Resolve appointing a Committee on Accounts; passed JUNE 6, 1776.

Whereas a necessary attention to the more important affairs of the Government, in the present extraordinary times of difficulty and distress, renders it impracticable to receive, examine, and pass upon the numerous Accounts now daily exhibited against the Government, agreeable to the mode heretofore usually practised, and the payment thereof has been greatly delayed, to the detriment of individuals, as well as to the injury of the credit of the Government: Therefore,

Resolved, That Abraham Watson, Thomas Plympton, Jonathan Webster, Thomas Durfee, Aaron Wood, John Bliss, and Isaac Lothrop, Esqs., with such as the honourable Board shall join, be, and they hereby are, appointed a Committee, until the further order of the Great and General Court or Assembly of this Colony, to receive, examine, and finally to pass upon all Accounts, not otherwise committed, which shall be presented to them for payment of services done and articles supplied by order of the late Provincial Congress, or of the General Court, and properly vouched; and the doings of said Committee shall be considered as valid as any vote or resolve of the General Court, touching said Accounts, as well in the recess of the Court as during any session of the same; and said Committee, or any six of them, who are hereby appointed a quorum, are hereby directed to assign an office, and advertise the publick thereof, and of this resolve, that the business may be constantly attended and effectually performed; and that a true copy of all such Accounts which shall be passed upon and allowed by them, shall, after payment thereof, be kept in a book, with an alphabet thereto, which shall be laid before either House for perusal and inspection, once or oftener in each session, as they shall severally order; and that the said Committee be, and are hereby, authorized to appoint some suitable person or persons for that purpose.

Also, Resolved, That the Secretary be, and he hereby is, directed to keep such Accounts as shall be passed by said Committee; and in consequence thereof, ordered to be paid by the honourable Board, in separate files. And, in order to prevent any delay in the payment of such of said Accounts as shall be passed upon and allowed by said Committee,

Be it Resolved, That the honourable Board be, and they are hereby authorized, from time to time, to issue their Warrants, requiring the Treasurer of this Colony to pay into the hands of said Committee such sum or sums of money as the honourable Board shall judge proper, for the purpose of discharging and paying such Accounts, the said Committee to be accountable therefor: Provided always, That the foregoing method of passing upon and allowing said Accounts shall be taken to be adopted, merely from the necessity of the present times, and not considered as a precedent for the future.

Resolve empowering TIMOTHY EDWARDS, Esq., to receive Seventeen Hundred Pounds of MARK HOPKINS, Esquire, and to pay the same to General SCHUYLER; passed JUNE 6, 1776.

Resolved, That Timothy Edwards, of Stockbridge, be, and hereby is empowered, to receive the sum of £1,700, lawful money, in Silver and Gold, of Mark Hopkins, Esq., being so much left in said Hopkins's care by Eldad Taylor, Esq., to whom it was committed by the Council, in order to be transmitted to General Schuyler for the use of the Army in Canada. And the said Mark Hopkins, Esq., is hereby directed to pay the said sum of £1,700 into the hands of Timothy Edwards, Esquire, accordingly, who, as soon as he shall have received the same, is hereby empowered and directed to convey and pay the sum before mentioned into the hands of General Schuyler, as soon as may be, for the purpose aforesaid; for which he is directed to take duplicate receipts of General Schuyler, and return one of them into the Secretary's Office. And he is further directed to take such a guard with him as he shall deem necessary.

Resolve for further fortifying the Harbour of BOSTON; passed JUNE 6, 1776.

As the fortifying the upper part of the Harbour of Boston is now nearly completed, and it is necessary that other places in the lower parts thereof should also be fortified for the security of the Town of Boston, and other Towns in the vicinity thereof: It is therefore,

Resolved, That a Redoubt be immediately raised upon a place called Moon-Island, in the said Harbour, near the main, in order to keep open our communication with Long-Island, and that four pieces of Cannon, nine-pounders, or such others as can be obtained, be placed therein; and that such Ammunition, Ordnance Stores, and Spears, be provided as shall be necessary. And that a Redoubt be also-immediately raised upon Hoff's Neck, in said Harbour, to keep open our communication with Pettick's Island; and that the like number of Cannon, Ammunition, &c, be provided for the same. And that the four Independent Companies stationed at Dorchester, Braintree, Weymouth, and Hingham, be employed in this service, under the direction of the Committee for fortifying the Harbour of Boston.

It is also Resolved, That a Redoubt on the east head of Long-Island, another on the east head of Pettick's Island, and one on Nantasket Hill, with such outworks as the safely of those posts may require, be erected as soon as the Committee for fortifying the Harbour of Boston shall judge expedient; and that three pieces of Cannon, of eighteen or twenty-four-pounders, be placed in each of the three Fortifications last mentioned, and that such Apparatus, Ammunition, Spears, and Intrenching Tools, be provided as shall be necessary.

It is further Resolved, That the Committee aforesaid be directed to apply to General Ward, or his successor in command of the Continental Troops left in this Colony, for Cannon, and the apparatus necessary, with Ammunition, Spears, and a sufficient number of Intrenching Tools; and that the Commissary-General of this Colony be, and he is hereby, directed to supply the said Committee with such articles aforesaid as cannot be obiained from the said Commander.

Resolve for supplying the Committee for procuring Saltpetre with Money to pay for the same; passed JUNE 6, 1776.

Resolved, That there be paid out of the publick Treasury of the Colony the sum of £5,000 to Tristram Dalton, Esq., to be by him delivered to Messrs. Sayer and Tufts, to enable them to pay for such Saltpetre as has been tendered to them agreeable to the Resolves of the General Assembly; and also that there be paid out of the publick Treasury the sum of £2,800 to Mr. Samuel Phillips, Jun., to be by him delivered to Mr. Zebediah Abbot, of Andover, to enable him to pay for such Saltpetre as has been tendered, agreeable to the Resolves of the General Assembly; he, the said Abbot, together with the aforementioned Sayer and Tufts, to be severally accountable to this Court for the expenditure of those sums they shall receive.

Also Resolved, That there be paid out of the said Treasury to Thomas Crane, Esq., the sum of £4,000, to enable him to pay for such Saltpetre as has been or may be tendered to him, agreeable to the Resolves of the General Assembly, he, the said Crane, to be accountable to the General Court for the same.

Resolve to explain the Resolve of Court with respect to the price of a bounty on Saltpetre; passed JUNE 6, 1776.

Whereas it is represented that divers persons have manufactured Saltpetre within this Colony before the 1st day of June instant, and have the same ready to be delivered to the Commissary-General of this Colony, or to such other person or persons as were appointed by the Great and General Court to receive the same: And whereas doubts have arisen in the minds of many persons whether the bounty of 4s. a pound for Saltpetre manufactured but not delivered before the 1st day of June instant, ought to be now paid: It is

Resolved, That for all Saltpetre manufactured within this Colony before the 1st day of June instant, and which shall be delivered on or before the 30th day of June instant to the Commissary-General, or such other person or persons as are or may be appointed to receive the same, there shall be paid the sum of 4s. a pound as a bounty: Provided, That the person or persons bringing and presenting the same, to be delivered as aforesaid, before he entitles himself by this Resolve to receive the said bounty, shall, before the said Com-