And, whereas, the former committee of safety were, by a resolve of this Congress, empowered to nominate persons to this Congress, to be commissioned to be officers in the army now establishing for the defence of this colony, and said committee having already given orders to a number of persons, to enlist men for that purpose: Resolved, that the committee of safety now appointed, proceed in that matter, that such officers, where the regiments are completed, may be commissioned by this Congress; and if any regiments should be nearly completed, and the officers thereof ready to be commissioned, agreeably to the resolve of this Congress, during the time between the dissolution of this Congress and the meeting of the next, the said committee shall have power to fill up and deliver out commissions to them, and blank commissions, signed by the president of this Congress, and attested by the secretary, shall be delivered to the said committee for this purpose.

And it is also Resolved, That any five of the said committee be a quorum, with full power to transact any business which the committee, by the resolves above, are empowered and vested with authority to do.

Ordered, That letters be sent to the Hon. Benjamin Greenleaf, Esq. and the Hon. Enoch Freeman, Esq., informing them of their being chosen members of the committee of safety, and requesting their attendance as soon as possible.

Resolved, That Mr. John Pigeon be, and he hereby is appointed and empowered, as a commissary for the army of this colony,|| to draw from the magazines, which are or may be provided for that purpose, such provisions and other stores as, from time to time, he shall find necessary for the army; and he is further empowered, to recommend to the Congress such persons as shall be necessary, and as he shall think qualified, to serve as deputy commissioners; and said deputy commissioners, when confirmed by the congress for the time being, shall have full power to act in said office, and are to be accountable to the commissary for their doings; also, said commissary is empowered to contract with, and employ, such other persons to assist him in executing his office, as shall be, by him, found necessary; and his contracts, for necessaries to supply the army, during the late confused state of the colony, shall be allowed; and the committee of supplies are hereby directed to examine, and if they find them reasonable, considering the exigencies of the times, to draw on the treasury for payment of the same.

The form of a commission for Gen. Ward was read, amended and accepted, and is as follows:

a province.

THE CONGRESS OF THE COLONY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY. To the Hon. Artemas Ward, Esq.-Greeting:

We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your courage and good conduct, do, by these presents, constitute and appoint you, the said Artemas Ward, to be general and commander in chief of all the forces raised by the congress aforesaid, for the defence of this, and the other American colonies. You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of a general, in leading, ordering and exercising the said forces in arms, both inferior officers and soldiers; and to keep them in good order and discipline, and they are hereby commanded to obey you as their general; and you are yourself to observe and follow such orders and instructions as you shall, from time to time, receive from this, or any future congress or house of representatives of this colony, or the committee of safety, so far as the said committee is empowered, by their commission, to order and instruct you, for the defence of this, and the other colonies; and to demean yourself according to the military rules and discipline established by Congress, in pursuance of the trust reposed in you.

Ordered, That Col. Foster, Capt. Stone and Mr. Webster, be a committee to get the depositions, and narrative of the late excursion of the king's troops to Concord, printed in a pamphlet, on the best terms they can; and that they forward one pamphlet to each town and district in the colony.

Resolved, That there be a blank left in the commissions, to be given the officers of the several regiments of the colony army, for the rank of the regiment, and that [blank] be a committee to settle the ranks of the regiments, when the regiments are completed. Resolved, That the same committee be directed to bring in a resolve, settling the rank or number of the regiments, according to the rank or age of the counties from whence the majority of the regiments shall

come.

Resolved, That the rank of the regiments, where there are more than one in each county, be according to the rank which those regiments ||have formerly sustained in the old arrangement from which they are taken, provided that can be ascertained, and where that cannot be determined, the rank to be determined by lot,

Resolved, That the commissions be all of one date, and that the rank of the officers be determined by this Congress, or by a committee from this Congress, at some future time.

Resolved, That Col. Samuel Gerrish have a commission for a colonel in the army, and that the oath be administered to him by Mr. Gardner, the receiver general.

[Also, that commissions, as captains, issue for Richard Dodge, Jacob Gerrish, William Rogers,] to bear date the 19th of May.

Adjourned till to-morrow morning, nine o'clock.

[SATURDAY,] May 20, 1775, A. M.

Ordered, That Col. Foster, Doct. Holten and Major Brooks, be a committee to confer with Mr. Revere, respecting his proposal for an alteration in the value of the colony notes, which have been ordered to be struck off.

Ordered, That Col. Thurston, Esquire Aikin and Mr. Crane, be a committee to take into consideration a petition from a number of the inhabitants of Deer Island.1

The committee appointed to consider the case of the prisoners in Boston, and the inhabitants which are there kept in duress, reported; the report was read and accepted, and is as follows, viz. :

Whereas, this Congress did, on the 30th of April last, pass a resolve for permitting such inhabitants of the colony to remove into Boston, with their effects, fire arms and ammunition excepted, as

a [Also that captain's commission for Richard Dodge; do. Jacob Gerrish; do. William Rogers; commissions to bear date the 19th of May.]

(1) The petition of the inhabitants of Deer Island, corresponds in the representations of distress, with those coming from many of the towns of the eastern coast. It was subscribed by Nathan Dow, Robert Nason, Francis Haskell, Samuel Haynes, Courtney Babidge, Isaiah Crockett and Thomas Thompson, and is almost a solitary exception to the general correctness with which the memorials to the Provincial Congress were drawn. The inartificial construction and simplicity of language, render the description of want and embarrassment more vivid:

"DEER ISLAND, in the county of Lincoln.

"To the honored gentlemen of the Provincial Congress:

"SIRS :-We, who are the committee of this town, do desire to make our complaint unto you, and will inform you in what poor circumstances we are at this time: and would beg your assistance, as we are without powder and ball, and [have] no way to get any, as our wood and lumber will not sell at any price; and, gentlemen, we are in great want for corn and pork, and shall suffer, unless we have help from you, and unless the ports are opened and trade goes on. And, gentlemen, if you will be so kind unto us as to help us, we will make you full satisfaction for the same, when we can sell our lumber. We would inform you, that there are on this island about three hundred souls, and we beg you would consider in what poor condition we must be. Gentlemen: we can't purchase corn mor pork at any rate whatsoever: and we hope, that your love and regard for your brethren and true sons of liberty, will send us speedy relief. And, gentlemen, in complying with the above, you will greatly oblige your humble servants."

May 11, 1775.

should incline thereto, it being in consequence of general Gage's promise to the inhabitants of Boston, that, upon resigning their arms and ammunition, they should have liberty to remove from said town with their effects: and, whereas, but a small proportion of the said inhabitants of Boston have been, hitherto, permitted to leave the town, and those only to bring their clothing and household furniture, they being constrained to leave their provisions and all their other effects; therefore, Resolved, that Gen. Ward be, and he hereby is directed, to order the guards, in future, not to suffer any provisions or effects, excepting furniture and clothing, to be carried into the town of Boston, so long as the said general Gage shall suffer the persons or effects of the inhabitants of said town, contrary to his plighted faith, to be restrained.

The committee appointed to confer with Mr. Revere, brought in the following resolves, which were accepted, and the secretary [was] directed to erase from the minutes the resolve which passed this Congress for issuing colony notes of ten shillings each.

Whereas, this Congress did, on the fourth day of this instant May, pass a resolve in the following form, viz.: Resolved, that each noncommissioned officer and private soldier, who has, or shall enlist himself into the service of this colony, shall have twenty shillings paid him, out of the receiver general's office, as advance pay; and that the commanding officer of each regiment, who shall be, and hereby is, empowered to act as muster master to his said regiment, shall draw from the receiver general's office the sum of twenty shillings, for each noncommissioned officer and private soldier in his said regiment, and pay the same according to the tenor of this resolve, as soon as said men have enlisted themselves and been duly sworn, and give his bond, with sufficient sureties, to the receiver general therefor; said bond to be discharged by a receipt produced by said officer, from each non-commissioned officer and private soldier, that he has received the same :

And, whereas, this Congress have, by a subsequent resolve, superseded the appointment of the muster masters aforementioned, and directed that Col. Benjamin Lincoln and Col. Asa Whitcomb be appointed muster masters in the Massachusetts army, whose business it shall be to pass muster on every soldier that should be enlisted into the said army, and by no means to accept of any but such as are able bodied and effective men, and also to examine their arms and accoutrements, &c., [to ascertain] that they are in proper order; and said muster masters are thereby directed and empowered to receive from Henry Gardner, Esq., receiver general, twenty shillings, lawful money, for each and every non-commissioned officer and private soldier then

mustered and sworn, as shall appear with arms, &c., and shall give bond to said receiver general, with sufficient sureties, for such moneys drawn out of the treasury, and shall forthwith pay out said sum of twenty shillings, advance pay, to each and every non-commissioned officer and private soldier, and on producing receipts from them to said receiver general, said bonds shall be cancelled: and, whereas, it is found that sufficient ready cash cannot be obtained so soon as it will be needed for the purpose aforesaid;

Therefore, Resolved, That each non-commissioned officer and private soldier aforesaid, if he will accept the same, shall, instead of twenty shillings advance pay, upon the muster aforesaid, receive forty shillings advance pay, in three notes on interest, from the receiver general, to be paid in one year from the date of said notes; and that for all such sums as the said Col. Lincoln and Col. Whitcomb shall receive of the receiver general, in notes aforesaid, they give bonds, and that such bonds be discharged by receipts, as in and by the last mentioned resolve is directed.

Ordered, That the president, Major Hawley, Gen. Whitcomb, Mr. Gerry, Col. Palmer, Col. Lincoln and Col. Foster, be a committee to consider what measures are proper to be taken for organizing the Massachusetts army in the most effectual and ready manner.

Resolved, That for the payment of advance pay to the Massachusetts army, there be issued by the receiver general, on the credit of this colony, a sum not exceeding twenty-six thousand pounds, lawful money, in notes of the following denominations, viz. of twenty shillings, of eighteen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, twelve, ten, nine, and of six shillings to be four thousand, three hundred, and thirty-three, of each denomination, and no more; and to be of the form following, viz.:

COLONY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY.

No. May 25, 1775. The possessor of this note shall be entitled to receive, out of the public treasury of this colony, the sum of

shillings, lawful

money, on the twenty-fifth day of May, A. D., 1776, with interest, at the rate of six per cent. per annum; and this note shall be received in all payments at the treasury, at any time after the date hereof, for the principal sum, without interest, if so paid before the said 25th day of May, A. D., 1776.

Receiver General.

Which notes shall be received in all payments in this colony, and no