any more, till he should receive orders for so doing from the County Lieutenant; that the Captain applied to the County Lieutenant for permission to recruit eight men, who were then ready to inlist under him, to complete his Company, that he might be entitled to a Captain’s pay, who told him not to inlist any more without further orders, and assured him that he should draw full pay as Captain, notwithstanding his Company was not complete; that the Commissioners have allowed the said Joseph Haynes Lieutenant’s pay, the said Daniel Smith Ensign’s pay, and the said John Smith Sergeant’s pay, for thirty-eight days, the time they were in service on the South Branch, and the same for the number of days they served on the expedition against the Shawanese, which last-mentioned time there were forty-nine privates in-listed, two of whom were returned as deserters, and one as a spy, as appears by the roll; and that they had come to the following Resolutions thereupon; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk’s table, where the same were again twice read, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the said Claimants have been already allowed by the Commissioners full pay, agreeably to law, for the time they served on the Shawanese expedition.

Resolved, That the following additional allowance be made to the said Claimants, for the thirty-eight days they were on duty on the South Branch of Potomack River, to wit: To the said Joseph Haynes, as Captain, 2s. 6d., amounting to £4 15s.; to the said Daniel Smith, as Lieutenant, 1s. 6d. per day, amounting to £2 17s.; and to the said John Smith, as Ensign, 3s. 6d. per day, amounting to £6 13s.; being the difference between the allowance made them by the Commissioners and this Committee for the said services.

Mr. Archibald Cary, from the Committee appointed, reported a Plan of Government for this Colony; which was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

Ordered, That no Claim or Petition be received by the Convention after this day, before the recess.

An Ordinance to amend an Ordinance intituled An Ordinance to provide for paying the expenses of the Delegates from this Colony to the General Congress, which had been fairly transcribed, was read a third time, and the blanks therein filled up.

Resolved, That the said Ordinance do pass.*

The Orders of the Day, for the Convention to resolve itself into a Committee on the state of the Colony, and for a call of the Convention, being read,

Ordered, That the same be put off till to-morrow.

Resolved, That a sum of Money, not exceeding £1,000, be advanced to Thomas Walker & Co., on their entering into bond, with sufficient security, to repay the same in Pig-Iron, to be delivered at Westham, in the County of Henrico, at the price of £7 10s. per ton.

Ordered, That it be an instruction to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances, who are directed to prepare and bring in an Ordinance for amending an Ordinance intituled An Ordinance for raising and imbodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this Colony, that they receive a clause, or clauses, to exempt the County of Accomack from being allotted in divisions, and drafted, pursuant to the directions of an Ordinance of the last Convention.

Resolved, That Samuel Jordan, Gentleman, be appointed a Commissioner for receiving and paying away the sum of £5,000, pursuant to a Resolution of this Convention of the 14th instant, in the room of William Cabell, Esq., who is inconveniently situated for the purpose of carrying the same into execution.

A Petition of Samuel Prichard was presented to the Convention, and read; setting forth, that, being possessed of eight Pounds, Virginia currency, contained in one bill of what is called the James River Bank Paper, his dwelling-house and grist-mill were consumed by fire, and the bill aforesaid destroyed therein; that he is by this misfortune reduced to great distress, and praying relief so far as respects said bill.

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.

Adjourned till to-morrow, ten o’clock.

Tuesday, June 25, 1776.

Ordered, That Mr. Newton be added to the Committee of Publick Claims.

Whereas gaming, at best, is but an idle amusement, when carried to excess is the parent of avarice, dissipation, pro-faneness, and every other passion which can debase the human mind, and is therefore forbidden by the Continental Association, as more peculiarly improper at this time, when our important struggle for liberty and freedom renders the practice of the most rigid virtue necessary to sustain us under and carry us through the conflict; that this pernicious and destructive vice may not prevail among the officers and soldiers of our Army, the morals of the youth therein preserved from corruption, and they restored, untainted, to their worthy parents, who have cheerfully spared them from domestick endearments to the assistance and protection of their country:

Resolved, unanimously, That it be earnestly recommended to the General or Commanding Officer of the Continental Troops in this Colony, to take such steps as to him shall appear most proper for preventing profane swearing, all manner of gaming, as well as every other vice and immorality among the officers and soldiers under his command; and that it be, and is hereby, declared to all who are or may be candidates for offices, civil or military, in the pay of this Colony, that the practice of gaming and profane swearing will ever be considered as an exclusion from all publick offices or employments.

Ordered, That Mr. Starke do deliver a copy of the foregoing Resolution to the Commanding Officer of the Continental Troops in this Colony.

An Ordinance to amend an Ordinance entitled 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, having been fairly transcribed, was read a third time, and the blanks therein filled up.

Resolved, That the said Ordinance do pass; and that the title thereof be, An Ordinance to supply certain defects in a former Ordinance of this Convention for raising six Troops of Horse.†

* An Ordinance to amend an Ordinance intituled An Ordinance to provide for paying the expenses of the Delegates from this Colony to the General Congress.

Whereas, in these times of difficulty and distress, it is necessary to practise the utmost economy in the distribution of the publick money:

Be it therefore ordained by the Delegates of VIRGINIA, now met in General Convention, and it is hereby ordained by the authority of the same, That so much of an Ordinance entitled An Ordinance to provide for paying the expenses of the Delegates from this Colony to the General Congress as establishes an allowance to each of such Delegates of forty-five shillings for every day’s attendance therein, shall, from and after the 11th day of August next, be repealed, to all intents and purposes.

And be it further ordained, That from and after the 11th day of August next, every Delegate who now is, or hereafter may be, appointed to represent this Colony in any General Congress, shall, for each day’s attendance therein, receive the sum of thirty shillings, to be paid to the respective Delegates by the Treasurer for the time being appointed by General Convention or General Assembly, out of any publick money which may be in his hands by virtue of any Ordinance of Convention or act of General Assembly.

†An Ordinance to supply certain defects in a former Ordinance of this Convention for raising six Troops of Horse.

Whereas, by an Ordinance passed the present session of Convention, six Troops of Horse are directed to be raised for the further protection and defence of this Colony, which Ordinance, so far as it respects such Troops, is found defective in many instances:

For remedy whereof, Be it 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 commissions to the several officers appointed to command the said six Troops of Horse shall issue as follows: to a Captain, when it shall appear he hath inlisted fifteen troopers; to a Lieutenant, when it shall appear he hath inlisted twelve troopers; and to a Cornet, when it shall appear he hath inlisted nine troopers; upon their respectively producing certificates that such troopers have been reviewed according to the directions of the said Ordinance; but the commissions shall be issued in such manner as to preserve the rank of each according to the election made by this Convention.

And be it further ordained, by the authority aforesaid, That the pay of the said officers shall commence from the time of their appointment; and if any of the said officers shall fail to raise their number of men, according to the aforesaid proportion, on or before the last day of August next, it shall and may be lawful for the Committee of Safety, or others having the executive powers of Government in this Colony, to appoint any other person that they shall think proper to supply the place of the officer so failing, or to continue such officer, as appears to them the most likely to complete such troop.

And be it further ordained, That each trooper shall be furnished

*