Derby, Junior, praying for liberty to fix out three vessels for the West-Indies.

In Council: Read, and committed to Thomas Cushing, Esquire, with such as the honourable House shall join.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and Colonel Orne and Captain Batchelder are joined.

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

Wednesday, March 27, 1776.

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

Petition of William Sever and Thomas Durfee, two of the Committee for building and equipping sundry armed vessels, praying liberty to alter one from a sloop to a brigantine.

In Council: Read, and committed to Moses Gill, Esq., with such as the honourable House shall join.

In the House of Representatives: Read, and concurred, and . . . . . . . . . . are joined.

In Council: Ordered, That Thomas Cushing and Moses Gill, Esquires, with such as the honourable House shall join, be a Committee to wait on his Excellency George Washington, and present him with the following Address.

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