The Council met. PHILADA, Saturday January 30, 1779. PRESENT: His Excell'y JOSEPH REED, Esq'r, President. Hon'ble GEORGE BRYAN, Esq'r, Vice President. Jesse Jordan, 12 Waggons under his command; First orders to go to N. River; Mr. Rush ordered him to go to Gen'l Arnold for orders., He went & received the written orders contained in the Letter of D. S. Franks, but had no information of the goods being private property; Capt. Moore met him at Coopers' Ferry, & they went to the forks of Egg Harbor under his directions; they were loaded with sugar, Tea, Coffee, sails, Rigging, swivel Guns, & other Goods. A young Man, who was with Capt. Moore, did not deny that the Goods were private property; They were said to be Rob Shewell's Goods, & others; gave a certificate for his Ferriage on going & coming; Did not apprehend danger from the Enemy; went down empty; would not have gone with his consent if he had known the errand was for private property; came out to do a Tour of duty; Waggons mostly came over the River loaded; gave no receipt for the goods, as Moore was with him & had the charge of the Goods; part of the goods were delivered up Second Street; The other Man who was with Moore he thinks, was the name of Clark; received Continental Forage; did not receive Pay on his return; One of the Waggons unloaded in Second Street, not far from the Church; Several Waggons unloaded at Jesse Williamson's Ferry, about 22 bushels of Coffee; Drew two days forage on his return. Did not ask his pay when he returned; Mitchell said he would see us paid & he expected he was to be paid by the Public as usual; Mitchell said nothing to J. J. about Gen. Arnold on their return; Applied yesterday to Mr. Mitchell for his money. Several Waggons were rendered unfit for further service, and he, J. Jordon, was permitted to return home on his own expence, & he intended to return again to go to the North River. David Cochran returned again after having gone home. Had no conver sation with Mr. Mitchell about Pay, that matter was left to Mr. Jordon. J. Jordon says, that until he was within 20 or 25 miles of Egg Harbor he was "sure that he was going for a load of Provisions. He made out his account as was usual, for his Services as when in the Continental service; That on shewing it to Mr. Mitchell, he said The Waggons were all appraised before they went into service; J. J. must go to Gen'l Arnold for his pay, & ordered him to charge 75s p day, & to pay the difference between that Sum & the usual Continental to the Forage Master; That on applying to Gen'l Arnold he bid him call again in the Evening. The first he knew of the errand to Egg Harbor being a private one was in consequence of a refusal of Rations, until he had shewn his orders signed by D. S. Franks; The difference in heading the two accounts shewn was made by Mr. Mitchell's order; the first being a charge against the United States, the second against Gen'l Arnold; Mr. Mitchell differed with him & insisted on striking off two days of the time he was coming to Philadelphia, altho' he sate out one day later than others (came the same distance) who did not arrive 'till two days after, & who were, notwithstanding, \ allowed their whole Price. Mr. Mitchell insisted on his settling this matter, & on his saying he would leave it unsettled, Mr. Mitchell said he should settle it, & if he did not Mr. Mitchell would make him a Prisoner; That J. J. being determined not to be made a Prisoner, that night he came off; He did not see Gen❜l Arnold when he went the second time, but there was a Note round the account, expressing that he, Gen'l Arnold, would only Pay from the day the Waggons left Philadelphia, & that Mr. Mitchell might Pay the remainder. Mr. Mitchell wrote to Gen. Arnold that he must pay the whole amount; Had not directions from Mr. Mitchell to attend, but came of his own accord; Mitchell said J. J. would have to go before the Council about this business, but said no more to him about it; Mitchell said it was a business in which the Public had nothing to do; but said that the two days must be struck off, as he would not have paid it in of the Public; Would not have entered in private service at the time, as he knew he must perform his tour of duty, he chose to do it while the Roads were good; At the time he was called out he was offered £6 5 p day, if he found himself, to go to Indian River for salt; Shewell did not appear in this business. Ordered, That Jesse Jordan, David Cochran, John Boyd, do remain in the City 'till to-morrow, to give Testimony on the business before mentioned; and that they attend at Plunket Fleeson, Esq'r's, to-morrow Morning at ten O'Clock. Ordered, That Jesse Jordan, Deputy Waggon Master, David Cochran & John Boyd, Waggon Drivers, be examined before Plunket Fleeson, Esq'r, to-morrow at ten O'Clock in the Forenoon, concerning the employing of a Brigade of the Public Waggons belonging to this State, called forth into Continental service in October last, by order of Gen'l Arnold, as is alledged, in order that the Affidavits may be taken therein of the said J. Jordan, D. Cochran, & J. Boyd. Ordered, That Maj. Gen'l Arnold be notified to attend the aforesaid examination, if he shall think proper so to do, & that the Attorney General be also notified to attend. The Council met. PHILAD'A, Monday Feb'ry 1, 1779. PRESENT: His Excell'y JOSEPH REED, Esq'r, President. Hon'ble GEORGE BRYAN, Esq'r, Vice President. Joseph Hart, Jas. Read, & The President laid before the Board a Letter from the President & Council of Massachusetts Bay, dated 14th January, 1779, representing a great scarcity of Bread, & requesting a suspension of the Embargo for their relief. Ordered, That the Receipt of said Letter be acknowledged, & when this Board shall hear from Congress, to whom the said State hath also addressed itself, a further answer be given. An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Mr. Robert Allison, or his order, for the Sum of Four Hundred Pounds, to be charged to his, the said Allison's, account. Also, in favor of Jacob Rotter, or his order, for the Sum of One hundred & Fifty-three Pounds, for Thirty-four days' hire of a light Waggon, to carry the Quaker Prisoners to Virginia. Also, an order in favor of John Dialog, or his order, for the Sum of One hundred & fifty-three Pounds, for thirty-four days hire of a light Waggon, to carry the Quaker Prisoners to Virginia." The Council met. PHILAD'A, Tuesday February 2d, 1779. PRESENT: His Excell'y JOSEPH REED, Esq'r, President. Hon'ble GEORGE BRYAN, Esq'r, Vice President. Joseph Hart, Jacob Arndt, John Macky, James Read, Matt'w Smith, & Esq'rs. An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Jos. Stiles, Commissary of Military Stores, or his order, for the Sum of Four hundred Pounds, to be charged to account of the said Stiles. The Congress having expressed their approbation of the Council's granting a Pass into New York, to a suitable person to settle the accounts of David Franks, late Commissary of British Prisoners, Congress referring to His Excell'y Gen'l Washington, the time & manner of going in; And the Secretary reporting that he had conferred thereon with Mr. Tench Tilgman, Aid de Camp to His Excell'y the General, & that Mr. Tilghman had recommended it to the Council to give Mr. Franks' Clerk a recommendation to the Officer commanding on the lines to pass into New York, as a Special Case. Ordered, That a pass to New York be granted to Mr. Patrick Rice, Clerk to Mr. David Franks, late Commissary of British Prisoners, & to return again; & that Mr. Rice be recommended to Gen'l Maxwell, the Officer commanding on the lines next the Enemy, that he be permitted to Pass without delay, it being a Special Case. Mr. Nesbitt, Mr. Wilcocks & Mr. Fitzsimmons, a Committee appointed by the Merchants of this City, attended in Council & / represented the ruinous condition of the Trade of this State, our Ports being blocked up by armed Vessels, which it was apprehended, would be induced in the Spring to come up our Bay & River, and praying some protection, reminding the Council of the Vote of General Assembly for the purchasing of an armed Vessel, to which the Council replied, That the Assembly had not put Money into their hands sufficient for that purpose, &ca. Ordered, That Patrick Rice give Bond with two sufficient Sureties, in the Sum of Ten Thousand Pounds, conditioned that he do not take into the City of New York any Letters or papers of any kind, save only his accounts, & the Papers & vouchers relating thereto; That he do not by any means, directly or indirectly, bring or send out of the City of New York, any Continental Money or Goods of any kind; That he neither do nor say anything injurious to the United States of America, And that he will bring out no Letters or Papers of any kind except what relates to the accounts aforesaid, but what he will on his arrival communicate to this Council. The Council Met. PHILAD'A, Wednesday February 3, 1779. PRESENT: His Excell'y JOSEPH REED, Esq'r, President. Hon'ble GEORGE BRYAN, Esq'r, Vice President. Joseph Hart, John Hambright, John Macky, McClean, & Esq'rs. Thomas Scott, An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Mease & Caldwell, or their order, for the Sum of Six hundred & Seventyeight Pounds & Eleven Shillings, due to Mr. Thomas Barclay, Merchant, for Salt Petre & Sulphur. (agreeable to the order of the said Barclay.) Maj. Gen'l Arnold is said to have left this City early this Morning. An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Capt. Will'm Bratton, of the seventh Pennsylvania Reg't, or his order, for the Sum of Three hundred Dollars, for the Recruiting service, & charge the same to account of the said Bratton. An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Jesse Jordan, Waggon Master of a Brigade of Twelve Waggons from the County of Chester, or his order, for the Sum of Four hundred & fifty Pounds, to be charged to his account; & repaid on demand. Resolved, That the Waggons sent by Gen'l Arnold to Egg Harbor, having been drawn forth under the Law of the State, & the Waggoners not being able to procure Payment, either from the Qr. Master's department or from Gen'l Arnold, who is departed from this City while the Complaint against him was depending, & they being in great necessity, the board ou't to relieve them, so far as to advance £450 until they can procure further redress; & that Jesse Jordan, the Waggon Master, give as pecial Receipt, to be accountable therefor. Ordered, That Colo. Hart, Mr. Hambright & Mr. Scott, be a Committee to inspect the Goal of this City, & report the State of the Prisoners therein to this Council. The Council met. PHILAD'A, Thursday Feb'ry 4, 1779. PRESENT: His Excell'y JOSEPH REED, Esq'r, President. Hon'ble GEORGE BRYAN, Esq'r, Vice President. Joseph Hart, John Hambright, & } Enq'rs. McClean, & Esq'rs. Thomas Scott, Resolved, That it is the clear & decisive opinion of the Board, that the Several Fineș for non-attendance and other delinquencies on the Militia Law, ought to be regularly collected, & that the Lieutenants & Sub-Lieutenants proceed against all persons who are not exempted by express Laws of the State. A Petition from Mrs. Straker, Wife of Mr. William Straker, Praying a Certificate of the Permission of this Council for her Husband & herself to pass to St. Eustatia, & from thence to the Island of Barbadoes, was read; thereupon, Ordered, That a Certificate be accordingly issued for the said purpose. |