Woods, and Cannon, Members of Council, who were not present when that oath was administred to the other members.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, August 19th, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

A petition from Jacob Bowers, of Huntingdon county, accompa nied by a recommendation from several of the Justices of the Peace of the said county in his behalf, for remission of the fine of ten pounds which was imposed upon him by the Court of Quarter Sessions, upon being convicted of fornication and bastardy, was read the second time; and thereupon, an order was taken that the said fine be remitted.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, August 20th, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

Mr. Bennett Ballew, with two Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation, waited on Council, and informed them that they were on their way to New York, as Deputies from their Nation to negotiate some business with the Congress of the United States, and that they were in want of a small sum of money, to enable them to proceed on their journey.

Resolved, That the Secretary be instructed to advance to Mr. Ballew the sum of twenty dollars, and to discharge their bill of expences at Mr. Thompson's, where they arrived yesterday.

The Comptroller General and Register General's reports upon the account of William Harvey, Collector of Excise for the county of Bucks, for Excise collected from the twenty-eighth of September, 1786, till the twenty-eighth of March, 1789, amounting to one thousand one hundred and one pounds eight shillings and nine pence, was read and approved.

On motion of Mr. Woods,

Resolved, That the Vice President, Mr. Willing and Mr. Smith be appointed a committee to enquire into the truth of the allegations contained in the Comptroller General's letter, of the sixth of May last, with respect to his receipt of compensation for his services as Lieutenant of Bedford county.

Upon the second aeading of the petition of John Whitehill, Esquire, for the postponement of the sale of the estate of James Armor, late Collector of taxes in Lancaster county, for satisfaction of a debt from him to the Commonwealth,

Resolved, That Council cannot comply with the prayer of the said petition.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Friday, August 21st, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

Samel Miles,

James Read,

Christopher Kucher,

Abraham Smith,

Zebulun Potts,

Frederick Watts,

Richard Willing,

Nathan Dennison, and Esquires.
Amos Gregg,

Agreeably to the Comptroller and Register General's reports, the following orders were drawn upon the Treasurer, vizt:

In favor of Christian Beackley, for the sum of six pounds seventeen shillings and six pence, payable out of the monies arising from militia fines in the city and county of Philadelphia, being the amount of his account for repairs done to a gun carriage belonging to the company of Artillery, commanded by Captain Jeremiah Fisher, in pursuance of an order of Council dated June the twenty-fourth last.

In favor of Edmund Milne, for six pounds fourteen shillings and eleven pence, amount of his account against the Commonwealth for the expences of surveying and dividing the estate which became forfeited by John Robeson's attainder of high treason, situate late in Philadelphia, now Montgomery county.

On motion of Mr. Woods, leave was given to James Burnside to withdraw a petition which he presented to Council in December, 1786, for an appointment as Commissioner of public accounts.

The petition of Samuel Shannon, convicted in June last of larceny, in the county of Philadelphia, was read and the same dismissed.

The Comptroller and Register General's reports upon the account of John Lukens, Esquire, Surveyor General, for fees received in his office from the first of February to the thirtieth of April, 1789, was read and approved, except as to the charge for office rent.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Saturday, August 22nd, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

The oath to support the Constitution of the United States was this day administered by the President to Mr. Dennison, member of Council, who was not present when that oath was administered to the other members.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Monday, August 24th, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

Upon the second reading of the petition of Stephen Paboul, Resolved, That the moiety, or half part of the forfeiture of a quantity of liquors which belongs to the Commonwealth, late the

property of the petitioner, be remitted, the Excise officer having represented that in his opinion the forfeiture was incurred through

misinformation.

The President, at the request of the Speaker of the General Assembly, attended in the Chamber of the Assembly, and administered to the Speaker the oath to the Government of the United States, the House being in session.

General Broadhead and Colonel Piper, a committee from the General Assembly attended in Council, and informed the Board that the House was now met and ready to receive any business which Council might have to lay before The committee were informed that Council would lay some business before them to

morrow.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Tuesday, August 25th, 1789.

PRESENT:

His Excellency THOMAS MIFFLIN, Esquire, President. The Honorable GEORGE ROSS, Esquire, Vice President.

An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of the Honorable James Read, Esquire, for thirty-one pounds ten shillings in full, for his attendance in Covncil from the fourteenth day of July until the twenty-fifth of August, 1789, the last day included.

William George Wilson, Esquire, was appointed and commissionated a Justice of the Peace and of the Court of Common Pleas, in and for the county of Fayette, upon a return made according to law from the district of Springhill, in the said county.

On application of Miles Mervin, leave was given him to withdraw a petition which he presented to Council, praying to be recommended to the General Assembly as a proper person to methodize the laws of the State for publication.

James Morris, Esquire, President of the several Courts in Montgomery county, appeared in Council and took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States required by act of Congress of the first of June last, which was administered to him by the President.

A draft of a message to the General Assembly was prepared and laid before the Board, which being read, was agreed to as follows, vizt:

A message from the President and Supreme Executive Council to the General Assembly.

GENTLEMEN :-We herewith transmit letters from His Excellency the President of the United States, of the eighth of June, ninth, twenty-third and thirtieth of July, and of the fourth, tenth and eleventh of August, 1789, with their enclosures, vizt:

1st. An Act to regulate the time and manner of administering certain passed the first day of June.

2nd. An Act for laying a duty on certain goods, wares and merchandizes imported into the United States, passed the fourth of July.

3rd. An Act imposing duties on tonnage, passed the twentieth of July.

4th. An Act for establishing an Executive department, to be denominated the department of Foreign Affairs, passed the twentyseventh of July.

5. An Act to regulate the collection of the duties imposed by law on the tonnage of ships or vessels, and on goods, wares and merchandizes imported into the United States, passed the thirtyfirst day of July.

6. An Act for settling the accounts between the United States and individual States, passed the fifth of August.

7th. An Act to provide for the government of the Territory north-west of the river Ohio, passed the seventh of August.

8th. An Act for the establishing and support of light houses, beacons, buoys and public piers, passed the seventh of August;

and

9th. An Act to establish an Executive department, to be denominated the department of war, passed the seventh of August. We likewise transmit a letter from His Excellency Governor Clinton, of the fifth of May last, with a resolution of the Senate and Assembly of New York of the fifth of February, on the subjoct of amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

The purchase of the Lake Erie tract of country from the Indians hath necessarily exceeded the estimate of Council, and the sums appropriated by Act of Assembly. That excess has arisen principally from the length of time the Commissioners were obliged to wait for the Indians. We recommend to the General Assembly to provide by law for the payment of the money which remains due on that purchase, and for the expence of one hundred and thirteen pounds and six pence, incurred by Council in receiving his Excellency the President of the United States in this city, on the seventeenth day of April next.