be suffered, by force or fraud, to deprive you of any of your lands, or to settle them without a fair purchase from you, and your free consent. If, contrary to our intention, any injury should be offered to you by any of our people, inform us of it, and we shall always be ready to procure you satisfaction and redress.

“BROTHER CAPTAIN WHITE-EYES:

“We desire you will inform your nation, your uncles the Six Nations, and Wyandots, your grandchildren the Shawanese, and all the other nations, what you have seen and heard among us, and exhort them to keep fast hold of the covenantchain of friendship, which we have so lately repaired and strengthened. As you are now about to depart, we present you with some money to buy clothes and necessaries, and pay your expenses, and we wish you a good journey, and bid you farewell.”

Adjourned to ten o’clock, to-morrow.

Thursday, April 11, 1776.

A Letter of the 7th, from General Putnam, at New-York, with sundry papers enclosed, was presented to Congress, and read.

Resolved, That an Order for 10,000 Dollars be drawn on the Treasurers, in favour of Carpenter Wharton, Commissary, for the use of the Pennsylvania Battalions, he to be accountable.

The Committee of Claims reported, that there is due,

To Lieutenant-Colonel Zedwitz, for expenses in curing a wound received by him in falling from the walls of Quebeck, and his expenses from thence to Philadelphia, the sum of 255.6 Dollars;

To John Hales, for Carriage-hire, &c., for the Commissioners going to Canada, the sum of 223 Dollars;

To Oliver Wolcott, Esq., for his expenses in attending a treaty with the Six Nations, at Albany, the sum of 60 Dollars;

To Doctor Jonathan Potts, for attending the Prisoners at Reading, the sum of 76.6 Dollars; and for Medicines, &c., provided for the Troops in the Middle Department, the sum of 134.6 Dollars, amounting, together, to the sum of 211.2 Dollars.

To the following persons for Boarding, &c., General Lee’s Guard, viz:

To Richard Jacobs, the sum of 6.4 Dollars.

To William Staddleman, the sum of 7.4 Dollars.

To William McDowell, the sum of 3.4 Dollars.

To Lawrence Fegan, the sum of 8.4 Dollars.

To Jacob Wynkoop, the sum of 13.6 Dollars.

To Michael Gallager, the sum of 1.8 Dollars.

To John Kerlin, the sum of 8.6 Dollars.

To Charles Stultz, the sum of 3.7 Dollars.

To Captain Long, for so much advanced by him to Captain John Nelson, of one of the Rifle Companies, the sum of 10.7 Dollars.

Ordered, That the said Accounts be paid.

Resolved, That the Committee of Claims allow, for the support of the hostages sent by General Schuyler from Tryon County, the sum of two Dollars per week.

Resolved, That two new Members be added to the Cannon Committee, in the room of two who are absent.

The Members chosen, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Whipple.

Resolved, That the Secret Committee be directed to supply the Delegates of Maryland with one ton of Powder, for the use of the inhabitants of the Eastern-Shore, in that Colony.

Resolved, That the Committee of Safety of Pennsylvania be requested to provide proper Barracks or Quarters for such of the Continental Troops as may be, from time to time, in the City of Philadelphia.

Resolved, That the Commanding Officer at New-York be directed to discharge the Militia of New-Jersey who are in the pay of the Continent.

That the Commanding Officer at New-York be directed to discharge the whole, or such parts of the Militia of New-York and Connecticut, now in the pay of the Continent, as the publick service will permit.

A Petition from Eliphalet Dyer and William Williams, in behalf of the Colony of Connecticut, was presented to Congress, and read, setting forth, that the Colony has advanced large sums of money for the service of the Continent over and above what have been paid them; that though they used their utmost diligence, they have not yet been able to prepare a full state of their accounts to lay before Congress; and as their Treasury is exhausted, and the Colony and the publick interest in danger of suffering for want of supplies, praying that the Congress would advance to the Colony the sum of fifty thousand Pounds, lawful money, in part of their advances.

Resolved, That the sum of 166,666²/₃ Dollars be advanced to the Colony of Connecticut, on account of their advances for the service of the Continent, the said Colony to be accountable.

Captain White-Eyes being called in, the speech was delivered to him, and the money paid.

Resolved, That the sum of fifty Dollars be paid to Isaac Stille, the Interpreter.

Resolved, That it be recommended to the Conventions and Committees or Councils of Safety of Virginia and North-Carolina, to provide for the maintenance and security of such of the enemy as are made Prisoners in their Colonies, agreeable to the regulations of Congress for the support of Prisoners; and that the expense thereof shall be defrayed by the Continent.

Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed to inquire into the truth of the report respecting Governour Tryon’s exacting an Oath from persons going by the Packet, and to ascertain the fact by affidavits taken before a Chief Justice, or other Chief Magistrate.

The Members chosen, Mr. Jay, Mr. Wythe, and Mr. Wilson.

Resolved, That the sum of thirty Dollars be advanced to John Harkness, a wounded soldier, who was discharged at Cambridge without any pay.

Information being given that Mr. Hewes, a prisoner, has been defrauded of a large quantity of Goods,

Resolved, That a Committee of three be appointed to inquire into the truth of this matter, and report to Congress.

The Members chosen, Mr. McKean, Mr. Huntington, and Mr. Duane.

The Committee to whom the Petition of John Secord was referred, brought in their Report, which was read.

Resolved, That it be recommended to the several Assemblies, Conventions, and Committees or Councils of Safety of the United Colonies, to use their best endeavours in communicating to foreign Nations the Resolutions of Congress relative to Trade.

Adjourned to ten o’clock, to-morrow.

Friday, April 12, 1776.

A Letter of the 21st March, from W. H. Drayton,* President of the Convention of South-Carolina, with a copy of

*SOUTH-CAROLINA, CHARLESTOWN, March 21, 1776.

SIR: By order of the [Provincial] Congress I have the honour to transmit, through your hands, to the honourable the Continental Congress, the enclosed copy of an act of Parliament, which received the Royal assent on the 21st of December last.

A packet just arrived at Georgia brought out this act, purporting a declaration of war against the United Colonies; and as it is probable the communication between England and the Northern Colonies may be so far obstructed that a copy of the act may not speedily reach Philadelphia by a northern channel, and as it is of the highest importance that the Continental Congress should be possessed of one, we have thought proper to transmit to you by express the only printed copy we have.

The act being laid before, the [Provincial] Congress, they so much resented the contents of it, that a West-Indiaman, which had put in here to refit, loaded with sugars, and being on the point of sailing for London, was immediately seized and brought back to the town; and it is ordered that her cargo be sold, and the money arising from the sale, be placed in the Treasury. Indeed, the Congress were disposed to have proceeded, and they certainly would have proceeded to pass a resolution to make prize of all the vessels belonging to Great Britain, but they would not anticipate the determination of the American Congress upon that important subject.

I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient and most humble servant,

WILLIAM H. DHAYTON, President.

To the Honourable John Hancock, Esquire, President of the Continental Congress.

An Act to prohibit all Trade and Intercourse with the Colonies of NEW-HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS-BAY, RHODE-ISLAND, CONNECTICUT, NEW-YORK, NEW-JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, the three lower Counties on DELAWARE, MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, NORTH-CAROLINA, SOUTH-CAROLINA, and GEORGIA, during the continuance of the present rebellion within the said Colonies respectively; for repealing an Act made in the fourteenth