747 MASSACHUSETTS RESOLVES, fee, SEPTEMBER, 1776.
of course the men now employed at the furnace must be called upon to serve in their turns, which must inevitably stop the going of the furnace now making garrison wheels, &,c., for the Castle, part of which is now finished, and will greatly injure your petitioner in his interest, after putting the furnace into blast at an unseasonable time at a great expense, should the persons concerned in said furnace be obliged to attend their turns in the military service ; where- fore your petitioner humbly begs this honourable Court that the persons now concerned in said furnace business, may be exempted from serving in the Militia service during the blasting of said furnace. And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever pray. Nathaniel Guild. Memorandum. The owners of Furnace Hope, in the State of Rhode- Island, pray that the following pereons may be exempted from military duty in the State of the Massachusetts-Bay, as they are necessary to carry on the works at said furnace : Solomon Perkins, Daniel Keth, Jun., Abner Sears, Jere- miah Keth, James Keth, Ruel Keth, Seth Keth, Jonathan Keth, Amos Shepherdson, gun moulders; Martin Das- sance, fireman ; Ebenezer Hooper, Thomas Wood, topmen ; James Hill, Jun., blacksmith. PETITION or COMMITTEE OF MIDDLEBOROUGH. To the honourable Board of Counsellors and House of Representatives of the Massachusetts State, at Water- town, in General Court assembled: The Petition of the Committee of Correspondence of the town o/Middleborough, humbly showeth: That the said Committee, in serving the publick agree- able with, and pursuant to, the order and directions of the honourable Council and House of Representatives, (which they are resolved seriously and carefully to observe, so far as shall any ways promote the publick good,) do meet with some difficulty ; and, in particular, first : As they were ordered to the possession of, and lease out, the real estates of all persons that have fled to Boston, &-c., and no direc- tions given how to clear said real estates from their present encumbrances, there yet remains such real estate not leased out, because the present possessor obstinately refused to quit possession or hire the same ; alluding, at the same time, to something from two of the present Council as a reason for such conduct : and further, as the personal estate of the Olivers hath not been under the care of publick authority, the said Committee, on taking possession, and also an inven- tory, of said personal estate, do find, by sufficient testimony • from reputable persons, who were well acquainted with said estate, that there were many valuable things there, when and soon after the said Olivers left their estate, which they do not find now, and there is no person accountable there- for ; and it hath been repeatedly suggested to the said Committee that particular persons who have had the oppor- tunities have used, removed, and concealed a part of said estate ; and further, a part of said personal estate is perish- able, and liable at any time to be lost, and for that cause no one will risk it : Therefore your petitioners most humbly pray that the said honourable Council and House of Repre- sentatives would immediately grant to the said Committee further authority and directions adequate to their task ; and in particular, with submission to your Honours' great wis- dom, your petitioners humbly pray that, your Honours would grant to the said Committee authority immediately to remove any person or persons from the possession of any such real estate as above-said, who have not, nor will not hire the same at a reasonable rate ; and further, to demand the assistance of a Justice of the Peace so far as is necessary for the obtaining such personal estate as above-said that is yet missing; and also that any person or persons, being suspected of having taken any part of such personal estate as abovesaid, shall be accountable upon oath to the said Committee therefor, and that all perishable estate as above- said may be disposed of for the good of the publick. For all which your petitioners, as in duty bound, for the benefit of the publick in general, and for the equity, peace, and good order of the town to which they belong, shall ever pray. Dated at Middleboro, September the 2d, 1776. By order of said Committee : John Miller, Chairman. In Council, September 5, 1776 : Read and sent down. Samuel Adams, Secretary. The Committee to consider the within Petition have attended that service, and beg leave to report that the peti- tioner have leave to withdraw said Petition. Oakes Angier, per order. Resolve for supplying Captain Plummer's Company with Poivder, ifc; pa««e<Z September 5, 1776. Resolved, That the Commissary-General supply Captain Benjamin Plummer with fifty pounds of Gunpowder, one hundred pounds of leaden Balls, and one hundred and fifty Flints, for the use of his Company, he, the said Plum- mer, to be accountable for the same. Resolve for the delivery of six Firelocks to Captain Leighton; passed September 5, 1776. On the Petition of Samuel Leighton, Resolved, That the Commissary-General be, and he hereby is directed to deliver to Captain Samuel Leighton, six Firelocks out of the store belonging to this State, for the use of six soldiers mentioned in his Petition, and that he, the said Captain, be accountable for said Firelocks, and that there be deducted out of each of said soldiers' wages, six shillings for the use of the same. Resolve for the delivery of four Firelocks to Captain Lyman; passed September 5, 1776. Resolved, That the Commissary-General be, and he is hereby directed to deliver to Captain Lyman, four Fire- locks out of the store belonging to this State, for the use of four soldiers mentioned in the Petition, he to be account- able for the same, and that there be deducted out of each of said soldiers' wages, six shillings for the use of the same. Resolve for the Payment of £i2 As. to Eleazer Spaulding ; passed September 5, 1776. On the Petition of Eleazer Spaulding, praying that his son Daniel may be allowed for his Gun lost at the battle of Bunker-Hill, Resolved, 1 hat there be paid out of the publick Treasury of this State £2 14s. to the above petitioner, in full com- pensation for the loss of his Gun above mentioned. petition of THOMAS NICHOLSON. To the honourable the Council of the State of Massachu- setts-Bay : TTie Petition of Thomas Nicholson humbly showeth: That your petitioner is fixing out from Plymouth as a privateer, a sloop called the America, burthened about eighty tons, mounting ten carriage-guns and six swivels, owned by himself, Messrs. Watson ^ Spooner, and a number of others. She has on board six thousand pounds of bread, forty barrels pork and beef, five hundred weight of powder, two thousand weight of iron, and three hundred weight of leaden balls ; manned with seventy men : Thomas Nicholson Captain, Corben Barnes First Lieutenant, Nathaniel Ripley Second Lieutenant. Your petitioner therefore humbly prays your Honours would grant him a commission as Commander of the said privateer, he giving bond agreeable to the requisi- tion of the Congress. Thomas Nicholson. In Council, September 6, 1776. Read, and Ordered, That a Commission be issued out to the said Thomas Nicholson as Commander of the Sloop America, he complying with the resolves of Congress. Jno. Avery, Deputy Secretary. petition of THOMAS CRAGG. State of the Massachusetts-Bay: To the honourable the General Court of said State : The Petition of Thomas Cragg humbly shows: That your petitioner being part owner of the ship Isaac and her cargo, was on a voyage in' said ship from the Island of Tortola bound to Liverpool, in England, to visit his family and attend to his private concerns ; that in prosecu- ting said voyage he was taken and brought into this State. This unexpected event has thrown your petitioner into the
