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The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Tuesday, April 13th, 1790.

PRESENT:

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

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

In favor of the Honorable William Augustus Atlee, Esquire, for the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds, being one quarter's salary as one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, ending the twentyfifth of March last.

In favor of John Nicholson Esquire, for the sum of two hundred pounds, being one quarter's salary due to him as Comptroller General of the accounts of this State, ending the thirteenth instant.

In favor of William Banks, for thirty-seven pounds ten shillings, being one quarter's salary due to him for his services in the Regis ter General's office from the fifth of November, 1790, to the fifth of February, 1790.

A memorial from a Committee of the subscribers to the Manufacturing fund, stating the probability of their factory having been burnt by design, and accompanied by a threatning letter, directed to an agent of the company, was laid before Council, and the same being read, it was

Resolved unanimously, That a Proclamation be forthwith issu ed, offering a reward of three hundred dollars for apprehending and prosecuting to conviction the incendiary or incendiarys, their aiders and abettors, and a reward of one hundred dollars for appre hending and securing the author of the said letter, with a full and free pardon to all accomplices who shall make a discovery and prosecute to conviction, as aforesaid.

A draft of a Proclamation was accordingly laid before Council, and being read, was agreed to, as follows, vizt:

Pennsylvania, 88:

By the President and Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

A PROCLAMATION.

WHEREAS, By the affidavit of John Anderson, taken according to law, it appears that a threatning letter was on the night of the eleventh instant, put under the door of Francis Bailey, directed to

John Taylor, one of the persons who had contracted with the subscribers to the Manufacturing fund in Philadelphia, to carry on the business of the factory:

And whereas, There is great reason to believe that the fire by which the buildings occupied as the factory, as aforesaid, were consumed, on the night of the twenty-fourth ultimo, was occasioned by some villain or villains:

And whereas, As it is of the utmost importance that the perpetrators of such atrocious crimes should be brought to condign punishment: We have, therefore, thought proper to offer, and do hereby offer, a reward of One Hundred Dollars for discovering the author or authors of the said letter, and also a reward of Three Hundred Dollars for discovering the person or persons who wilfully and maliciously set fire to the said factory, to be paid on conviction for the same; and over and above the said reward, we do hereby promise a free and full pardon to any one of the persons concerned in the said letter or setting fire to the factory, their aiders, abettors and comforters, who shall discover, apprehend and secure any other or others of the said offenders, so that he or they shall be convicted as aforesaid : And we do hereby charge and require all Judges, Justices, Sheriffs and Constables, to make diligent search and enquiry after, and to use their utmost endeavors to apprehend and secure the said offenders, their aiders, abettors and comforters, and every of them, so that they may be dealt with according to law.

Given in Council under the hand of His Excellency Thomas Mifflin, Esquire, President, and the seal of the State, at Philadelphia, this thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety, and of the Commonwealth the fourteenth.

Attest:-CHARLES BIDDLE, Secretary.

THOMAS MIFFLIN.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, April 14th, 1790.

PRESENT:

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

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The Committee to whom was referred the resolution of the General Assembly of the sixth instant, relative to a gun-powder Maga

zine, reported that a lot on Walnut street, and bordering on the river Schuylkill, the property of Colonel John Patton, was the most proper place that could be procured for erecting thereon a Powder Magazine: Whereupon,

It was agreed that the Committee be authorized and instructed to negotiate the purchase of the said lot, on the following princi ples, vizt-Council to nominate two disinterested persons on the part of the State, Colonel Patton to nominate two persons, the four to chose a fifth person, and the five persons to ascertain the value of the lot in question.

Upon the petition and recommendation of a number of respectable inhabitants of the borough of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland, for the pardon of a certain George Mason, who was convicted in the said county of larceny, and sentenced in October, 1788, to two years and nine months hard labour, &ca.,

Resolved, That the said George Mason be and he is hereby pardoned.

On motion,

Samuel, Postlethwaite, Esquire, was appointed and commissionated Clerk of the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace and General Jail Delivery of the county of Cumberland, in the room of John Agnew, Esquire, lately deceased.

A letter from Sharp Delany, Esquire, of the thirteenth instant, inclosing a letter from his Deputy, relative to the settlement of his accounts, and requesting a direction to the Comptroller to report on the said accounts, was read; whereupon, the Secretary was directed to inform the Comptroller General that Council wish to have information relative to the settlement of Colonel Delany's ac count, and to know the reasons why that settlement has been delayed.

The Committee to whom was referred the copy of the list of pensioners furnished to Council by Sharp Delany, Esquire, taken from and compared with the list which he received from the War Office of the United States, made report, which was read and adopted as follows, vizt:

The Committee to whom was referred the business of the Comptroller General respecting the pensioners' pay, &ca., having examined sundry papers relative thereto, and such of his books as he presented to your Committee, report: They find errors in his books to the amount of thirteen pounds thirteen shillings against the Commonwealth as stated by himself; and further, your Committee report that the Comptroller General has produced to the Executive Council a variety of accounts for sundry persons said to be pensioners and invalids, for which, in consequence thereof, orders have issued for payment on the Treasurer, when at the same time it does not appear he was authorised for so doing, not having orders from any court for his justification.

Resolved unanimously, That Council highly disapprove the conduct of the Comptroller General in stating and reporting to this Council larger sums to be due to invalid pensioners than have been warranted by orders of the Supreme Court or of any Orphans' Court; and that the said Comptroller General be considered as responsible to the Commonwealth for all sums so over-stated, and which have been or may be paid by the State Treasurer in consequence thereof.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, April 15th, 1790.

PRESENT:

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

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A letter from the Honorable Thomas Jefferson, Esquire, Secretary of State of the sixth instant, inclosing two copies of the act to accept a cession of the claims of the State of North Carolina to a certain district of western territory, and of the act to prevent the exportation of goods not duly inspected according to the laws of the several States, was received and read, and a letter written by the President acknowledging the receipt of the said letter and inclo

sures.

A petition from Philip Fordenbaugh, of the county of Dauphine, praying that Council would be pleased to remit a fine of ten pounds which has been imposed upon him by the Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace of the said county, upon being convicted of fornication and bastardy, was read, with a recommendation from four of the Justices of the said Court in his favor; it was thereupon,

Resolved, That the aforesaid fine of ten pounds be and the same is hereby remitted.

The Committee to whom was referred the resolution of General Assembly of the sixth instant, relative to the purchase of a suitable lot whereon to erect a gunpowder magazine, and who were instructed to consider of proper persons to ascertain the value of Colonel Patton's lot offered to Council for the purpose aforesaid, reported the names of the following gentlemen, vizt: Israel Wheelen and

Hugh Roberts, on the part of the State, and on the part of Colonel Patton, James Craig, junior, and William Hall.

Council resumed the consideration of the business relative to the conduct of the Comptroller General, when a motion was made by Colonel Miles, seconded by Colonel Willing, in the following words, vizt:

WHEREAS, It appears from a report of a Committee of the General Assembly, that there is a want of that order, regularity, method and arrangement in the transactions of the Comptroller General, which is necessary in the transacting of public business:

And whereas, The Comptroller General has neglected to furnish the Register General with the ballances of accounts directed by an Act of General Assembly passed the twenty-ninth day of September, 1789, to be forthwith furnished:

And whereas, The said Comptroller General has been detected of defacing and altering sundry warrants on the Treasury of this State, drawn by direction of the Supreme Executive Council, and signed by the Vice President without the knowledge or instruction of this Board:

And whereas, It appears that the said Comptroller General did certify to this Board in sundry instances pensions to be due to invalid soldiers, in consequence of which orders have been issued on the Treasury for sums not warranted by certificates of the Supreme or Orphans' Court agreeably to law; therefore,

Resolved, That John Nicholson, Esquire, be and he is hereby dismissed and removed from the office of Comptroller General of this State, and the said office is hereby declared to be vacant.

Whereupon it was moved by Doctor Gregg, seconded by Zebulun Potts, to postpone the consideration of the said motion in order to introduce the following, vizt:

WHEREAS, It appears to this Council from the arrangement made in the Treasury Department, by the Act of Assembly of the first day of April, 1790, that so soon as the account between this State and the United States, shall be adjusted and prepared for settlement by the Comptroller General that the duties of the said office may without difficulty, be performed by the Treasurer of the State and the Register General, and the abolition of the said office will save a considerable, expence to the State; therefore,

Resolved, That Council will recommend to the General Assembly at their next meeting the abolition of the office of Comptroller General, so soon as the account between the United States and this State shall be adjusted and prepared for settlement.

Resolved, That the Comptroller General be directed to proceed with all possible expedition in adjusting and prepairing for settlement all accounts between the United States and this State.

Resolved, That a Committee of Council' be appointed to examine the State and situation of the Comptroller General's office, and to report whether the said office has been conducted with that order,

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