Sugar in this Colony, and left the same in the store of Justus Riley, of Weathersfield, praying for liberty to transport the same out of this Colony, &c., as per Memorial on file:

Resolved by this Assembly, That the said Brattle have liberty, and liberty is hereby granted to the said Brattle, to transport the said two hogsheads of Rum and two barrels of Sugar out of this Colony to the said Town of Pittsfield, the late embargo passed in this Assembly notwithstanding.

Upon the Memorial of Timothy Scranton, showing that his son came home from the Army and remained grievously sick for the space of twelve weeks, his said son being a soldier in Colonel Ward’s Regiment; that his said son has received no wages during the time of his said sickness, and he was put to considerable expense in restoring him to health; and praying for relief, &c.:

Resolved by this Assembly, That the Committee of Pay-Table do adjust the account of wages and expenses of the Memorialist’s said son, and allow what they may judge just and reasonable, and give order for payment thereof upon the Treasurer of this Colony.

Upon the Memorial of Gershom Clark, of Lebanon, representing that in the battle on Bunker-Hill, 17th of June, 1775, being a soldier in General Putnam’s Regiment, he received a shot through his body, by which he was dangerously wounded, and has been and is thereby unable to labour at his trade or otherwise for the support of himself and family, and praying for an allowance towards his support, as per Memorial on file:

Resolved by this Assembly, That thirty Pounds be granted to said Memorialist out of the publick Treasury, and the Treasurer is hereby ordered to pay the same accordingly.

Upon the Memorial of Grace Meigs, of Middletown, praying for the wages of her husband, Return Jonathan Meigs, as a Major in the service of this Colony from the 1st day of September last to the 1st day of June, instant, he being detained a prisoner-of-war at Quebeck, &c., as per Memorial on file:

Resolved by this Assembly, That the Committee of Pay-Table make up and adjust an account of the wages of the said Major Return Jonathan Meigs, until the 1st day of June, instant, and draw upon the Treasurer for the balance that shall be found due thereon, to be paid to the Memorialist accordingly.

Upon the Memorial of Joseph Gilbert, of Glasgow, in the Province of Massachusetts-Bay, showing to this Assembly that, in the month of January last, he and one William Thompson, of said Glasgow, purchased at Middletown of Richard Alsop, Esq., since deceased, three hundred and thirty gallons of New-England Rum, and at the same time purchased of one Stephen Ranny fifteen bushels of Salt, with intent to transport said goods to said Glasgow, and praying for liberty to carry said goods out of this Colony, as per Memorial on file:

Resolved by this Assembly, That the Memorialist have liberty, and liberty is hereby granted to him, to transport said three hundred and thirty gallons of New-England Rum and fifteen bushels of Salt from said Middletown to said Glasgow, anything in said act of Assembly notwithstanding.

This Assembly is adjourned by Proclamation, &c., until his Honour the Governour, or, in his absence, the Deputy-Governour, shall see cause to call it to meet again.

KING AND QUEEN COUNTY (VIRGINIA) COMMITTEE.

At a Committee held for King and Queen County, June 14th, 1776, present a majority of Members.

Philip Rootes, who was summoned by a former Resolution of this Committee, as a person suspected to be inimical to the rights and liberties of America, this day appeared, and voluntarily agreed to deliver up his Arms.

William Graham, Benjamin Robinson, and Thomas Corbin, who were summoned to attend this Committee, as persons suspected to be inimical to the rights and liberties of America, this day appeared, and the oath prescribed by a Resolution of the last Convention being tendered to them, they refused to take the same. It is therefore ordered that they be disarmed.

Thomas Metcalfe was summoned to attend this Committee, as a person suspected to be inimical to the rights of America; which he failing to do, it is therefore ordered that he be disarmed.

Ordered, That the Sergeant of this Committee do wait on the afore-named persons to receive their Arms and Ammunition, which are to be applied as directed by the General Congress.

Resolved, That the Clerk of this Committee do transmit a copy of the above proceedings to Mr. Purdie, with a request to him to publish them in his Gazette.

RICHARD TUNSTALL, Clerk.

E. JOHNSON TO MARYLAND COUNCIL OF SAFETY.

Lower Marlborough, June 14, 1776.

GENTLEMEN: When last in Annapolis, in conversation with one of your honourable members, (Mr. Ramsay,) I said I was informed by some of the inhabitants of this County near to the cliffs, that the cliffs were, in places, full of a saline matter that they took to be saltpetre, in a native state; and I promised to examine therein on my return. I have been under those cliffs, and find saline matter in some parts in great abundance, of a vitriolick alum in our taste, but have made no experiments therewith yet, from the calls of my profession hindering me; but on the cliffs at Mr. Holland’s, about three miles below this town, on the east side of the Patuxent River, we have discovered a salt quick, and the earth very strongly impregnated with common salt, insomuch that a tub of that earth being put up, and water run through it, as they draw off lye from ashes of nitrous earth, is so rich as to yield, by boiling, a fourteenth part of its quantity, good clear fine salt, as you may see by the small sample I have sent you by Mr. Peregrine Fitzhugh.

Various are the opinions how this is produced. Doctor James Bate says, as it is on the east side, and exposed to the most violent heat of the sun in the afternoon, he believes it to be no more than from the spray of the sea meeting this cliff, and the sun exhaling the mere moist, whilst the saline particles are left behind and retained in the earth for about four inches deep. I am of a contrary opinion, as the water of the river is only brackish at that place, none salt ever being there or within twelve miles of it, and think that the earth is impregnated with salt in a native state, which is perpetually oozing, and the sun exhales the moist and fixes the saline particles behind. Be this as it may, it is a valuable discovery, and the tenants on that land can easily get whatever salt they may want, and now only repine that it was not discovered early enough to salt up fish with, which are caught there in the spring in great abundance.

The saltpetre manufactory under my supervisorship, I have the satisfaction to inform you, improves much; and though we were so unsuccessful in the first eight hogsheads of earth we drew lye from as to get nothing when last at Annapolis, other earth has, in the last three weeks, given us between fifteen and eighteen pounds of pure crude nitre; but expect in a week or two more to have drawn off the lye, &c., from all the earth I have there in a proper state, and shall then proceed to lay in my shed this earth that has been drawn off, trash tobacco, lime, brickdust, &c., as a matrix, to receive more against the fall.

I am, gentlemen, your Honours’ most obedient servant,

E. JOHNSON.

To the Honourable the Council of Safety of Maryland.

BENTON HARRIS TO MAJOR GIST.

In Committee, June 14, 1776.

SIR: We recommend to your favour the bearer hereof, Mr. William Brown, being a person well attached to the common cause of America, and has been very useful to the Militia of this County; he will make his intentions known to you.

We are, dear sir, your most obedient and very humble servants. Per order of the Committee:

BENTON HARRIS, Chairman.

To Major Mordecai Gist.