Col. Updike's service, in signing the bills mentioned in the first article of said account. An Act for calling in and sinking the bills of credit emitted by this colony, called Crown Point bills; and for supplying the general treasury with money to carry on what the colony hath undertaken, with regard to the expedition against Crown Point. Be it enacted by this General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted, that the bills made for the Crown Point expedition, called Crown Point bills, be forthwith called in and sunk; and the general treasurer is hereby ordered and directed, upon the possessors of said bills bringing into the general treasury any of them, amounting to the sum of £6 and upwards, to satisfy and pay such possessors out of the sterling money, by His Majesty granted to this colony (when the same shall be received), two-third parts of said bills, at and after the following rate or proportion, to wit: A milled dollar, or gold, according to its proportionate value, for every £4, old tenor, expressed on the back of said bills; the remaining third part of the bills due to such possessor, the general treasurer shall give his promissory note for the payment of in silver and gold, according to its value; regulated and stated, as aforesaid, on or before the 22d day of December, in the year of our Lord 1757, under the following manner, to wit: The possessor hereof, is entitled to, and shall receive out of the general treasury Spanish milled dollars, or gold, according to its proportionate value, on or before the 22d day of December, A. D. 1757; the same being for value received. As witness my hand, day of A. D. 1756. this And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that there be a rate of £4,000, lawful money, assessed and levied on the inhabitants of this colony; and the same to be burnt. And also a rate on said inhabitants of the sum of £53,000, old tenor, for supplying the general treasury; and the same to be assessed, levied and collected on or before the last day of February next; and that the act passed by this Assembly, at their last session, for assessing and levying a rate of £100,000, upon the the inhabitants of this colony, be, and the same is hereby repealed. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the committee of war, or the general treasurer, hire the sum of £50,000, old tenor, for the use of the colony, from time to time, as occasion may require, not giving a larger interest than six per cent., and ascertaining the value of the sum hired; which sum shall be paid to the persons of whom the same is hired, out of the £53,000, when received by the general treasury. And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that in case money cannot be hired of private persons, upon equitable terms, within twenty days after the giving public notice, that the committee of war be authorized, and hereby are fully empowered, to cause £4,000 of lawful money to be impressed, all of the same tenor with the lawful money already made, with the addition of the time of its being made; and said bills, when struck off, shall be signed by the committee that signed the former bills, and put into the general treasury, for the colony's use, and be sunk by a rate or tax, within two years. An Act to prevent the currency of the bills of public credit emitted by the Province of New Hampshire. Whereas, great quantities of bills of public credit, emitted by the Province of New Hampshire, have been lately brought into this colony, not only from said Province, but also from the colony of Connecticut, which, with great sums of counterfeit bills in imitation of the true bills of public credit emitted by said Province, inadvertently received by the inhabitants of this colony, have not only had a great tendency towards the depre ciation of our own bills of public credit, but the inhabitants of this colony have also been greatly defrauded thereby; for remedy whereof, for the future,— Be it enacted by this General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted, that for the future, the bills of public credit of the said Province of New Hampshire, shall not be a tender in law, in any payment, whatsoever; and all contracts and bargains, of what nature or kind, whatsoever, which hereafter shall be made for the payment of such bills, shall be utterly void; and that from and after the 1st day of August next, if any person or persons shall pass, or receive in payment, any of said bills, he, she, or they so offerding, shall forfeit and pay the sum of £500, old tenor; to be recovered in any court of record, within the county where such offence shall be committed, by bill, plaint or information; one half, to and for the use of the colony, and the other half, unto him, her, or them, that shall inform and sue for the same. Provided, nevertheless, that this act, or any thing herein contained, shall not extend, nor be deemed or construed to extend to such New Hampshire bills as have been levied upon execution by any of the sheriffs or their deputies, and are now actually in his, or their hands; but the same shall be received by the person or persons for whose use they were levied, if tendered to him, her, or them, by such officer, within twenty days after the publication of this act. Be it enacted by this General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted, that all the acts heretofore made and passed by the General Assembly of this colony, to prohibit the sending of provisions and warlike stores, be, and they, and every of them, are hereby repealed, and made utterly void and of none effect, excepting those parts of said acts which prohibit the exporting provisions and warlike stores to the West India neutral islands; and provided, that the paragraphs of the acts, above mentioned, that prohibit the sending provisions and warlike stores among the French, be not repealed. Whereas, His Excellency, the Earl of Loudoun, general and commander in chief of all His Majesty's forces in North America, hath, by his letter of the 20th of this instant August, informed this government that His Majesty's fort and garrison at Oswego, together with the naval armament and stores there, have fallen into the hands of the French, This Assembly, therefore, do vote and resolve, and it is voted and resolved, that His Honor, the Governor, be, and he is hereby requested to send one suitable person to the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and another to the colony of Connecticut, to confer with them, as to what is necessary to be done upon this extraordinary event; and that the committee of war, the field officers of every regiment in this colony, and the deputies of each town, be, and they are hereby appointed a committee to make inquiry where provisions, arms, blankets, warlike and other stores of all sorts can be had for five hundred and make report unto this Assembly at their next men: session. God save the King. Lord Loudoun to Governor Hopkins. Albany, 20th August, 1756. Sir:-As, by accounts I received last night, His Majesty's fort and garrison at Oswego, together with the naval armament and stores, have, by a series of bad circumstances, fallen into the hands of the French; and as, from the condition and number of the troops left to me, when I came to my command, I can scarce hope to do more than to resist the French power in that quarter, I must earnestly recommend to you to consider without delay, how far the provincials now in arms, are exposed to the weight of the French, in the parts towards Crown Point, and the dangerous events of any accident happening to them in consequence of these circircumstances, and what forces you can immediately send to reinforce them, as it seems absolutely necessary to do, for the security and safety of the country. Therefore, in consequence of the powers given to me, by His Majesty's commission under the great seal, and of his orders signified to you, by his secretary of state, I do demand of you an aid of as considerable a body of men, with arms, as you can send, to be raised in companies, and sent off as fast as raised; and also a number of carriages, or ox teams, wherewith I may be able to transport provisions, as this province alone is not able to supply all. I am with great truth and regard, sır, Your most humble servant, To the Hon. Stephen Hopkins, Esq. Proceedings of the General Assembly, held for the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, at Newport, the 6th of September, 1756. The Hon. Stephen Hopkins, Governor. The Hon. Jonathan Nichols, Deputy Governor. Whereas, the following account was exhibited unto this Assembly, by James Sheffield, Esq., one of the committee appointed to build the fort on Goat Island, in the township of Newport, Colony of Rhode Island, Dr. 1755. To sundry disbursements for Fort George, as per account showed the audit.. To ditto on the outworks, as per account showed By 500 bricks, sold to Nicholas Easton, Esq.. balance due to J. S. . 2,113 2 5 4 ... 8867 01 £3,003 95 E. E., per JAMES SHEFFIELD. And the said account being duly examined,— This Assembly do vote and resolve, and it is voted and resolved, that the same be, and it is hereby allowed; and that the above balance of £886 7s. d., be paid the said James Sheffield, out of the general treasury. |