and after James Monger returned from Degremore’s, told the examinant that he had paid said Degremore three bills of the Continental emission, three bills of thirty dollars each, (being counterfeited.) and returned three bills to the examinant, to wit: one twenty dollar bill, one ten dollar bill of the Province emission, and one forty shilling bill of Connecticut emission, all three counterfeit. The said James Monger told the examinant that there was no danger in passing the above-mentioned bills, because there was not mentioned on the bills that it was death to counterfeit the bills of the Continental emission. Some time after the examinant had received of James Monger, he, the examinant, went to Poughkeepsie, and offered the counterfeit bills to John Giles, to discharge a note of fifteen pounds which the examinant owed to James King. John Giles refused to receive the money of the examinant, aad told the examinant that the bills were counterfeit. The examinant took said counterfeit bills, and returned them again unto his brother, James Monger. And further saith not.

LEMUEL MONGER.

A true copy of the original:

WILLIAM ELLSWORTH, Chairman.

The Examination of James Monger, taken before the Committee of Safety and Observation of the town of Kingston, in Ulster County, the 13th day of May, 1776, touching counterfeit money of the Continental emission, and of the Connecticut emission.

The examinant, James Monger, saith: That in January last he had a lawsuit with the widow Rachel Seryn, and being involved into difficulties occasioned by that lawsuit, and not knowing how to extricate himself thereof, began to consider about it, and concluded and determined to counterfeit money; and was possessed of one two-dollar bill of the Continental emission, and made a ten-dollar bill of it, and passed it away to Mr. Philip Van Cortlandt some time in January last; and also counterfeited a bill, one of the Connecticut emission, and passed the same to Samuel Peters, Esq., some time in February last; and also counterfeited another bill of Connecticut emission, and passed it to John Teller in April last; and also another bill, which he passed to Caleb Frost, of forty shillings, which he counterfeited some time in April last; which several acts of passing the money counterfeited by me, encouraged and animated me to continue the business; and for that purpose procured several bills of the Continental emission, of the smallest denomination, to carry on the trade or business of counterfeiting, and also of the Connecticut emission, for the same purpose; and in April last, counterfeited several bills of small denomination, and offered my brother, Lemuel Monger, to pay his debts with the counterfeit money to Jacob Degremore; for which purpose I agreed with my brother to go over the North River, in Ulster County, to discharge a debt which my brother owed to Jacob Degremore; and acccordingly went and paid Jacob Degremore three thirty-dollar bills, all counterfeited by me, and got my brother’s note, and returned home by the way of Warwick; and when I came home, I went to my brother and gave him three counterfeit bills, to wit: one of twenty dollars, one of ten dollars, and one of forty shillings, Connecticut, in order to discharge a debt my brother Lemuel Monger owed to James King, of fifteen pounds, which was in lawyer John Giles’s hands, at Poughkeepsie; and my brother, some time after he had received the last above-mentioned bills from me, went to Poughkeepsie, to John Giles the lawyer, and offered to pass the counterfeit bills he had from me to Mr. John Giles, which Mr. Giles refused to take; and returned home again, and redelivered the counterfeit bills to me; and further saith not.

JAMES MONGER.

A true copy of the original:

WILLIAM ELLSWORTH, Chairman.

JOEL MATTHEWS TO NEW-YORK CONGRESS.

Windsor, May 22, 1776.

Agreeable to the order of the honourable Provincial Congress of New-York, the Committees of Safety for the Counties of Cumberland and Gloucester, appointed a Committee of three out of the Committee of Safety of each County, for a Committee to nominate a Brigadier-General and a Brigade Major. In consequence of which, the Committee so chosen previously notified the Committee of Charlotte County, by a letter directed to the Chairman thereof, of the time and place of meeting, but had no return.

Your Honour’s obedient and humble servant,

JOEL MATTHEWS.

To the Honourable Provincial Congress.

At a meeting of the Committees of the Counties of Cumberland and Gloucester, appointed to nominate a Brigadier-General and a Brigade Major, at Windsor, on Wednesday, the 22d day of May, 1776: made choice of Colonel Joseph Marsh as Chairman, and Major Joel Matthews Clerk; then proceeded and made choice of Colonel Jacob Bayley as Brigadier-General, and Simon Stevens, Esq., as Brigade Major, of said Counties.

Voted, That the Return of the above nominations be sent by Colonel Marsh to the honourable Provincial Congress, who is authorized to represent this Committee at Congress.

A true copy from the Minutes. By order:

JOSEPH MARSH, Chairman.
JOEL MATTHEWS, Clerk

To the Honourable Provincial Congress.

COMMITTEE’S REPORT OF GOVERNOUR SKENE’S EXAMINATION, ETC.

To the Honourable the Governour and the Council of the Colony of CONNECTICUT, convened at HARTFORD.

May it please your Honours:

Pursuant to your Honours’ orders and directions given us, two of the Committee, taking with them a constable, went immediately to Governour Skene’s lodgings, found the door of his room locked, and said Skene not at home; and leaving one of said Committee to guard the room, the others proceeded after Governour Skene; found him returning home from this side of the river, and brought him before the Committee. He was asked if he had carried on any correspondence with those who were enemies to America. He answered, that the engagements he had laid himself under by his parole, he had sacredly kept; that he had no papers but what concerned his private affairs, which had passed the inspection of the Congress; that he had the keys in his pocket, and was willing to show us his papers; that if he had any obnoxious papers, we might depend on it we should not find them; and if we accused him, he was an Englishman, and we must prove it.

He was asked if he knew beforehand anything of his negro being about to be chosen Governour by the negroes, and whether he had directly or indirectly any hand in bringing it to pass. He answered, that he did not know anything of it except some words that passed between William Williamson and his negro a day or two before, which he took to be jocose; and that he had no hand in bringing it to pass, directly nor indirectly. He was asked if he did not give his negro money to make a treat, &c., for the negroes. He answered, that he gave his negro a half-joe to keep election with; and that he was not at Mr. Knox’s on Friday evening, after the election, when they had their treat, and that he knew nothing about it; that on Friday, he heard that the negroes had chosen his negro their Governour; he feared it would excite jealousies, and avoided speaking to him for fear of suspicion; and declared upon his honour that he had no papers about him.

Then the negro was examined, who told us that one Harper, a negro fellow, first mentioned to him about his being Governour; that he did say, that if the negroes would choose him Governour, he would give a treat of twenty dollars; and that it had cost him five-and-twenty dollars. He declared that none of the regular officers or soldiers ever said anything to him about it; that there was no plot nor scheme; that what he said and did was of his own head merely, as a piece of diversion, and that he meant no harm to the country; that he had never seen an election; understood they chose a Governour every year, so he thought he would set up for it. He was asked where he got the twenty-five dollars. He said he had them of his own earnings, got by going in a vessel upon the lakes, where he had certain perquisites which brought him in a great many dollars, which he was allowed to keep. He said he had a paper