| You are here: Home > American Archives |
on cash rents, many of whose contracts are of a late date, and upon high rents, particularly those who have a number of slaves with their lands; that when these contracts were made they had a very flourishing growing trade for grain and flour at Alexandria and other ports, which have been chiefly relied on, both by the landlords and tenants, to discharge their rents; that those articles are now useless on their hands, in consequence of which they labour under great difficulties; that in most of the late contracts the landlords have bound the tenants to pay all land taxes that might accrue, as these unhappy times were then unforeseen; and praying that the Convention may take their case into consideration, and grant them such relief as shall be judged proper. Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances; that they inquire into the allegations thereof, and report the same, with their opinion thereupon, to the Convention. A Petition of the Inspectors of Warrasqueake Bay Warehouses was presented to the Convention, and read; setting forth, that on the night of the 19th of March, 1775, the said warehouses were broken open, and two hogsheads of tobacco stolen therefrom, weighing two thousand one hundred and fifty-seven pounds, which they supposed was done by some people belonging to a brig then lying off the said warehouses; that on the 13th of July following two other hogsheads of tobacco were stolen from thence in like manner, weighing one thousand six hundred and fifty-two pounds: that they lost no time in pursuit of the persons they supposed had taken the same, but were not able to recover it; and praying the Convention will take their case into consideration, and grant them such relief as shall be thought just and reasonable. Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee of Publick Claims; that they inquire into the matter thereof, and report the same, with their opinion thereupon, to the Convention. An Ordinance for augmenting the Ninth Regiment of Regular forces, providing for the better defence of the frontiers of this Colony, and for raising four Troops of Horse, having been fairly transcribed, was read a third time, and the blanks therein filled up. Resolved, That the said Ordinance do pass, and the title be, An Ordinance for augmenting the Ninth Regiment of Regular forces, providing for the better defence of the frontiers of this Colony, and for raising six Troops or Horse.* A claim of Captain William Darke and Captain Isaac Beak, for the expenses incurred in supporting their two Companies of Riflemen from the time of their being imbodied till the passing of the Ordinance directing the same to be raised, was presented to the Convention, and read. Ordered, That the said claim be referred to the Committee of Publick Claims; that they inquire into the matter thereof, and report the same, with their opinion thereupon, to the Convention. Resolved, That this Convention will on Thursday next proceed, by ballot, to the appointment of a Major to the forces directed to be raised for the better defence of the frontiers, and of the Officers to command the Troops of Horse. Ordered, That the Committee of Safety be empowered to discharge Mr. Richard Morris, Paymaster and Commissary *An Ordinance for augmenting the Ninth Regiment of Regular Forces, providing for the better defence of the frontiers of this Colony, and for raising six Troops of Horse.
Whereas it hath become necessary, for the better defence of this country, to augment the Ninth Regiment of Regular forces, so as to make the same equal with the other Regiments: Be it therefore ordained, by the Delegates and Representatives of the several Counties and Corporations of VIRGINIA, now assembled in General Convention, and it is hereby ordained by the authority of the same, That the Ninth Regiment of the Regular forces raised for the defence and protection of this country, and stationed in the Counties of Northampton and Accomack, be augmented by the addition of two hundred and four men, to be divided into Companies of sixty-eight each, rank and file, under the command of one Captain, two Lieutenants, one Ensign, and four Sergeants, and each Company to be allowed a Drummer and Fifer. And be it further ordained, That the Captains and Subaltern Officers of one of the said Companies shall be appointed by the Committee for the said County of Northampton, and the Captains and Subaltern Officers to the other two Companies by the Committee of the said County of Acco-mack;which officers and men so to be appointed and raised shall be considered as a part of the said Ninth Regiment, and receive the same bounty, pay, and allowance, and be subject to the same regulations and authority, as the other part of the said Regiment. And whereas there is too much reason to apprehend the enemies of America are endeavouring to kindle an Indian war on our frontiers, which ought timely to be provided against: Be it therefore further ordained by the authority aforesaid, That four hundred men be employed for the defence of the North and Northwestern frontiers, and stationed at the following places, that is to say: two hundred at Point Pleasant, fifty at the mouth of Little Kanawha, fifty at the mouth of Wheeling, and one hundred at Fort Pitt, for so long time as the Committee of Safety, or others having the executive powers of Government during the recess of the Legislature, shall judge them necessary. And be it further ordained, That the Captain of the Company of Regulars now stationed at Fort Pitt shall be, and he is hereby, empowered and required to advance and allow to each private man of his Company a bounty of twenty shillings, provided he shall be willing to continue in the service for the time above required, and to engage others in the room of such as may refuse to serve, so as to complete his Company to one hundred men, to remain at that station; that the Captain of the Company now stationed at Point Pleasant do in like manner retain so many of hie men as shall be willing to continue in service, or inlist others in the room of such as may refuse, so as to complete his Company to one hundred men, to remain at their said station. And that the Committee of the County of Botetourt shall appoint one Captain, three Lieutenants, and one Ensign, to command another Company of one hundred men to be raised for the said Garrison at Point Pleasant, which Company shall also be allowed four Sergeants, a Drummer and Fifer; and the officers so appointed shall proceed to inlist their men, in the following proportions, that is to say: the Captain forty, the First Lieutenant twenty, the Second Lieutenant eighteen, the Third Lieutenant sixteen, and the Ensign twelve, to be reviewed by three of the Committee of the said County of Botetourt, to be by the Committee appointed for that purpose. And that the Committee of the County of Augusta shall appoint one Captain, one Lieutenant, and one Ensign, to command a Company of fifty men, to be stationed at the mouth of Little Kanawha, which Company shall also be allowed three Sergeants, a Drummer and Fifer; and the officers so to be appointed shall proceed to inlist the men for the said Company, in the following proportions, that is to say: the Captain twenty-five, the Lieutenant eighteen, and the Ensign twelve, to be reviewed by three of the Committee of the said County of Augusta appointed by the Committee for that purpose. And that the Committee of the County of Hampshire shall appoint one Captain, one Lieutenant, and one Ensign, to command a Company of fifty men, to be stationed at the mouth of Wheeling, which Company shall also be allowed three Sergeants, a Drummer and Fifer; and the officers are to proceed to inlist the men for the said Company, by retaining so many of the men now at the station as may be willing to engage on the terms of others, and inlisting so many as may be wanting in the proportions mentioned for the Company for the Little Kanawha; the new recruits to be reviewed by three of the Committee of the County of Hampshire to be appointed by the Committee for that purpose. And be it further ordained, That the several men to be raised and employed by virtue of this ordinance shall be entitled to the same bounty, and the officers and men to the same pay and allowance, and subject to the like regulations and restrictions as by ordinance of Convention is provided for other Regulars, except that they shall not be marched out of the Colony without the mutual consent of themselves and the executive power, and shall not be compelled to serve longer than two years from the 10th of October next; and that the whole four hundred men, with their officers, to be under the command of a Major, to be chosen by the General Convention. And be it further ordained, That the several persons appointed to review the men shall respectively certify the time each Company is complete, which shall entitle the officers of such Companies to commissions of that date from those having the executive powers of Government, and all vacancies which may happen among the officers shall be filled up by succession, according to seniority of rank among those of the station where the vacancy happens. And be it further ordained, That the Committee of Safety, or those having the executive powers of Government, shall appoint a Paymaster, and one or more Commissaries or contractors for provisions, for the several forces to be raised and employed on the frontiers, each of which Paymaster and Commissary shall have such pay and allowance for his servires as shall be judged reasonable by those having the executive powers of Government, exclusive of his necessary expenses. And whereas it is judged necessary, for the better and more effectual defence and protection of this Colony, that certain Troops of Horse should be raised: Be it therefore ordained by the authority aforesaid, That six Troops of Horse, consisting of thirty each, rank and file, be immediately raised, under proper officers, and taken into the service of this Colony; and that each of the said Companies be under the command of a Captain, a Lieutenant, a Cornet, to be chosen by the Convention, and three Corporals, to be chosen by the Captain, and be allowed a Trumpeter, to be also appointed by the Captain. And that the several officers and troopers shall, at their own expense, be furnished with horses, proper arms and accoutrements, and shall be allowed the following pay per day, besides rations and forage, to wit: The Captain 7s. 6d., the Lieutenant 6s., the Cornet 5s., the Corporals 3s. each, a Trumpeter 3s., and a Trooper 2s. 6d.; which pay of the officers shall commence from the time of receiving their commissions, and of the troopers from the time of their being provided with a sufficient horse, and properly armed, in the opinion of any Field-Officer of the Militia of the County wherein they are inlisted. And that the officers and troopers so to be raised shall continue in the service for such time as shall be judged necessary by the Committee of Safety, or others having the executive powers of Government, but shall not be compelled to continue in the service longer than one year; and that they shall be subject to the Articles of War established for the Regular forces, and to such orders as they shall from time to time receive from the Commanding Officer of the Continental Troops in this Colony. And be it further ordained, That so much money as shall be necessary for the purposes of this act shall from time to time be paid by Robert C. Nicholas, Esq., Treasurer, or the Treasurer for the time being, out of the publick money in his hands, by warrant from the Committee of Safety, or others having the executive powers of Government, and an account thereof rendered to the General Convention.
|