Whereas the Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize and General Jail Delivery, according to law should be holden at Plymouth on the third Tuesday of May next: And whereas the circumstances of this Colony are such as that said Courts cannot conveniently be held there at the time aforesaid:

Therefore Resolved, That the said Courts be, and they hereby are, adjourned to Tuesday, the 22d day of October next, then to be held at the Court-House in Plymouth aforesaid, and that all appeals, pleas, processes, writs, actions, suits issued or to be issued, complaints, precepts, recognisances, and all other matters and things returnable and having and that should have had day by law as aforesaid, shall be returnable and have day on the said 22d day of October next, and shall abide and continue until that time, and shall be proceeded on, heard, and determined, to all intents and purposes as effectually as if said Courts were held on the day by law appointed as aforesaid.

Resolved, That for the further encouragement to Seamen to inlist into the Colony sea service, one month‘s advance wages be paid to the said Seamen at the time of their passing muster; and also that their wages be paid at the end of every three months, or as soon afterwards as they shall arrive in some Port of this Colony.

Resolved, That the Officers of said Vessels be, and hereby are, allowed to inlist men out of the Companies raised for the defence of the Sea-Coasts; and the Officers of said Companies be directed to permit any of their men to inlist into the Colony and Continental sea service only, and to inlist others to supply vacancies occasioned thereby, as soon as may be.

Resolved, That the Committee appointed to build and fix out Armed Vessels, or any one of them, muster the men raised for the Armed Vessels of this Colony, and pay them their advance wages, and receive out of the Treasury a sum agreeable to an abstract to be returned for that purpose.

Resolved, That such men as shall be inlisted for the sea-service of this Colony, and are not able to furnish themselves with Arms, agreeable to a former resolve of this Court, be furnished with the same by this Colony, and that twelve Shillings be deducted from the wages of each man so furnished.

Resolved, That the Uniform of the Officers be green and white, and that they furnish themselves accordingly; and the Colours be a white Flag, with a green Pine tree, and an inscription: “Appeal to Heaven.”

Resolved, That the Commanders of said Vessels receive their orders and instructions from a Committee hereafter to be appointed by this Court, and to be conducted as secretly as possible.

Resolved, That the Rations or Provision allowed to the Officers be the same as is, or shall be allowed to the Officers of the same rank in the Continental service.

Resolved, That the Committee to be appointed as aforesaid furnish each of the Armed Vessels of this Colony with instructions to regulate their conduct, agreeable to the Resolves of this Court.

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

Tuesday, April 30, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable James Otis, William Sever, Benjamin Greenleaf, Walter Spooner, Caleb Cushing, Thomas Gushing, Benjamin Chadbourn, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Michael Farley, Joseph Palmer, Samuel Holten, Moses Gill, Benjamin White, Esquires.

Whereas in consequence of a Resolve of the General Court, of the 25th instant, one John Hill was apprehended and sent to this Court by the Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Marblehead:

Ordered, That Benjamin Chadbourn, Esq., with Mr. Cashing and Mr. Sullivan, be a Committee to examine said Hill, and report thereon.

Whereas John Hill, a prisoner now before this Court, is justly suspected to have been assisting Crean Brush in robbing the inhabitants of the Town of Boston of their goods and merchandise:

It is therefore Resolved, That the said John Hill be sent, under a proper guard, to Boston Jail, there to be confined as a prisoner until he shall be examined by the seven Justices of the Peace of the County of Suffolk, or the major part of them, who are appointed to try Associators and abetters of the Ministerial Army; which Justices are empowered to examine the said Hill, and deal with him in the same manner as if he had remained in Boston after the said Fleet and Army had gone away.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice of Andrew Peperal Fernald Adjutant of the Second Regiment of Militia, in the County of York.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

Ordered, That Major Hawley, Colonel Freeman, and Colonel Thatcher, with Michael Farley and Joseph Palmer, Esquires, be a Committee to consider some plan of Discipline for the Militia of this Colony, and report.

In the House of Representatives: The House made choice (by ballot) of the following gentlemen as Field-Officers for the Boston Regiment of Militia, viz: Thomas Marshall, Colonel; Nathaniel Barber, Lieutenant-Colonel; Richard Boynton, First Major; Abiel Ruddock, Second Major.

In Council: Read, and concurred.

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

Wednesday, May 1, 1776.

Present in Council: Honourable James Otis, William Sever, Benjamin Greenleaf, Walter Spooner, Caleb Cushing, Benjamin Chadbourn, John Whetcomb, Jedediah Foster, James Prescott, Eldad Taylor, Michael Farley, Samuel Holten, Esquires.

Whereas the plan of Military Discipline published by Timothy Pickering, Esq., appears to this Court to be well adapted to the use and practice of a Militia, as it contains all motions in the Manual Exercise that are necessary and useful, and is not, like the Sixty-Fourth, Norfolk, and others, clogged with many superfluous motions, which only serve to burden the memory and perplex the learner; and as it also contains many useful man&#156uvres, &c., not published in the Sixty-Fourth:

Therefore it is esolved, That the aforesaid plan of Exercise published by Timothy Pickering, Esq., shall for the future be used and practised by the Militia of this Colony; and all Officers thereof are hereby directed and enjoined to learn the same, and to instruct and exercise the Soldiers under their command respectively agreeable to the said plan in all their publick Trainings and Musters accordingly.

A Bill entitled “An Act for raising a Regiment of Horse in the County of Worcester,” having passed the House of Representatives to be engrossed:

In Council: Read a second time, and passed a concurrence to be engrossed.

Whereas the power given to the Committee for fortifying the Town and Harbour of Boston, by a Resolve of this Court passed this House the 24th instant, empowering the said Committee to draw on the Commissary-General for Intrenching Tools and Provisions for one hundred men, or as many of them as they should employ, is insufficient to answer the end it was intended for:

Therefore Resolved, That the Committee for fortifying the Town and Harbour of Boston be, and they hereby are, further empowered to draw on the Commissary-General for as many Intrenching Tools, and other stores, and as much Provision as will be necessary, to supply all the men that they are empowered by this Court to employ for the purpose aforesaid; and the said Commissary is hereby directed to conduct himself accordingly.

Also Resolved, That the said Committee be, and hereby are, empowered and directed to consult Colonel Gridley, or such other Engineer as they shall think proper, relative to fortifying the said Town and Harbour.

Whereas a Committee has been appointed by this Court to go to the County of Berkshire to take under consideration the difficulties subsisting there, and report to the General Court:

Resolved, That said Committee be directed to refrain from going to said County till the further order of this Court.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to the Selectmen of Templeton, the sum of eighteen Pounds nine Shillings and three Pence, in full of their Account for Provisions supplied the Army.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony, to Elisha Cranson, the sum of three Pounds