to report an application to be sent by said express to the Continental Congress. Col. Learned Moved, That the sense of this Congress might be taken, whether the regiment he is now raising may be a regiment of grenadiers the matter was ordered to subside. A motion was made and seconded, that a committee be appointed, to take into consideration the expediency of drafting a certain proportion of the town's stock of powder, &c., from such towns as they shall think proper, for the present supply of the army now establishing in this colony. The matter was ordered to subside, till the Congress had passed upon a report for giving license to such persons, in Boston, as incline to, send into the country for their effects: which report was read, amended and accepted, and is as follows, viz. : [IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, Watertown, May 2, 1775.] [Resolved, That such inhabitants of this colony, as have repaired to the town of Boston, there to take up their residence, and have effects in the other towns of this government, be permitted, each of them, to send out a servant, or other person, without arms, to put up and transport, into the said town of Boston, any such goods or effects, excepting arms and ammunition; and that the officers appointed for granting permits, at Roxbury and Charlestown, be, and hereby are, directed to provide a suitable attendant to each person so sent out, whose business it shall be to continue with him till he returns, and that permits, agreeable to the intention of this resolve, be granted.]1 The committee appointed to devise ways and means for supplying the treasury, reported as to the first step, and asked leave to sit again. Ordered, That Mr. Freeman, Doct. Taylor, Mr. Lewis, Col. Dwight and Esquire Gardner, be a committee to consider what measures are proper to be taken for liberating those persons who were taken prisoners by the troops under the command of general Gage, on the 19th [of April last.] All the committees ||of the Congress were enjoined to sit, and then the Congress|| adjourned till to-morrow morning, nine o'clock. [WEDNESDAY,] May 3, 1775, [A. M.] Ordered, That Deacon Cheever be desired to make application to the Rev. Doct. Cooper, to request that he would officiate as chaplain for this Congress during its session in this place. (1) This resolve is restored to the journal from a copy made by Mr. Secretary Freeman. Ordered, That Doct, Taylor, Mr. Lothrop and Mr. Paine, be a committee to forward the proclamations, for a fast, into the country, as soon as possible. Resolved, That this last mentioned order be reconsidered; and thereupon, Ordered, that the committee who were appointed at Concord for dispersing the proclamations, be required to perform their duty with all possible expedition. On the application from the committee of safety, relative to supplying Col. Arnold with one hundred pounds [lawful money,] and sundry warlike stores; Ordered, That Mr. Greenleaf, Mr. Gill and Mr. Partridge, be a committee to take said application into consideration, and report. The committee on the application from the committee of safety, reported: [the report was] read and accepted, and is as followeth : IN PROVINCIAL CONGRESS, Watertown, May 3, 1775. Resolved, That the within request of the committee of safety be granted, and that the committee of supplies be, and they hereby are directed, to furnish Col. Benedict Arnold with ten horses, two hundred pounds of gunpowder, two hundred pounds of lead balls, and one thousand flints, at the expense of the colony, and that said committee draw upon Henry Gardner, Esq., receiver general, for one hundred pounds, [lawful money,] in favor of said Arnold, and take his receipt for the whole-said Arnold to be accountable therefor to this or some other congress, or future house of representatives. Ordered, That Col. Warren, Doct. Holten, Mr. Dix, Col. Farley and Doct. Taylor, be a committee to overlook the commission of the committee of safety, and the commission of the committee of supplies, and to see whether it be necessary that they be invested with other powers than they now have. The committee [appointed] to bring in the form of a resolve, empowering the treasurer to borrow a certain sum of money, and the form of a note, to be by him given to the lender, &c., reported; the report [was] amended, read and accepted, and is as followeth : Resolved, That the receiver general be, and hereby is empowered and directed, to borrow the sum of one hundred thousand pounds, lawful money, and issue colony securities for the same, payable with annual interest, at six per cent., June 1, 1777, and that the Continental Congress be desired to recommend to the several colonies to give a currency to such securities. a lascertain the power of the committees of supplies and of safety. Resolved, That the securities given by the receiver general for the moneys borrowed by him, in pursuance of the aforegoing resolve, be in the form following, viz: pounds, lawful Borrowed and received of A. B. the sum of money, for the use and service of the colony of the Massachusetts Bay; and in behalf of said colony, I do hereby promise and oblige myself, and my successors in the office of treasurer or receiver general, to repay to the said A. B., or to his order, on the first day of June, 1777, the aforesaid sum of pounds, lawful money, in Spanish milled dollars, at six shillings each, or in the several species of coined silver and gold, enumerated in an act ||made and passed in the twentysecond year of his late majesty king George the Second, entitled an act|| for ascertaining the rates at which coined silver and gold, English half-pence and farthings, may pass within this government, and according to the rates therein mentioned, with interest, to be paid annually, at six per cent. A. B. C. D. £ Witness my hand, H. G. The committee on the letter from Mr. Lee to Doct. Taylor, reported verbally, that a copy of said letter be forwarded to our members of the Continental Congress upon a motion, the question was put, whether the above report be accepted, and passed in the negative. Resolved, That in all orders for impressing horses and carriages, the horses and carriages of the members of this Congress be excepted, and that a copy of this resolve be sent to the committee of safety and committee of supplies. Ordered, That at three o'clock this afternoon, the Congress will take into consideration the propriety of establishing pay for a brigade major. Ordered, That at five o'clock this afternoon, the Congress will come to the choice of a committee of three [persons,] by ballot, to procure a copper plate for printing the colony notes, and to countersign them. Ordered, That the committee who reported a resolve relative to borrowing money, &c., bring in a resolve that no note be given by the receiver general for a less sum than four pounds. Adjourned till three o'clock, P. M. Afternoon. The committee appointed to bring in a resolve that no note be given by the receiver general for any sum less than four pounds, reported; and the report was amended and accepted, and is as follows: Whereas, inconveniences may arise by the receiver general's issuing notes for small sums: therefore, Resolved, that the receiver general be, and he hereby is directed, not to issue any notes for a less sum than four pounds, lawful money. The report of the committee appointed to take into consideration the advance pay to the soldiers, was taken up and read; but as part of the report is superseded by a resolve in the morning, therefore, Ordered, that the report be recommitted, and that part thereof which hath been superseded be left out, and that each soldier be allowed twenty shillings, lawful money, in advance. The order of the day [was] moved for. Resolved, That Capt. Parker, Col. How and Col. Farley, be a committee to take into consideration the propriety of establishing pay for a brigade major. The above vote was reconsidered. The committee appointed to report the form of an oath, reported: the report was read, and recommitted. Ordered, That Major Fuller, ||Capt. Brown|| and Capt. Brown of Watertown, be a committee to count and sort the votes for a committee to procure a copperplate for printing the colony notes, and to countersign them. The committee having attended that service, reported, that the Hon. Samuel Dexter, Esq., Doct. Joseph Warren and Mr. Moses Gill, were chosen. Mr. Cheever, who was appointed to wait on the Rev. Doct. Cooper, and desire his attendance on this Congress, to officiate as their chaplain, reported, that he had attended the service assigned him, and that the state of the Doctor's affairs was such, that he could not attend according to the desire of the Congress. The committee appointed to report a letter to the Continental Congress, reported. The report was read and accepted, and ordered to be copied, and forwarded as soon as may be, and is as follows, viz. : To the Honorable American Continental Congress, to be convened at Philadelphia, on the tenth of May instant: MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONORS :- -The Congress of this colony, impressed with the deepest concern for their country, under the present critical and alarming state of its public affairs, beg leave, with the most respectful submission, whilst acting in support of the cause of America, to request the direction and assistance of your respectable assembly. The enclosed packet, containing the copies of depositions which we have despatched for London, also an address to the inhabitants of Great Britain, and a letter to our colony agent, Benjamin Franklin, Esq., are humbly submitted to your consideration. The sanguinary zeal of the ministerial army, to ruin and destroy the inhabitants of this colony, in the opinion of this Congress hath rendered the establishment of an army indispensably necessary. We have accordingly passed an unanimous resolve for thirteen thousand six hundred men, to be forthwith raised by this colony; and proposals are made by us to the congress of New Hampshire, and governments of Rhode Island and Connecticut colonies, for furnishing men in the same proportion. The sudden exigency of our public affairs precluded the possibility of waiting for your direction in these important measures; more especially, as a considerable reenforcement from Great Britain is daily expected in this colony, and we are now reduced to the sad alternative of defending by arms, or submitting to be slaughtered. With the greatest deference, we beg leave to suggest, that a powerful army, on the side of America, hath been considered by this Congress as the only mean left to stem |||| the rapid progress of a tyrannical ministry. Without a force superior to our enemies, we must reasonably expect to become the victims of their relentless fury with such a force, we may still have hopes of seeing an immediate end put to the inhuman ravages of mercenary troops in America, and the wicked authors of our miseries brought to condign punishment, by the just indignation of our brethren in Great Britain. We hope that this colony will, at all times, be ready to spend, and be spent, in the cause of America. It is, nevertheless, a misfortune, greatly operating to its disadvantage, that it has a great number of sea port towns exposed to the approach of the enemy by sea, from many of which the inhabitants have removed, and are now removing their families and effects, to avoid destruction from ships of war: these, we apprehend, will be generally distressed from want of subsistence, and disabled from contributing aid for supporting the forces of the colony; but we have the greatest confidence in the wisdom and ability of the continent to support us, so far as it shall appear necessary for supporting the common cause of the American colonies. We also enclose several resolves for empowering and directing our receiver general to borrow the sum of £100,000, lawful money, and a the torrent and. |