Resolved, That [the colonels] in the Massachusetts army, be and they are hereby directed, immediately to inform the committee appointed by Congress to examine the surgeons for said army, whom they recommend for the surgeons and surgeon's mates of their respective regiments, and send them to said committee for examination, without delay; except such as have been examined.

Resolved, That George Vincent be, and he hereby is permitted to export from Salem to the West Indies, about forty one barrels of alewives, and said Vincent is also permitted to take on board his vessel, provisions sufficient for his voyage to the said West Indies, and no more, and the committee of safety of the town of Salem, are hereby directed to see this resolve strictly complied with.

On a petition of a number of the inhabitants settled on Penobscot river, the inhabitants of Belfast, Majabigwaduce, and Benjamin's river, representing the difficulties and distress said inhabitants are under, in respect to the scarcity of corn and ammunition, and praying for some relief, Resolved, that it be recommended by this Congress, to the committee of safety of the town of Gloucester, or Newburyport, or to the like committees of safety, or correspondence, of any other towns within this colony, to supply Capt. Jonathan Buck, one of the petitioners, for the use of said inhabitants, for their present relief, with two hundred bushels of indian corn, or to that amount in corn and rye, and take, in return for the same, cord wood, or such other payment as the said Buck may be able to make, on his security therefor; and in case the said Buck shall not make satisfaction for the same, in a reasonable time, it shall be allowed and paid, out of the public treasury of this colony, and the said Buck shall refund the same as soon as may be and that Col. Goldthwait deliver up all the public arms and ammunition in his possession, to the petitioners, or a committee appointed by them for that purpose: and, as to powder, they shall be reasonably supplied therewith, as soon as the state of our magazine will admit thereof.

FRIDAY, June 23, 1775.

Ordered, That Col. Cushing, Mr. Lothrop, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Wheeler, and Mr. Langdon, be a committee to fill up commissions, and that no one of said gentlemen quit the house without leave.

Ordered, That the officers in Col. Glover's regiment, be commissioned, except Capt. Lee and his subalterns.

Ordered, That the pay of the ensigns be augmented to three pounds

a [each colonel.]

ten shillings, and those that are returned as en signs, be commissioned as second lieutenants.

Ordered, That the petition of Bridget Philips, be dismissed; that directions be given to General Ward, not to permit Bridget Philips, wife to an officer in Boston, to go into Boston, nor any other person whatever, and that Major Goodwin, be directed to bring in a resolve for that purpose.

Ordered, That a commission be given to Col. Gridley, as chief engineer and colonel, with the rank of major general, and that the lieutenant colonel of the train have the rank of colonel, and that the majors have the rank of lieutenant colonels; and that the captains [have] the rank of majors, captain lieutenants and first lieutenants the rank of captains; and that the rank of the other officers be suspended for the present.

Ordered, That the report respecting Col. Phiney's regiment be recommitted, in order to bring in a resolve directing Col. Phiney, to bring to the camp, 400 men with effective fire arms, and in that case [he] to be commissioned as first colonel, with a major under him; and in case he brings up 500 men, all the officers to be appointed; and in case he brings up but 300 men, [he] to receive a commission as lieutenant colonel; also, that his men be brought up to camp at the expense of the government.

Ordered, That the committee appointed to disperse the handbills respecting the due observance of the Lord's day, be directed to make a computation what number are wanted, and order them to be printed, and that one be struck off for each parish.

Ordered, That General Fry be commissioned as a major general, and that the president be directed to administer the oath to him.

Ordered, That the oath for general officers be altered, and that the words, "or house of representatives, or legislative body of said colony," be added.

Ordered, That Mr. Lane's account for bringing up the Indians, be committed to Mr. Langdon, Capt. Goodman, Capt. Holmes, Capt. Parker, and Capt. Carpenter, to take the same into consideration, and report thereon.

The committee appointed to provide a hospital for the camp in Roxbury, reported as follows: That they have appointed the house belonging to Joshua Loring, in said Roxbury, for a hospital, and for the use of said camp. The report was accepted.

Ordered, That the account of Capt. Kirkwood, be recommitted to

the committee appointed to take that matter into consideration, and that Major Whittemore, and Mr. Glover, be added to the committee.

Ordered, That the consideration of the appointment of quarter master generals, and adjutant generals, be deferred to four o'clock, P. M., and that Mr. Hobart, be appointed to wait on General Ward, to [request him to] nominate an adjutant general.

Ordered, That to-morrow, eleven o'clock, A. M., be assigned to come to the choice of four brigadier generals.

Ordered, That a committee be appointed to draw up the form of warrants for staff officers, and that the committees appointed to deliver out commissions be appointed for that purpose.

The committee appointed to take into consideration Col. Phiney's regiment, reported. The report was accepted, and is as follows, viz.:

Resolved, That Col. Edmund Phiney, heretofore authorized by the committee of safety to raise a regiment for the service of this colony, but [who] has not yet effected it, be directed to proceed, with the greatest diligence and despatch in that business, and in case he shall, on or before the fifteenth day of July next, join the army of this colony, now before Boston, with four hundred effective men, each armed with a good effective firelock, the said Phiney, shall be entitled to be commissioned as a colonel, on the pay established by this Congress for a chief colonel; and that there shall be also allowed to the said body, one major, and no other field officers; and in case the said Phiney, shall procure an addition of one hundred effective men, or upwards, and each armed with an effective firelock, by the last day of July next, that, in such case, the said one hundred men shall be joined to the aforesaid four hundred men, and both the said numbers shall constitute one regiment, and then the choice of field officers shall be completed, and a proper number of subordinate officers, commissioned: but in case the said Phiney shall fail of procuring four hundred effective men, armed as aforesaid, but shall ["procure] to be enlisted, and brought to the said army, by the said fifteenth day of July next, a number of ef fective men, all armed as aforesaid, less than four hundred, and not less than three hundred, he shall be entitled to be commissioned as a lieutenant colonel, and that allowance shall hereafter be made of all reasonable expenses in marching said men to the said army. And that the said Phiney, be specially instructed not to march any man to the said camp, who is not furnished with a good effective firelock, and that no man without a firelock, shall be accounted, or reckoned, as going

a [produce.]

to constitute the numbers above mentioned, which shall entitle him to either of the aforesaid commissions proposed for him.

Ordered, That the secretary be directed to make out a copy of the resolve respecting Col. Phiney's regiment.

Afternoon.

The committee appointed to take into consideration the price of blankets, to be given the soldiers, reported as follows; which [report] was accepted, viz. :

Resolved, That the sum of twelve shillings, lawful money, be the stated price for each blanket allowed to the soldiers in the Massachusetts army; and such soldiers as have, or shall be supplied with blankets of less value, as may appear by the appraisement of the selectmen, shall have the overplus made up to them by those who supplied said soldiers, and the abovesaid twelve shillings shall be allowed, out of the public treasury, for each blanket.

Ordered, That nine o'clock, to-morrow morning, be assigned to take into consideration an establishment for the brigadier generals, and quarter master generals, and adjutant generals.

Ordered, That the time assigned for the choice of quarter master generals, and adjutant generals, be deferred to to-morrow morning, at ten o'clock, A. M.

Ordered, That a letter from Mr. Hooper of Newburyport,' be referred to the committee of supplies, they to make report.

Ordered, That Daniel Noyes, of Ipswich, be appointed a postmaster, in the room of Mr. James Foster, who has resigned that office.

Ordered, That Major Fuller of Middleton, be directed to wait on General Whitcomb, and desire him to attend this Congress, and receive his commission.

Ordered, That Doct. Taylor, Major Fuller of Middleton, and Col. Thompson, be a committee to take into consideration the regiment that was moved from Marblehead to Cambridge, immediately, and that the committee be directed to go to Cambridge, and inquire into it, and make report.

Ordered, That the committee appointed to fill up commissions, be directed to fill up a commission for General Whitcomb.

Ordered, That Mr. Nye, be appointed to number the notes signed by Deacon Plympton.

(1) Stephen Hooper, Esq. states, that the committee of Portsmouth had received from Baltimore, fifty barrels of flour, intended as a donation for the inhabitants of Boston: but, as the New Hampshire troops needed supplies, they desired to purchase and retain the flour.

Ordered, That Capt. Sprague, Capt. White and Doct. Whiting, be a committee to take into consideration a petition from the town of Malden.

Ordered, That Mr. Hopkins, Capt. Bragdon and Mr. Phillips, be a committee to take into consideration the circumstances of the Reverend Doct. Langdon, president of the college, and report thereon.

Ordered, That a committee be appointed to consider of proper expedients to augment the army, and, in particular, to write to the other New England governments on the subject, and that they be directed to attend the service immediately.

Ordered, That Mr. Nye be excused from attending the service, in numbering the notes signed by Deacon Plympton, and that Mr. Holmes be appointed in his room, and be directed to attend that service immediately.

Ordered, That the report of the committee, who were ordered to inquire into the misconduct in the late engagement, lie on the table till they are ready to report in full.

Ordered, That the committee of safety be directed to make out a new list for officers of the train of artillery, and that no person unworthy of the office be appointed.

The committee appointed to take into consideration Capt. Lane's account for bringing up the Indians from Penobscot, reported, that his account be allowed, and that the receiver general be directed to pay said account to Capt. Lane, or order; and likewise, that the sum of nineteen pounds, ten shillings, eight pence, lawful money, be paid by the receiver general to Capt. Lane, to defray his expenses in carrying the Indians back to Penobscot, and that Mr. Langdon be appointed to draft a resolve for that purpose.

The committee appointed to take into consideration a letter from Mr. Stephen Hooper of Newburyport, reported as follows, viz. :

Resolved, That those of the committee of donations of the town of Boston, who have left said town, viz., Messrs. Benjamin Austin, Nathaniel Barber and Proctor, be advised to sell the fifty barrels of flour sent from Baltimore for the use of the poor of Boston, now in the hands of the committee of correspondence of Portsmouth, to the same committee, for the use of the New Hampshire troops.1

The committee appointed to take into consideration the request from the town of Malden, reported as follows, which was accepted, viz. the

:

(1) The report of the committee to consider what measures should be adopted to strengthen the army before Boston, in relation to the removal of the troops from Plymouth county, inserted in the journal of the proceedings of the twenty-second of June, and repeated in the original, has been omitted.