USA > Pennsylvania > Colonial records of Pennsylvania, Vol. XIII > Part 10
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The two following deeds were examined and passed, to wit :
To Jacob Morgan and Hilary Baker, Jun'rs, for three lots marked in the general plan of city lots O, P and Q; sold agreeably to law, for the redemption of the bills of credit of this State of the twenty-ninth of April, 1780, for the sum of four hundred and twenty-seven pounds. Deed dated the eighth of October last.
A petition from Joseph Egg, setting forth that Anthony Moore, lately deceased, was seized in fee of a certain lot of ground situate on the north side of Sassafras street, between Seventh and Eighth streets from Schuylkill, in the city of Philadelphia, containing in breadth forty-nine feet and an half, and in length three hundred and six feet ; that the said Anthony Moore mortgaged the same to him on the thirty-first of January, 1776, to secure the payment of one hundred and fifty pounds, which lot hath been lately sold at the Coffee House to Edward Pole, but not conveyed ; and praying that this Board will be pleased not to convey the said lot to the said Edward Pole, or to any other person, was read ; and thereupon,
Resolved, That the said petition be sent to the Surveyor General of the State, and that he be directed to make inquiry respecting the same, and make report thereon to this Board as soon as may be.
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MINUTES OF THE
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Tuesday, Nov'r 6th, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Van Campen,
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Ewing, and
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter.
Mr. Cunningham,
Mr. Coldwell, Mr. Gurney, Mr. Deane, Mr. Irwin, Mr. Blewer, and Mr. Eyre, Wardens of the Port, attended in Council and in- formed that they had respectively taken the qualification required by the Constitution to qualify them for the said office, and they were informed of the situation of the light house.
On consideration,
Ordered, That Peter Reeve, late Treasurer of the Board of Wardens of the Port of Philadelphia, be directed to deliver over to the present Board of Wardens, or their order, the money, books, and papers in his hands belonging to the said Board of Wardens.
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In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, Nov'r 7, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Van Campen,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Ewing,
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter, and
Mr. Cunningham,
Mr. Levan.
Ordered, That Colonel Lewis Farmer be directed to deliver to the Honorable James Potter, Esquire, seventy blankets, seventy stable coats, seventy pair of shoes, seventy hats, and seventy pair of overalls, to be by him forwarded to Colonel Samuel Hunter, Lieutenant of the county of Northumberland, for the use of Cap- tain Thomas Robinson's company of Rangers, raised in said county.
A petition from John Swanwick, praying permission for his mother, Mary Swanwick, and a certain Mary Connor, to go to Elizabeth town, in the State of New Jersey, and to return, was read ; and thereupon,
Resolved, That the said permission be granted.
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SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
The Honorable John Van Campen, Esquire, laid before the Board the following account, to wit :
The State of Pennsylvania to John Van Campen, Dr. For attendance in Council from the eighth of September to the eighth of November, 1781, inclusive, 61 days at 25s. per day, £76 5 To mileage, 90 miles coming to Philadelphia and returning home, 180 miles at 1s., 9
Specie, £85 5
To an error in my account of the 14th of March, 1781, £17 10, State money.
And thereupon, the following orders were drawn on the Treas- urer :
In favor of the Honorable John Van Campen, to wit : One for the sum of eighty-five pounds specie, and the other for the sum of seventeen pounds ten shillings, State money emitted by act of General Assembly of the seventh of April, 1781, agreeably to the foregoing account.
On consideration,
Ordered, That Thomas Coombe, late Collector of the duties and sums of money due & payable for the tonnage of all ships and vessels chargeable by an act of General Assembly of Pennsylva- nia, passed February the twenty-fifth, 1773, entitled " An Act ap- pointing Wardens for the Port of Philadelphia, and for other pur- poses therein mentioned, and Receiver of the fines and penalties imposed by the said act," be directed to deliver over the books, money and papers in his hands belonging to the Board of War- dens of the Port of Philadelphia, to the present Board of Wardens, or their order, together also with the seal of the said Board, and all things of what nature which may be lodged and now remaining in his hands as Clerk of the said Board or otherwise.
A letter from Charles Thompson, Esquire, Secretary of Congress, informing of the election of his Excellency John Hanson, Esquire, to be President of Congress for the present year.
A letter from Anne Moore, praying a pass to go to the city of New York, was read ; and thereupon,
Resolved, That the said petition be granted, on condition that she do not return again during the continuance of the present war.
A letter from John Hannums, Esquire, of the county of Ches- ter, of the seventh instant, praying leave to resign his office of Jus- tice of the Peace, in consequence of his being elected one of the Representatives of the General Assembly for said county, was read ; and thereupon,
Resolved, That the said resignation be accepted.
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MINUTES OF THE
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In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, Nov. 8, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Cunningham,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Van Campen,
Mr. Levan.
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In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Friday, Nov'r 9, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Ewing, Mr. Levan, and
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter,
Mr. Cunningham,
The Council taking into consideration the circumstances of Wil- liam Will, Esquire, one of the Agents for Forfeited Estates, he being Sheriff of the city and county of Philadelphia, and his time consequently taken up by the duties of the said office,
Ordered, That William Will be discharged from the said office, and the thanks of this Board given him for the faithful discharge of the duty therein.
Ordered, That Henry Osborne, Esquire, be appointed Agent for Forfeited Estates in the city of Philadelphia, in the stead of, Wil- liam Will, Esquire.
A resignation of the office of Forfeited Estates in the county of Chester, by John Hannums, was received and read; and
On consideration, the same was accepted.
The petition of George Schlosser was read, and referred to the General Assembly.
Ordered, That the Agents of Forfeited Estates in the city and several counties of the State, do make a return to this Board as soon as possible, of all forfeited estates unsold, describing the situ- ation, quantity, quality, and improvement of each, and the estate held therein by the persons respectively, who have forfeited the same, whether in fece simple or otherwise.
Mr. McLene and General Wilkinson, a committee of the Hon- orable House of Assembly attended in Council, and informed that
Mr. Ewing, Mr. Potter, and
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SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
the House was now met and ready to receive any business the Coun- cil may have to lay before them.
The Secretary laid before the Board a draft of a message to the House of Assembly ; and the same being read and considered, was agreed to; and is in the words following, to wit :
Message from the Vice President and Supreme Executive Council to the Representatives of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met.
GENTLEMEN :- It is with the highest pleasure that we congratu- late the General Assembly at their first meeting, upon the great and glorious events of the present campaign, and the bright and happy prospect which opens before us ; while the citizens of America were distressed with painful apprehensions for the fate of a hand- ful of brave men in the Carolinas, surrounded with dangers and difficulties, General Green, with a degree of prudence, fortitude, perseverence, and courage, which does him the highest honor, has with the assistance of the patriot citizens of those States, not only baffled the efforts of an enemy greatly superior to him in force, and who affect to pride themselves on superior discretion, but after many well fought battles has obliged them to abandon the interior parts of those States, and by the late signal and important victory over them at the Eutaw Springs, finally compelled them to retire with precipitation within the vicinity of Charleston, and thereby freed an insulted and distressed country from the ravages of a vengeful and cruel enemy. And after we had long looked with a sympathetic sorrow on the ravages committed by a numerous army in a neighboring sister State, that whole army, consisting of near nine thousand men, including the seamen found on board the ene- my's armed ships, have been made prisoners of war, and all . their artillery, ammunition, stores, transports, and military chests, taken with them. This important achievement, planned with consum- mate wisdom, and executed almost without loss, has not left a sin- gle foe in arms for an extent of at least six hundred miles. And while it reflects the highest honor upon the Commander-in-Chief and the allied army and navy, exhibits a glorious proof of the im- mense advantage which the United States of America have derived from their alliance with France, and of the boundless worth of the friendship of their powerful, wise, and generous Prince ; atchieve- ments whose magnitude excites a solemn joy, and inspires the mind with gratitude to Him whose Providence governs the Universe.
But while we rejoice in those signal successes, and contemplate the extensive advantages which may be derived from them, it be- hoves us to look forward to another campaign, and make the most effectual preparations for a vigorous effort to drive the enemy from our country, and put an honorable period to the war.
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MINUTES OF THE
Among other considerations, it may deserve the serious inquiry of your Honorable House, whether there may not be some im- provements in the mode of assessing and collecting the public taxes, tending to make the same more certain and expeditious and less expensive. It appears to be proper to inform you, that having some time since sold the land known by the name of the Province Island, for the redemption of the bills of credit issued by the State bearing date April 29th, 1780, we have for the same pur- pose lately made a considerable progress in the sale of the city lots ; and although it is far within the time limited for that purpose by the law, we intend to continue the sale until the whole of that emission shall be redeemed. This will not only save to the State the interest which would otherwise accrue upon those bills, and draw out of circulation a considerable sum of paper money, but will also afford an unequivocal and decisive proof of the determina- tion of the State to preserve its faith with respect to the bills of credit issued by the Legislature for the support of the war.
We are pained with the distresses of those families which have suffered on the frontiers by the Savages, yet we are bound to ac- knowledge that those suffering, have happily been much fewer than, after every assistance had been given them which it was in our power to afford them, we feared they could have been ; and we confide that the frontier settlements will be remembered by you in the course of the present session, and be properly provided for, as far as their exposed situation will admit. That harmony and mu- tual confidence between the Executive and Legislature, which is at all times beneficial to the State, shall be cultivated by us with a due attention, and we shall continue to afford every aid in our power to maintain the true interests of the State.
The Secretary will lay before you several papers from the Finan- cier General, which deserve your immediate attention ; and also, such other papers as we have at present to communicate to you.
WILLIAM MOORE, Vice President. . Council Chamber, Phil'a, Nov'r 9, 1781.
Ordered, That the said message be laid before the General As- sembly.
Ordered, That Samuel Sterett, Esquire, Muster Master of the militia of this State, be directed to muster the militia of the city and liberties of Philadelphia, now called into service as guards in the city, to-morrow morning at nine o'clock.
A deed was examined and sigued by the Honorable the Vice President, to Captain William Rice, conveying one undivided fifth part of two hundred and fifty acres of land, situate in the township of Bristol, in the county of Philadelphia : Seized and sold agreea- bly to law, as the estate late of Nathan Roberts, an attainted trai- tor, to the said William Rice, for the sum of eight hundred and ten pounds, which sum he hath paid into the hands of the Agents
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SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
of Forfeited Estates in the said county. Deed dated the ninth day of November instant.
The following deeds were examined and signed by the Honora- ble the Vice President, for sundry lots in the city of Philadelphia, marked in the general plan of city lots, sold agreeably to law, for the redemption of the bills of credit of this State of the twenty- ninth of April, 1780, as follows, vizt :
To John M'Kim, for lots No. 544, 545, 550 and 551. Consid- eration one hundred and ninety-one pounds.
To Robert Bridges, for lots No. 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. Consid- eration five hundred and ninety-one pounds.
'To James McKim, for lots No. 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907 and 908, & 909. Consideration one hundred and sixty- five pounds ; which sums the said persons have paid into the hands of the Treasurer of the State, as by his receipt appears. Deeds dated the ninth instant.
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Saturday, Nov'r 10, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Ewing,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Levan, and
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter.
Mr. Cunningham,
Two orders were drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Mr. David Deshler, one for the sum of three thousand and ninety-seven pounds thirteen shillings and two pence, State money emitted by act of Assembly of the seventh day of April, 1781; and the other for the sum of four hundred and one pounds eight shillings and one half penny specie, balance of his account as Commissioner of Pur- chases in the county of Northampton.
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MINUTES OF THE
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Monday, Nov. 12, 1781. PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Ewing,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Levan, and
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter.
Mr. Cunningham,
An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of the Honorable Robert Morris, Esquire, Superintendant of the Finances of the United States of America, for the sum of thirty thousand pounds specie, in part of the supplies required from this State by the Honorable Congress, for which the said Robert Morris is to ac- count; the same to be charged to the United States of America.
Mr. Wynkoop, Mr. Culbertson and Mr. Slough, a committee of the Honorable House of General Assembly, attended in Council, and proposed to the consideration of the Board the appointing a day for electing a President and Vice President; when Wednesday next was agreed upon as a proper day.
Resolved, That Mr. Bayard and General Lacey be a committee of this Board to meet the said committee of Assembly, to agree upon the ceremonies necessary to be observed at the election of the President and Vice President, to be held on Wednesday next.
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Tuesday, November 13, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Ewing,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Levan,
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter, and
Mr. Cunningham,
Mr. Piper, (now first re- turned from his family.)
On consideration,
Resolved, That Mr. Joseph 'Stiles, Commissary of Military Stores, be directed to send to Mr. William Brown, to be sold at public auction, the sail duck and damaged arms now in his posses- sion, and pay the neat proceeds into the hands of the Treasurer of the State.
An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Captain Joseph Stiles, Commissary of Military Stores, for the sum of one hundred pounds specie, for the purpose of repairing of arms, for which sum he is to account.
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111
SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
A petition from Philip Shriner, in behalf of his son-in-law, Frederick Hoffman, convicted of larceny at a Court of General Quarter Sessions for the county of Lancaster, and sentenced to be publicly whipped, pay a fine of twenty pounds to the use of the State, make restitution of the goods stolen, and stand committed till this sentence be complied with, was read, praying a pardon of the said offence ; thereupon,
Resolved, That the said Frederick Hoffman be pardoned, so far as respects the said corporal punishment.
The committee of Council appointed to confer with the commit- tee of the Honorable House of General Assembly, upon the place of electing a President and Vice President of this Council, and to adjust the ceremonies necessary to be observed on the occasion, report :
That having conferred with the committee of the Honorable House upon the subject committed to them, it is agreed that the Council will on Wednesday next, at ten o'clock, meet the General Assembly in the Assembly room, (being larger and more convenient for the purpose than the Council chamber,) and there proceed to the election of a President and Vice President, agreeably to the Constitution ; that after the said election is finished, the Council and Assembly proceed to the Court House and there make procla- mation of the President and Vice President so chosen. And the committee submit to the Council the order of procession.
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, Nov'r 14, 1781.
PRESENT :
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard,
Mr. Levan,
Mr. Lacey,
Mr. Ewing,
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Potter, and
Mr. Cunningham,
Mr. Piper.
The Clerk of the Honorable House of General Assembly at- tended in Council, and informed that the House of Assembly was now ready to proceed to the election of a President and Vice Presi- dent ; and thereupon,
Ordered, That the Secretary of the Council do attend the Hon- orable House, and inform the House 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.
The Honorable the Vice President and the members of the Council met the General Assembly in the Assembly room ; and
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MINUTES OF THE
thereupon, the Secretary of the Council and the Clerk of the House proceeded to take the votes for President.
And the votes were as follows, vizt :
For William Moore, Esquire, sixty·four. 1
For James Ewing, Esquire, one, (one-Vice President.) do.
For James Potter, Esquire, one,
For John Lacey, Jr , Esquire, onc, do.
The Council and General Assembly then proceeded to the choice of a Vice President.
And the votes were as follow, vizt :
For James Potter, Esquire, . thirty-eight. twenty-eight.
And thereupon, it was declared that William Moore, Esquire, was then duly elected to be President, and James Potter, Esquire, was then duly elected Vice President. And the following declara- ration of the said election being read, was signed by his Excellency William Moore, Esquire, President, the Honorable James Potter, Esquire, Vice President, and the other members of the Council then present; and the same was also signed by the Honorable Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, Esquire, Speaker of the General Assembly, and by the members of the House of General Assembly · then present, to wit : By
WILLIAM MOORE, President. JAMES POTTER, Vice President.
John Bayard,
Joseph Gardner, Sebastian Levan,
John Lacey, Jun'r,
James Cunningham, James Ewing,
John Piper.
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUIILENBERG, Speaker.
Samuel Morris, Jun'r, Joseph McClean, Gerardus Wynkoop,
Sharp Delany,
George Gray, James Wilkinson,
John Steinmetz,
Thomas Rees,
Thomas Long,
Samuel Meredith, Henry Hill,
Charles Kachline,
Matthew Holgate,
George Campbell,
John Culbertson,
James Mason, James Porter,
Perciter Frazier, John Bishop, Jonas Hartzell,
Thomas Maffits,
Robert McPherson,
William McFarren,
Evan Evans, John Hannums, James Moore,
Moses McClean, Michael Simpson,
Peter Kohler,
Robert Lattimer, Jacob Stroud, Bernard Dougherty, Charles Cessna, William Montgomery,
Patrick Anderson, John Lindsay, John Whitehill, Jacob Cooke, Abraham Scott, James Jacks,
William Maclay,
William Cook,
Matthias Slough, William Brown, Jacob Kerug,
Thomos Lilley, Michael Hahn, Joseph McGoffin, James McLene, Robert McGaw, John Allison, John Montgomery, Stephen Duncan, Benjamin Weisser,
Isaac Mason, John Proctor.
For James Ewing, Esquire,
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SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
The said declaration is in the following words, to wit :
To all people to whom these presents shall come or may concern. The General Assembly and 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 members of the Supreme Executive Council of the same Commonwealth, in the same plice convened, to elect a President and Vice President of the said Council, have, agreeably to the direction of the nineteenth section of the Constitution of the said Commonwealth, duly and fairly elected and chosen by ballot his Excellency William Moore, Esquire, President of the said Supreme Executive Council, and the Honorable James Potter, Esquire, Vice President ; and to the end that due regard and obedience may be paid to them in the exe- cution of their respective offices on all occasions, we do hereby make known and declare, that the said William Moore, Esquire, is the President, and the said James Potter, Esquire, is the Vice President of the said Supreme Executive Council.
In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the fourteenth day of November, in the sixth year of the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania, and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one.
And the said William Moore, Esquire, is hereby proclaimed to be Captain General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania.
Agreed unanimously, that the said declaration of the election of the President and Vice President of the Supreme Executive Coun- cil be publicly read at the court house in the city of Philadelphia, by the Secretary of the Council ; and that the Secretary of the Coun- cil do then proclaim the President in the following words, viz :
And the said William Moore, Esquire, is hereby proclaimed to be President of the said Supreme Executive Council, Captain Gen-" eral, and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Agreed, that the order of the procession to the court house be as follows, vizt :
Constables with their staves.
Sub-Sheriffs with their wands.
High Sheriff with his wand. Coroner with his wand.
Judges of the Supreme Court.
Prothonotary of the Supreme Court.
VOL. XIII -8.
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MINUTES OF THE
Judge, Register, and Marshal of the Admiralty.
Naval Officer.
Treasurer and Attorney General of the State.
Secretary of the Land Office, Receiver & Surveyor General of the State.
Justices of the Peace.
Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, & Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions.
Clerk of the City Court.
Master of the Rolls and Escheator General.
Secretary of the Council.
His Excellency the President and Honorable the Vice Presi- dent.
Members of the Council, two and two.
Doorkeeper of the Council.
Sergeant-at-Arms with the Mace.
The Honorable the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
Clerk of the House.
Members of the House of Assembly, two and two.
Doorkeeper of the General Assembly.
Provost and Faculty of the University.
General and field officers of the militia.
Citizens.
In Council.
PHILADELPHIA, Thursday, Nov'r 15, 1781.
PRESENT :
His Excellency the President.
The Honorable the Vice President.
Mr. Bayard, Mr. Levan,
Mr. Lacey, Mr. Ewing, and
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Piper.
Mr. Cunningham,
'The Secretary reports that the declaration of the President and Vice President was read at the court house yesterdey, and the President proclaimed, according to order of the Council.
His Excellency William Moore, Esquire, in consequence of his election to that office on Wednesday last, now took the oath of al- legiance and oath of office required by the Constitution of the State; and James Potter, Esquire, Vice President, elected to that office on the same day, took the oath of allegiance and oath of office required by the Constitution, as aforesaid.
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SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
On consideration,
Resolved, That Mr. Michael Cryder, of the county of Bedford, be appointed Agent of Forfeited Estates in the said county, in the room of John Cannon, Esquire.
An order was drawn on the Treasurer in favor of John Shee, Esquire, for the sum of two hundred and thirty-five pounds ten shillings specie, amount of his account for one hundred and fifty days' pay as one of the Auditors of the Public Accounts, to the . thirty-first of October last, at thirty shillings per day.
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