And the said Committees are hereby directed to report to the Provincial Congress or Committee of Safety, from time to time, their proceedings in the premises, and the progress that shall be made in said manufacture.

And to encourage the setting up of private Works, and the manufacture of Saltpetre in private families, (which is the only way of obtaining a speedy and effectual supply of that article,) the Committees hereby appointed in the several Counties, are empowered and authorized to purchase, on the account of the Provincial Congress of this Colony, all well refined Saltpetre, that shall be made in this Colony, and offered to them for sale, before the first day of November next, at the rate of six Shillings per pound. And it is further recommended to the Committees of the several Cities, Counties, Towns, Manors, Precincts, and Districts, in this Colony, in the neighbourhood of any places suspected to contain mines of Sulphur, that they cause diligent search to be made for such mines in their respective Districts, and report their discoveries to the Provincial Congress or the Committee of Safety without delay.

Ordered, That the Secretaries prepare copies of these Resolutions for the Printers in this City, and that the same be printed in all the publick Newspapers in this Colony.

Edward Tylee, being examined, saith: That he has been a prisoner on board the Asia seven months; that he was well treated by Captain Vandeput during the whole time; and that upon the whole he did not receive any ill treatment from any of the ship’s company. This examinant further saith, that Lord Rosehill informed this examinant, just before he came from on board the Asia, that he (Lord Rosehill) had given the information to Captain Vandeput, by the way of Amboy, which occasioned his being taken prisoner. This examinant being examined relative to the Asia firing on the City, said that he was not on board at the time, but was informed, after being on board, that Captain Vandeput gave orders for the first firing, but that he (Captain Vandeput) went down between decks to stop the second firing; that the next morning, the First Lieutenant, Mr. Galbreath, had loaded an eighteen-pounder with grapeshot, to fire on the inhabitants, and that Captain Vandeput jumped out of his cabin, in his shirt, to prevent it.

This examinant further saith: That one John.Noble, of this City, came continually on board the Asia with intelligence from this City; that he has frequently heard him give intelligence on board, particularly relative to the troops taking possession of Bedlow’s Island; that he (the examinant) heard Noble say he managed and brought about the escape of Captain Harris, when he (said Noble) was on guard; that the said Noble, the week before last, brought on board three rifle guns. That Lawrence Hartwick was another person who continually brought intelligence; that he was one of the persons who attempted to set fire to the furnace with combustibles made on board the ship Asia; gave the information which caused the two boats with iron to be seized. That, with respect to the supply of fresh provisions, they used to have it brought on board by many persons, whom he did not know; they refused to take Continental money for it. That a blockmaker, a tall man with a snuff-coloured coat, brown hair, who said he was a Committee-man, came on board twice, some time in the month of November, to the best of his knowledge, in company with one Lawrence Hartwick; that this examinant gave Hartwick a letter to carry for him to Nathaniel Tylee, in New-York, and that in the presence of the said blockmaker; that the said blockmaker told this examinant, “You know you and I are not of the same way of thinking;” that the said blockmaker and Hartwick broke the said letter open, and showed the same to Captain Vandeput, as Captain Vandeput informed this examinant, upon which this examinant was more closely confined, and suffered considerably thereby. This examinant further saith, that Mr. Bogert, the butcher, one or two nights before the ship Lady Gage was cut out, was on board the Asia; that two or three nights after the cutting out of the said ship, the said Bogert was on board again, and was invited by the gentlemen of the gunroom to go down with them in the gunroom; that this examinant was in the gunroom; that this examinant heard Bogert say that when he (Bogert) was coming from Bedlow’s Island he saw Mr. Nixen put off from alongside the Asia, and that he (Bogert) lay down in the boat and let a sailor set upon him to prevent Nixen seeing him; that the officers in the gunroom, on informing Bogert of the expedition in cutting out the Lady Gage, and laughing heartily about it, one of the officers said to Bogert, we told you of our going upon that expedition the other night; that Bogert answered “Yes, you did, but I did not want to hear it.” That one Nicolls, of Connecticut, a friend of this examinant, gave Bogert sixteen shillings to purchase necessaries with for this examinant: that Bogert brought him off two gallons of rum, and the remainder of the money he kept for near three months, though often solicited to bring him some necessaries for the remainder, which he never did till a friend of this deponent came on board, to see him, and to whom he gave an order on Mr. Bogert to receive it, and send him some necessaries, which he accordingly did.

“New-York, April 17, 1776.

“SIR: By the enclosed resolutions of the honourable Continental Congress, you will observe that they have thought it expedient to open the Ports under several restrictions; and that they have also determined to make reprisals, by seizing of British property. By the resolutions, the Assemblies or Conventions of the Colonies are to appoint the proper officers, who are to take the securities of exporters; as also judges to determine on captures. As the Committee of Safety are incompetent for those purposes, and the trade of the Colony, as well as its reputation, will suffer if the necessary regulations are not made to enable the inhabitants to avail themselves of the benefit of the said resolutions, the Committee of Safety think it absolutely necessary that the Congress of this Colony do meet in this City on the 1st day of May next; they therefore earnestly entreat you to attend on that day, that our constituents may, if they are so disposed, export their produce, and be as early as their neighbours at market. The Committee of Safety would not choose to be chargeable with any loss this Colony might sustain in consequence of any delay in complying with the resolutions of the Continental Congress in making, on our part as a Colony, the proper arrangement.

“We are, sir, your humble servants.

“By order of the Committee of Safety:

“WILLIAM PAULDING, Chairman.”

James Smith, Captain of the Armed Sloop called the General Schuyler, and Colonel Alexander McDougall, of the City of New-York, executed their joint and several Bond to the Honourable John Hancock, Esq., President of the Congress of the United Colonies, in the sum of five thousand Dollars, with condition thereto that the said James Smith, Commander of the said Sloop, shall not exceed or transgress the powers and authorities which shall be contained in his Commission as Commander of the said Sloop, but shall in all things observe and conduct himself and govern his crew by and according to the same, and certain instructions therewith to be delivered, and such other instructions as may hereafter be given him, and shall make reparation for all damages sustained by any misconduct or unwarrantable proceedings of himself, or the officers or crew of the said Sloop.

Thereupon a Commission was filled up, and delivered to the said James Smith, as Commander of the said Sloop, and his Instructions were also delivered to him.

Thomas Cregier, Commander of the Armed Schooner General Putnam, and Thomas Randall, of the City of New-York, duly executed a similar joint and several Bond to John Hancock, Esq., President as aforesaid, in the sum of five thousand Dollars, with a similar condition thereto as to the conduct and behaviour of the said Thomas Cregier and his officers and crew

Thereupon a Commission was filled up, and delivered to the said Thomas Cregier, as Commander of the said Armed Schooner General Putnam, and set of Instructions delivered to him.

Captain William Rogers, Commander of the Armed Sloop Montgomerie, and Joseph Hallett, of the City of New-York, duly executed a similar joint and several Bond to John Hancock, Esq., President as aforesaid, in the sum of five thousand Dollars, with a condition thereto for the good conduct and behaviour of the said William Rogers, as Commander of the said Armed Sloop Montgomerie, and of his officers and crew, in terms similar to the condition of the Bond of the said James Smith and Alexander McDougall.

Thereupon a Commission was filled up, and delivered to