regularity, method and arrangement which are necessary in the transacting of public business. the And on the question, will Council agree to the postponement for purpose aforesaid? the yeas and nays were as follows, vizt: Mr. Gregg, Mr. Wilson, So it was determined in the negative. The motion made by Colonel Miles, seconded by Mr. Willing, recurring on the question, "will Council adopt the same," the yeas and nays were as follows, vizt: Mr. Martin, So it was determined in the negative. A motion was made by Colonel Smith, seconded by General Watt, in the following words, to wit: Resolved, That the Comptroller General be informed by Mr. Secretary, that Council highly disapprove of his conduct in altering three orders signed by Mr. Vice President in Council, and although the reasons assigned by him for so doing, tend to shew that he had no intention of injuring the community, yet Council think it necessary to instruct him in every instance of similar errors being discovered by him in orders drawn by direction of Council upon his reports, or those of the Register General, to give information of such errors to Council, that they may be corrected by the proper authority. It was then moved by Colonel Miles, seconded by Mr. Vice President, to amend the said proposed resolution, by adding after so doing, the words if true. And on the question, to agree to the said amendment, the yeas and nays were as follows, vizt: Yeas. Nays. Mr. Vice President, Mr. President, Nays. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Miles, Mr. Edie, Mr. Willing. So it was determined in the negative. And on the question, "will Council adopt the original motion made by Colonel Smith, seconded by General Watts," the yeas and nays were as follows, to wit: Resolved, That the letter from the Comptroller General to Council of the twelfth instant, be entered at large on the minutes of Council, which letter is in the following words, to wit: GENTLEMEN-I herewith do myself the honor to lay before you, my books volume 1 and 2, in which the accounts of the pensioners have been kept, and as a difficulty arises respecting some of those accounts, wish them to be also laid before the Honorable the Council, that the whole may be open to their inspection. The return which I made to the War office, which is said to differ from the orders of Court, was drawn out agreeably to a blank form prescribed by the Secretary at War, and which I received from your Honorable Board. It was delivered by me to Council and by them forwarded to the War office. It contained an abstract from these books exhibiting each disabled pensioner, and the aggregate of the payments to them respectively, from June, 1786, the date of last preceeding return untill it was made, December the seventh, 1789, as there were various changes in the monthly pension of several of them in the colume prescribed in the form, for the rate of pension per month, I set down each rate one after the other, which hath no doubt caused them to return the highest rate in some cases, instead of the existing allowance. I have examined and compared the return of pensioners received from you on Saturday, with my books, and find that the return from Sharp Delany, Esquire, have exhibited the augmented pension of the following persons, who in virtue of orders of Orphans' Court herewith received while they were doing duty in the guards, the full pension of five dollars each, amounting beyond the pension they were entitled to when not on said duty, as follows, vizt: Folio in books. 41, Joseph Simpson, £9 7 9 57, James Glover, from 1st January, 1787, till 1st April, 1789, 19 10 0 117, William Murray, from 1st August, 1786, till 1st August 1787, 13 10 0 119, Harminus Thornton, from 1st May, 1787, till first of April, 1788, is £12 7 6, afterwards. rejoined £5 12 6 more, 18 125, James Sheridan, from 12th June, 1786, till 1st 12th June, 1786, 7 19 12 16 9 38 18 6 154, Charles Wallington, 1 month & 2 days, 155, Paul Pimple, from 20th November, 1786, till the 8th October, 1787, 1 6 11 18 6 158, William Brooks, 1st September, 1786, till 1st November, 1788, 28 17 6 160, George Grace, 1st November, 1786, till 15th September, 1788, 25 10 3 168, John Vineal, 16th October, 1787, 3 17 3 169, Frederick Fultz, 6th December, 1787, till 1st of April, 1788, 1 89 231, John Kusich, 23rd November, 1787, 235, Joshua Peeling, 2 months, 200, John Buxton, 9th September, 1787, till 1st of Septem'r, 1788, 232, Francis Ticout, 1st of. October, 1788, 261, Samuel Alsop, 6th October, 1787, 287, Lawrence Smith, 1st February, 1787, 288, Nicholas Neal, 6 months, 11 5 6 15 289, William Hannon, 2 months & 2 days, 1 11 304, Thomas Kelley, 5th of August, 1788, 12. The following differences are thus explained: George Keller, (see his account, he was paid up, & is due therefore difference, 13, Godfrey M'Donald, 182, John Gregg was allowed only four dollars p'r month, from the twenty-seventh of August, 1785, till the twenty-sixth of May, 1787, difference, This order lay with Sharp Delany, Esquire. 191, David Jackson was allowed four dollars p'r month, from June, 1785, till 1st November, 1787, difference, This order lay with Sharp Delany, Esquire. 203, Charles Clarke was allowed in his order of Court, 716 more p'r month than was admissible by act of Assembly, or of Congress, difference, 258, John Williams was allowed only two dollars per month, from 10th of April, 1787, till 10th of April, 1788, difference, The said lay with Sharp Delany, Esquire, 11 5 7 17 6 268, Conrad Grugg, (see his account, there was but £2 13 4 due him) difference, 1 16 8 £81 78 Ballance of differences, 214 6 11 The three following are situated as therein stated: £298 14 7 Folio 167-Isaac Lewis. There is a mistake, either with Mr. Delany or in the return sent him from the War Office. In my return to the Secretary, his pension was stated at 25s per month, and, see his account, he never received more. 173-William Cougleton, private, was allowed half pay; that was equal to 25s per month, and that was the sum he received. 144-James English, Sergeant, was also allowed half pay; that was equal to five dollars per month, and was what he received. 268-Conrad Burg's name is inserted in the list a second time, but there is no remark opposite to it. 168-John Vineal, if I mistake not, when I gave him the certificate, told me his name was John Jacob Vineal, and I believe I called him so in my certificate. From the books you will observe mistakes in the following accounts: John Ruddeau, John Modewell, John Malony, £3 15 0 7 10 0 0 2 6 £13 13 0 For the amount of these errors made by me, I hold myself accountable to the State, and have on the sixth ultimo given a list thereof to Mr. Delany, and requested him to endeavor to stop it at first payment of their pensions. There is not any John Cook on the pensions list; there is a Jacob Cook, see folio 286, who hath been paid only to twenty-sixth of September, 1788, the time to which There is no Thomas Nugent on the pension list. There is a John Nugent, see his account, folio 290; and he hath been paid only for one year, as ordered. There is no James Townhill. There is a James Townehill, see folio 329; his pension hath been continued per the order inclosed, and paid per his account since the return was made to the War Office, and therefore not therein. The following, per their accounts at the folio referred to, will appear not to have drawn farther than the times allowed by the Court. 228, John Fitzimmons, till the 1st of October, 1788. 274, Frederick Paul, 291, Jacob Rodgers, 259, John Snyder, 5th of April, do. 2nd of January, 1789. 10th of October, 1787. 341, John Stone, 297, Jacob Weidman, 4 of do. 1788. 21 of January, 1789. 18, John Smith, order not limitted. On examining this day the orders of Court lately delivered to Sharp Delany, I find that there are in his possession orders continuing the pensions of Thomas Jennings, for one year from January 2nd, 1789. Alexander Thomas, one year from do. 5th, do. Thomas Gaskins, one year from November 12th, 1788. John Ross, continued from May 17th till May 1st, 1789. Thomas McCormick had been paid only till April the eighth, 1788, when the return was made to the War office; see his account folio 260; since which his pension hath been continued, per order herewith inclosed, and hath been paid till the first of May, 1789. The continuance of the pension from year to year, by the Supreme Court, was a matter of course, & designed principally to check, in case of the death of the pensioner; these orders continuing them, I find I have not been so particular about. I do not find them in my possession for the following, altho' some of them I perfectly recollect were produced. Mr. Burd informed me that he was authorized during the sessions of the court, on applications to him, to give certificates continuing their pensions till May the first, 1789; and I have applied to him for such a certificate in favor of these persons. I would just observe that in referring to the orders in Mr. Delany's possession, I find he hath likewise paid them without these orders of continuation, and he informed me that the Chief Justice had told him in substance what Mr. Burd had informed me about it from which he was authorized to do it: Samuel Alsop, Thomas Kelly, James Smith, Alexander Caul, Henry Conkle, Thomas Mayberry, Isaac Lewis, William Bradley, John Taylor, Charles Proud, Jacob Betam, John Kusick, Luke Brodhead, Lawrence Smith, Andrew Dale and John McManus. I applied to the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, on Saturday, for a copy of the orders authorizing the payment of the full pensions to the Invalids, while they were doing duty. I have received a copy of their first orders from the records, containing a number of them. As these persons afterwards went out, and others were called upon to do duty in the guards, it became necessary to extend the same justice to them also; and I applied personally to the Orphans' Court sitting, who without hesitation informed me that all such as should from to time be so called in, should during their |