In the House of Representatives: The House made choice of Simeon Sampson as Captain of the Armed Brigantine building at Kingston, for the service of this Colony.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

A Letter from the Committee of Correspondence, &c., of Salem, respecting one Hugh Mulkoy’s supplying the enemy with Provisions, &c. Read, and committed to Eldad Taylor, Esquire, with Captain Stone and Mr. Rawson.

Major Bliss came up with a message from the honourable House, desiring that the Board would desist from making out any Commissions, either civil or military, for the present.

Colonel Norton came up with a message from the honourable House, informing the Board that the House proposed to come to the choice of Guardians for the Gayhead Indians at five o’clock, to-morrow afternoon, if agreeable to the honourable Board.

Jedediah Foster, Esq., went down with a message to the honourable House, to inform them that the Board agreed to the foregoing proposal of the honourable House.

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

Thursday, April 18, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable James Otis, Benjamin Greenleaf, Caleb Cushing, Walter Spooner, Thomas Cushing, Joseph Gerrish, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Michael Farley, Samuel Holten, Jabez Fisher, Esquires.

The Committee on the state of the Colony, to whom was referred the consideration of the Petitions and Papers accompanying the same, from sundry Committees and other inhabitants of several Towns in the County of Berkshire, report, as their opinion, that it will be expedient that a Committee from this Court be sent to Pittsfield, in said County, and that they give notice to the several Towns in said County to meet them there on the 14th day of May next, by such persons as they shall appoint; and that the said Committee make proper inquiry into the cause of the matters of complaint subsisting there, and report the same to the General Court at their next May Session; and that instructions be given to said Committee by this Court for regulating their proceedings therein. And the Committee ask leave to sit again.

Read, and accepted, and Walter Spooner, Esq., with George Partridge and Jonathan Grout, Esqrs., be a Committee for the above purpose.

Ordered, That the Letter from General Ward be committed to Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hopkins, and Colonel Mitchell, with Thomas Cushing and John Whetcomb, Esquires.

Ordered, That Deacon Nichols be on the Committee for fortifying the Harbour of Boston, in the room of Colonel Orne, excused.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Abiel Walker, the sum of eighteen Pounds, in full for losses sustained by her late husband, Captain Benjamin Walker, taken at Bunker’s Hill, on the 17th of June last.

Ordered, That the Letter from Elbridge Gerry, Esq., enclosing a Paper with Resolves of Congress, be committed to the Committee on the state of the Colony.

Ordered, That the Receiver-General of this Colony be directed to pay to Captain John Lane the several sums which are made up and appear due on his Muster-Roll to each of the men in his Company, for their travelling expenses.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Jonathan Atherton, the sum of two Pounds four Shillings, in full for a Gun he provided and delivered to James Bridges, which sum is stopped out of the wages due to said Bridges, in Captain Hastings’s Muster-Roll.

The Committee appointed to examine the Accounts of Amos Singletary, Esq., reported that they had attended that service, and found the same fairly stated and well vouched; that the said Amos hath furnished the said Colony with three hundred and seventeen blankets, of the value of one hundred and ninety-four Pounds seven Shillings and ten Pence, and that he hath received of Henry Gardner, Esq., as Treasurer for said Colony, the sum of three hundred and eighty Pounds fourteen Shillings, for the purpose aforesaid; so that there remains due to the Colony aforesaid, a balance of one hundred and ninety-four Pounds six Shillings and two Pence.

Whereupon Resolved, That Amos Singletary, aforesaid, pay unto the said Henry Gardner, Esq., Treasurer as aforesaid, the aforesaid sum of one hundred and ninety-four Pounds six Shillings and two Pence, as the just balance of all Accounts between him and the aforesaid Colony, and that the Receipt of the said Henry for the same be a discharge in full to the said Amos, for the aforesaid sum of three hundred and eighty-eight Pounds fourteen Shillings.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice of Joshua Lovejoy, as First Lieutenant of Captain King’s Company, in the room of Silas Marble, who declines accepting that appointment.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Resolved, That the Commissary-General of this Colony deliver to Jerathmiel Bowers, Esq., forty pieces of Duck, by him to be made use of for making Sails for those Armed Vessels he and others, a Committee of this Court, were directed to build for this Colony, he to be accountable to this Court for the same.

“To the Keeper of the Jail at IPSWICH, in the County of ESSEX, greeting:

“You are hereby ordered and directed to receive into your custody, Jonathan Stickney, Jun., who has been apprehended by the Committee of Inspection, Correspondence, and Safety, of the Town of Rowley, and sent to the General Court, for having, in the most open and daring manner, endeavoured, according to the utmost of his abilities, to encourage and introduce discontent, sedition, and a spirit of disobedience to all lawful authority among the people, by frequently clamouring in the most impudent, insulting, and abusive language, against the American Congress, the General Court of this Colony, and others who are and have been exerting themselves to save the country from misery and ruin; all which is made fully to appear: You are therefore him safely to keep in close confinement, in a room by himself, and that he be not allowed the use of pen, ink, or paper, and not suffer him to converse with any person whatsoever, unless in your hearing, till the further order of the General Court, or he to be otherwise discharged by due course of law.

“In the name, and by order of the Council and House of Representatives.”

Ordered, That Mr. Jewett, of Ipswich, and Colonel Thatcher, be of the Committee on the Muster-Rolls of the Sea-Coast Men and Minute-men, in the room of Mr. Hobart and Mr. Haven, absent.

Petition of Isaac Rand, setting forth: That the Honourable General Ward has ordered the Small-Pox Hospital for the Army to be removed to the Barracks at Sewall’s Point, to which place six soldiers are already removed from Boston, and many more hourly expected; and that your Petitioner cannot get good Nurses for the sum which is allowed by the honourable Continental Congress, and that most of the persons visited with the small-pox have it very badly, and stand in need of the best of nurses; also, have occasion for some medicine, the Continental medicines being sent away; therefore, your Petitioner prays the honourable Court’s direction concerning the premises.

Resolved, That Dr. Isaac Rand be, and hereby is, directed immediately to procure, on the credit of this Colony, such a number of Nurses, and such a quantity of Medicines, as are necessary for the use of the Small-Pox Hospital for the Continental Army, and that he exhibit an Account of the same to this House as soon as may be.

Mr. Sawyer came up with a message from the House, to inform the Board that the House proposed to come to the choice of Guardians for the Gayhead Indians, by joint ballot of both Houses.

James Prescott, Esq., went down with a message to the House, to inform them that the Board agreed to the foregoing proposal.

In Council: Ordered, That Benjamin Chadbourn and Joseph Gerrish, Esquires, be a Committee to count and sort, who reported that the number of Votes were: