like circumstances with the inhabitants of Fincastle, who have been permitted to vote in the election of Representatives in General Assembly, be allowed the same privileges.

A Petition of the Captains of the First and Second Regiments was presented to the Convention, and read; setting forth, that they are apprehensive an attempt is now making to destroy their right of promotion through the Virginia line, that those of no higher rank in the new-raised Regiments may succeed to the post of Field-Officers before them, which they conceive would be highly unjust, because the commissions of the Petitioners are of a prior date to any in the Army; because they have undergone the hardships of a severe campaign, and are more experienced, in general, than the other Regiments, and, from their past services, better entitled to promotion; because the mode under which they were appointed was more respectable than that of the appointment of the officers of the other Regiments, inasmuch as it was more difficult, and required greater credit, to procure an appointment from a District Committee than from a Committee of a County; because the subalterns in the two first Regiments were not allowed to stand candidates for commissions in the new-raised Regiments, while many who were competitors with them before District Committees are now placed over their heads, several of them as Captains; and unless the Petitioners are allowed to succeed through the line, these worthy subalterns may continue in their present stations till they see men who could not procure even an Ensigncy in competition with them not only over their heads, but over the Petitioners also, and praying the Convention will represent their case to the General Congress.

Resolved, That it be recommended to the Delegates in General Congress that they use their endeavours that the several promotions of the Officers in the Continental Army raised in Virginia be made according to seniority, without regard to Regiments or Companies.

An Ordinance for amending an Ordinance intituled An Ordinance for raising and imbodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this Colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned, having been fairly transcribed, was read a third time.

Resolved, That the said Ordinance do pass.*

Resolved, That Brigadier-General Lewis be requested immediately to detach an Officer with six armed soldiers to apprehend Benjamin Woodward, who appears, from information upon oath, to be engaged in counterfeiting the Paper Currency of the Continent and of this country, and also Shem Cooke, William Daniel, James Daniel, and Joseph Cooke, who are suspected to be his accomplices.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in an Ordinance making it felony to counterfeit the Continental Paper Currency; and that Mr. Richard Henry Lee do prepare and bring in the same.

Resolved, That Thomas Everard, Esq., be appointed a Judge of the Court of Admiralty, in the room of James Hubard, who hath declined the said appointment.

Mr. Richard Henry Lee presented according to order, an Ordinance making it felony to counterfeit the Continental Paper Currency; which was read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

The Convention proceeded to the consideration of the state of Claims reported from the Committee of Publick Claims on Tuesday last, and ordered to lie on the table; and the same was again read, and several other Claims added thereto.

Resolved, That the said Claims are reasonable; and that the respective Claimants be allowed by the publick for the same.

An Ordinance making it felony to counterfeit the Continental Paper Currency was read a second time, and ordered to be fairly transcribed, and read a third time.

Resolved, That the following sentences in the Morning and Evening Service shall be omitted: “O Lord! save the King. And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.”

That the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th sentences in the Litany, for the King’s Majesty and the Royal Family, &c., shall be omitted.

That the two Prayers for the King’s Majesty and the Royal Family, in the Morning and Evening Service, shall be omitted.

That the Prayers in the Communion Service which acknowledge the authority of the King, and so much of the Prayer for the Church militant as declares the same authority, shall be omitted, and this alteration made in one of the above Prayers in the Communion Service: ‘‘Almighty and Everlasting God, we are taught by thy Holy Word that the hearts of all rulers are in thy governance, and that thou dost dispose and turn them as it seemeth best to thy godly wisdom, we humbly beseech thee so to dispose and govern the hearts of all the magistrates of this Commonwealth, that in all their thoughts, words, and works, they may evermore seek thy honour and glory, and study to preserve thy people committed to their charge, in wealth, peace, and godliness. Grant this, O merciful Father, for thy dear Son’s sake, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

That the following Prayer shall be used, instead of the

*An Ordinance for amending an Ordinance for raising and imbodying a sufficient force for the defence and protection of this Colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned.

Whereas, by an OrJinance intituled “An Ordinance for raising and imbodying a sufficient force for the protection and defence of this Colony,” all Overseers of four tithables residing on a plantation, and all Millers, are exempted from being inlisted into the Militia of their respective Counties, which said exemption of Overseers and of Millers residing in the Counties uf Accomack and Northampton, on the Eastern-Shore, hath been found inconvenient and unnecessary:

Be it therefore ordained by the Delegates and Representatives of the several Counties and Corporations of Virginia, in General Convention assembled, and it is hereby ordained by the authority of the same. That all Overseers, and all Quakers and Menonists, in Virginia, and all Millers residing in the Counties of Accomack and Northampton, shall be inlisted into the Militia by the Cammanders-in-Chief of the respective Counties, and be subject to the same rules and regulations, and liable to the same pains, penalties, and forfeitures, as the rest of the Militia; and the said Overseers, Quakers and J\lenorrists, shall be immediately allotted to the several divisions of Militia in their respective Counties, in the manner prescribed by a former Ordinance respecting the division of the Militia in this Colony, except in the Counties of Accomack and Northampton; but the said Quakers and Jftenonists shall not be obliged to attend general or private musters.

And be it further ordained, That where it shall be necessary to call on duty the Militia of any Colony, upon an invasion or insurrection within the same, or any County adjoining, the commanding officer shall have full power and authority to order into service such part of the Militia of his said County as to him shall seem necessary, and shall also call in the divisions, or any part thereof, according to allotment; and the Militia first called on duty shall be discharged as soon as the divisions called in shall be ready to perform the service required of such division. And where any soldier of the Militia shall fail to appear at musters through sickness, the Captain or other commanding officer of such Company present shall and may hear any evidence offered on behalf of such person failing to attend, and admit the excuse, if to him it shall seem just, and for that purpose is hereby empowered to administer an oath to any witness who shall appear before him to prove such sickness.

And where any Minute Company hath heretofore been completed, and hath been reduced by inlistments into regular service, if the Captain hath thirty-two men remaining in his Company, he shall go into the training duty, and receive pay in the same manner as if his said Company was actually complete; and where any Minute Company hath not been raised pursuant to the directions of a former Ordinance of Convention, and shall not be raised within two months from the passing of this Ordinance, the men inlisted shall return into, serve in the Militia, and be allotted, as is directed in the case of Overseers.

And whereas, by the said Ordinance, it is further ordered, that there shall be a private muster of the several Companies of each County once a fortnight, which, from experience, is found burdensome: Be it therefore further ordained by the authority aforesaid, That there shall be a private muster of the several Companies in each County or Corporation once in four weeks, and no oftener.

And forasmuch as the Minute Company in the City of Williamsbiirgh, by the frequent inlistments of the privates into the Regular service, is reduced to so small a number that the same cannot be again completed: Be it therefore ordained by the authority aforesaid, That the remaining Minute-men in the said City shall be discharged, and from that service return to be inlisted with the Militia thereof.

And whereas, by the said recited Ordinance, the Court of Hustings, in the City of Williamsburgh, is to have jurisdiction and to adjudge all penalties to be inflicted under the same on the Militia officers and soldiers in the said city, either for neglect of duty or misbehaviour, and it is represented to this Convention that it is difficult and inconvenient to hold such Courts: For remedy whereof, Be it therefore ordained, That Courts-Martial for punishing delinquents of the Militia in the said city shall be held by the Field-Officers and Captains therein, and not by the Court of Hustings.

And forasmuch as the mode of drafting the Militia, and arranging them into divisions, as the said recited Ordinance requires, hath been found inconvenient in the Counties of Accomack and Northampton, Be it therefore ordained, That drafts of the Militia of the said Counties of Accomack and Northampton, when necessary, shall be made in the manner directed by the last act of General Assembly for making provision against invasions and insurrections.

And be it further ordained. That so much of thei recited Ordinance, together with so much of the Ordinance intituled “An Ordinance for raising an additional number of forces for the defence and protection of the Colony of Virginia, and for other purposes therein mentioned,” as comes within the purview of this Ordinance, shall be, and the same is hereby, repealed.