be convenient for your examination of them. We have accordingly appointed the eighth day of November. A list of those whom we have ordered to be summoned will be herewith delivered.

The liberty, happiness, and honor of the good people of this Commonwealth, are so deeply interested in the freedom and purity of elections, that we ardently wish the present regulations respecting them may be taken into consideration by the Legislature. Many inconveniencies might be avoided if all the acts were reduced into one; and we rely on your wisdom for making further improvements to guard against artifices that, by corrupting the source of our laws, must be pernicious to the public welfare.

JOHN DICKINSON.

Council Chamber, Philadelphia, November 3rd, 1784.

Ordered, That the Secretary present the same to. the General Assembly.

A bond was executed in Council by James Marshal, John Stephenson, and John Hoge, in the sum of one thousand pounds, for the said James Marshel's faithful performance of the duties of his office of Sheriff of the county of Washington, according to law. James Marshall's resignation of bis office of Lieutenant of the county of Washington was read and not accepted.

The Council met.

PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, November 4th, 1784.

PRESENT:

His Excellency JOHN DICKINSON, Esquire, President. The Hon'ble James Irvine,

Charles Biddle,

William Moore Smith, Lawrence Erb, and Christian Shouse, were summoned to attend Council to-morrow at eleven o'clock, to give evidence concerning the late election of Sheriffs in Northamp ton county.

Andrew Thompson and William Gilliland, Esquires, were duly appointed and Commissioned to be Justices of the County Court of Common Pleas in and for the county of York.

Mr. Moore, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Eyre, and Mr. Watt, a Committee from the General Assembly attended in Council, and a conference was had upon the time when the election of a President and Vice President of the Supreme Executive Council should take place, and the manner in which it should be conducted. Upon which it was Ordered, That to-morrow shall be the day of election, and the usual mode of procession adopted on this occasion.

An order was drawn upon the Treasurer in favor of John Nicholson, Esquire, Comptroller General, for twenty pounds, for defraying the contingent expences of his office, for which sum he is

to account.

Upon considering the petition of Thomas Cheney, in behalf of himself and Samuel Price, and the opinion of the Honorable the Judges of the Supreme Court in their favor, it was

Ordered, That the said Thomas Cheyney and Samuel Price be discharged from the payment of the penalty mentioned in a recognizance entered into by them for the appearance of John Taylor and John Moulder at the Chester county Court of Oyer and Terminer.

Mr. Traill, Mr. Ealer, Mr. Bachman, and Mr. Craig, attended, agreeably to the order of this Board of the eighteenth of October last, when the Council proceeded to a hearing of the parties touching the disputed election of Sheriffs in the county of Northampton, and after some time spent therein, the parties withdrew.

On consideration of the evidence respecting the said election, the Council were of opinion that the objections stated in the petition of William Craig are not supported; and thereupon, it was Ordered, That the same be dismissed.

Ordered, That Peter Ealer, Esquire, be appointed Sheriff of the county of Northampton, and that George Knouse be appointed Coroner of the same county.

Peter Ealer, Esquire, offered Jonas Hartzell and Peter Seip, Esquires, of the county of Northampton, as sureties for the faithful discharge of the duties of his office of Sheriff for the said county, according to law, which the Council approved.

John Woods, Esquire, Councillor elect for the county of Fayette, attended in Council, and having taken the oaths required by the Constitution to qualify him to act as Councillor, took his seat at this Board.

The Clerk of the Honorable House of General Assembly attended in Council, and informed that the House was ready to proceed to the election of a President and Vice President. Thereupon, it

was

Ordered, That the Secretary of the Council do attend the House of Assembly, and inform them that the Council is now ready to meet the General Assembly in the Assembly room, and proceed to the election of a President and Vice President of the Council.

His Excellency the President, and the other members of the Council, met the General Assembly in the Assembly room, and thereupon the Secretary of the Council and the Clerk of the House proceeded to take the votes, which were as follows, vizt:

For John Dickinson, Esquire,

For John Neville, Esquire,

votes.

votes.

The Council and the General Assembly then proceeded to the choice of a Vice President; and the votes being taken were as follows, vizt:

For James Irvine, Esquire,
For John Neville, Esquire,

votes.

votes.

And thereupon, it was declared that John Dickinson, Esquire, was then duly elected President, and that James Irvine, Esquire, was then duly elected Vice President; and the following declaration of the said election being read, was signed by his Fxcellency John Dickinson, Esquire, President, the Honorable James Irvine, and the other members of the Council then present; and the same was signed by the Honorable John Bayard, Esquire, Speaker of the General Assembly, and by the members of the General Assembly then present, as follows, vizt:

To all people to whom these presents shall come, or may concern, the General Assembly and the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania send greeting:

Know ye that we the Representatives of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, in the State House, at Philadelphia, together with the President and other

members of the Supreme Executive Council of the same Commonwealth, in the same place convened, to elect a President and Vice President of the said Commonwealth, have, agrecably to the directions of the nineteenth section of the Constitution of the said Commonwealth, duly and fairly elected and chosen by ballot his Excellency John Dickinson, Esquire, President of the said Supreme Executive Council, and the Honorable James Irvine, Esquire, Vice President; and to the end that due regard and obedience may be paid in the execution of their respective offices on all occasions, we do hereby make known and declare, that the said JOHN DICKINSON, Esquire, is the President, and the said JAMES IRVINE, Esquire, is the Vice President of the said Supreme Executive Council: In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four.

JOHN DICKINSON, President.
JAMES IRVINF, Vice President.
John Bayard, Speaker,
Thomas Mowhorter,
Peter Burkhalter,
Robert Brown,

William Will,

Jacob Engle,
Elias Boys,
James Vansant,
Manuel Eyre,
'William Coats,
Thomas Long,
John Clarke,
Joseph Thomas,
John Kellar,
Arthur Erwin,
Richard Willing,
Anthony Wayne,
Edward Jones,
Robert Ralston,
Matthew Ritchie,
Abraham Smith,
Robert Lollar,
John Stevenson,
James McCalmont,
George Smith,
James Johnston,
Peter Richards,

Benjamin Rittenhouse.

And the said JOHN DICKINSON, is hereby proclaimed to be Captain General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

It was then agreed that the declaration as recited above, be publicly read from the Court House steps in the city of Philadelphia, by the Sheriff of the city and county of Philadelphia, and that the said Sheriff do then proclaim the President in the following words: And the said John Dickinson, Esquire, is hereby proclaimed to be the President of the said Supreme Executive Council, Captain General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Agreed that the order of Procession to the Court House be as follows, vizt:

Order of Procession.

Constables with their staves.
Sub-Sheriffs with their wands.
High Sheriff with his wand.

Coroner with his wand.

Judges of the Supreme Court, and Judges of the High Court of Errors and Appeals.

Attorney General and Prothonotary of the Supreme Court.
Marshall of the Admiralty.

Judge and Register of the Admiralty.

Naval Officer.

Treasurer and Comptroller General.

Secretary of the Land office.

Receiver General and Surveyor General.

Justices of the Peace.

Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas and Clerk of the Quarter Sessions.

Clerk of the City Court, Master of the Rolls, and Register of Wills.

Secretary of the Council.

His Excellency the President, and the Honorable the Vice President.

Members of the Council, two and two.

Doorkeeper of the Council.

Sergeant at-Arms with the mace.

Honorable the Speaker of the General Assembly.

Clerk of the General Assembly.

Members of the General Assembly, two and two.

Doorkeeper of the General Assembly.

Provost and Faculty of the University.

Officers of the militia.

Citizens.

The Secretary reported that the declaration of the President was read at the Court House, and there proclaimed according to the order of Council.